Deadliest Catch
Alaska King Crab fishermen working on the Bering Sea have, literally, some of the most dangerous jobs in the world. The waves are huge and the death toll is astronomical - but the lure of easy money brings the men back each year.
The series began on the Discovery Channel in 2004, after the huge success of a three-part miniseries called "America's Deadliest Season". I was hooked just by watching the trailers for this series. The waves crashing down on these ships were HUGE. This was like the movie The Perfect Storm - but instead of actors, the people being videotaped were real fishermen. This wasn't a silly reality show making people "risk" eating worms. These real men and women were laying their lives on the line to feed their families and bring in some cash.
The danger is very real. Ships really do sink, the fishermen die. The water is so freezing in this area of the world that a person who lands in the water without a survival suit will barely last 15 minutes before dying. Even with the suit, this only helps them go for a few hours. In season 3, a ship sinks and the only man rescued alive had managed to get his survival suit on in time.
There are moments of levity as well. One captain has his favorite fishing spot betrayed by another captain. When the first captain spots a pot of his now-enemy, he pulls it up, empties it out, and welds the pot closed! They have to keep a sense of humor in a world where the seas can turn on you in an instant.
This is really one of the last wild frontiers in our world. The wild west now has showgirls and paved roads. The Oregon trail has pinot noir vines growing alongside picnic benches. Out in the Bering Sea, it really does matter how quick your reflexes are and how sharp your intuition is. It can spell the difference between life and death; between bringing home a large haul and coming up empty.
When I visited Alaska, I met several people who knew King Crab fishermen. All spoke of the extreme danger the men had faced - and how they had pitted their skills against the elements, trading about two months of fierce danger for about $40,000.
Well recommended.
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