Bering Sea Gold

Now, on "bering sea gold"...

It's getting towards the end of the season,

and we need to start having some big clean-outs.

Otherwise, I'm gonna lose all my dredgers.

So, we are going to push the christine rose

to the limit in the deeper water.

It's the risk we have to take.

It's gonna be one of those days, like a fricking rodeo.

Our goal is to do 4,000 ounces,

and smash every record that's ever come out of nome.

I've been grinding around the clock,

sleeping in the chair.

It gets grueling.

Got to have another operator.

Curl that bucket all the way up.

Man, you screwed that one up.

Winter is on its way.

We've got to start making a profit on this gold ship,

so I need a strong team.

If I got to diver that's not cutting it, he'll be packing.

You're breaking more than you're fixing.

Pack your , and get off the boat.

If I'm gonna make enough gold for my big ship this season,

right now, it's time to really take some risks.

The way we're getting gold's a little sketchy.

If people didn't like us before, they're gonna hate us now.

captions paid for by discovery communications

did I tell you we got a new plan today, dad?

I was out at the bar last night.

My friend says that the au grabber's on 3 ounces an hour.

Hey, the plan is super simple.

We're gonna creep toward him

until we get on his spot.

And I hope they don't notice us.

As the second half of summer mining revs up,

kris kelly is hatching a scheme

to try to kick his season into overdrive...

Okay, what do you think? Are we going to do it?

Just try it. Yeah. Let's go try it.

Andy, drop the ropes. Let's go.

...Using the ancient art of riding coattails.

To infinity and beyond!

You never talk about what you're getting at the bar.

That's the number-one rule.

Okay, so, my friend,

he's the guy that runs the excavator,

he's sitting there, and he's telling me what he's getting.

And he's like, "whoa, kris, our box is just

golden in the hold," and I'm like, "yeah!"

you know. So, I tell, you know, like,

I tell that to my dad and brother.

I go, "look, you know what?

Let's head on over to my au grabber buddy."

Kris has got a plan today to get on the excavator spot,

and try and borrow some of their gold,

or help them extract some of the gold, there.

Yeah, we're going down 7 miles to go jump

on someone's claim.

Oh, it's really

to go after somebody else that's working there,

and then, you just pull on up, and jump on in.

Yeah.

Well, if we're gonna rob something,

we might as well rob the bank, not the liquor store.

I am telling you, man, they're killing it over there.

On their last trip out...

None of your claim-jumping, right now.

So, you're gonna have to move.

...The kellys, quite possibly,

edged onto emily riedel's claim...

There's gold right on the claim.

...But definitely, reap the rewards.

-11. -Ta-da!

Now, they've got their sights set on an even bigger score --

looking to poach the area around the 85-foot excavator barge

known as "the au grabber."

going to emily's was like shopping at the 99¢ store,

but now, we're going to macy's, and do a little shopping.

3 ounces an hour -- if we can do that with this little boat,

there'll be a celebration tonight, huh?

No guts, no glory.

We're gonna make this work.

Look, the truth is,

we're not processing enough gold right now.

We need to make more gold, and get the big boat going.

Everything's gonna be working for us.

Halfway through the season,

the kellys are less than halfway towards their goal

of earning enough to refurbish their very own mining vessel.

You know what? Just trust me.

So, the captain's willing to do whatever's necessary

to make his dream a reality.

You want to know why this plan's gonna work?

Why?

They've already ripped into the second clay layer.

We never make it to the second clay layer.

Their trench is, like, 20 feet deep.

So, they've done all the work for us.

While suction dredgers are unable to penetrate

the first layer of hard clay,

an excavator barge has the power to punch through it,

exposing additional clay layers,

as well as rich deposits of gold.

I will never,, with a 6-inch operation,

ever get down that far in my entire life.

So, basically, I let this excavator do all the hard work.

We pick up all the peaches that are left behind,

and we're doing pretty good.

Get your panties ready.

It's gonna be just fine.

We're gonna sneak in next to them.

They won't even notice.

A fella on top of their boat's staring at us.

They're looking right at us.

Hey! Wait here!

Tell dad to kill the engine.

Kill it.

-Hey! -Hey!

What's up?

My boat broke down.

I'll fix it right away.

They keep giving me the stink eye.

Let's just see how today plays out.

Let's go, before they figure out what we're doing.

Come on. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.

We're getting ready to rob the bank, right now.

If we get any , or anything,

kris kelly sent us here.

I just want to note that -- kris kelly.

Keep time. Here we go.

Here we go, to get us some gold!

As kris dives into the back half of the season,

half a mile west...

I'm starting to fill up ripples on this side.

...Shawn pomrenke is already making a splash.

We're back on that pay streak.

I want to load this box up, and turn it yellow.

To pay off a $1.3 million debt,

and turn a profit on the season...

No more screwing around.

...Shawn's grinding on a lucrative pay streak

he's dubbed "the river of gold".

Out here, just a little bit deeper, there's a lot more gold.

And out further a little deeper than that,

there's a lot more gold.

And it might go from here to russia.

But to stay on the trail,

john has to push the c.R.'s 22-foot arm to its limit.

Here we go.

Well, we're not too far.

We are within an inch or two of being maxed out.

I'm gonna see if I can get to the bottom of it.

Felt like I may have gotten to the bottom of it.

Big chunks of clay coming up.

The gold goes down through the sand,

through the gravel, through the goo,

and onto that hard clay,

and sits on top of that hard clay.

That's how you know you're to the bottom

of where you're digging.

Going deeper out on the tomcod, hone in on that pastry.

The gold is out there, deep.

but as long as I can reach it, we're gonna dig it.

It's getting interesting, right here.

And it's getting deeper.

Ooh, big rock.

They're getting to be big boulders and...

This could be the channel, right here.

The hard material is usually pretty good ground, and virgin.

Ow.

Digging in the big boulders, you have to be careful.

Anything too big, you'll wreck the whole system.

ooh.

It's gonna be one of those days, like a fricking rodeo.

But when you're on good gold, you push it a little bit harder

and a little bit longer than you should.

Hang on. We're going for a ride.

Yeah.

There's some big rocks down there.

Big rocks, big boulders.

Starting to get thrashed around, here, pretty good.

But as long as we can stay out here,

and stay on it, we're gonna dig it.

Hit another jackpot, here.

I feel you down there.

Get in the pocket.

Coming up...

No, man. I, I'm done with you, brian.

You're breaking more than you're fixing.

So, when we get back, pack your , and get off the boat.

I'm running short on hands, and I need some sleep.

I'm running 24/7.

Dead set on keeping his crown as mr. Gold,

and breaking the record in nome

for the biggest summer haul ever,

ken kerr has been burning the candle at both ends.

So, I worked all day, and then worked most of the night.

Now, we'll go back out today.

Keeping the old myrtle running night and day

is more than a one-man job.