Gold Rush: White Water

I WAS DIVING, AND THE WHOLE CREEK WENT BLACK.

SO WE KIND OF FEEL LIKE

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING UP-CREEK

FROM US RIGHT NOW.

AND I DON'T KNOW HOW DANGEROUS IT IS.

WHAT THE HELL IS THAT UP THERE?

HOLY COW.

OH. LANDSLIDE.

IT'S COMPLETELY ACROSS THE CREEK.

IF THE TOPSIDE OF THAT THING BLOCKS OFF,

IT'LL CREATE A DAM.

AND IT WILL FILL UP BEHIND THAT.

THERE'S A POTENTIAL WE CAN GET, UH, LIKE, UH...

A COLLAPSE HERE. ...INLAND TSUNAMI.

IT WILL KICK OUR ASS.

WOW.

Dustin: ALL RIGHT, FELLAS, HUDDLE UP.

WE'RE GONNA GO UPSTREAM.

WELL, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT.

LET'S FIND OUT WHAT'S DOWNSTREAM FIRST.

GO OUT AND FORMULATE EXACTLY -- I KNOW.

YOU CAN'T STAND IT. YOU HAVE TO LEAVE.

Dustin: FRED'S TRYING TO MAKE A DECISION

THAT COULD COST ME WEEKS.

I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF WEEKS RIGHT NOW.

Paul: LOOK AT THE WATER.

Dustin: WATER DROPPED 10 INCHES IN A COUPLE MINUTES.

THAT MEANS THERE'S A WALL OF WATER GONNA COME.

WE RUN FOR THE HILLS AS FAST AS WE CAN.

MIGHT BE A CHANCE TO MAKE GOLD TODAY.

HEY, THERE'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING IN THERE

THAT LOOKS LIKE A NUGGET.

YEAH.

YOU MAY KISS YOUR BRIDE.

I'M GOING TO GET MY GOLD THIS WEEKEND.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Dustin: FRED AND I HAVE HAD A COMPLICATED SEASON.

I'VE GOT A GREAT CREW. THEY'VE WORKED THEIR ASS OFF FOR ME.

BUT HAVEN'T GIVEN THESE GUYS ANY GOLD YET.

MY FIRST DAY UP HERE, I WAS EXCITED, FULL OF ENERGY.

NOW I'M -- I'M EXHAUSTED IN EVERY WAY, SHAPE, AND FORM.

I'D LOVE TO HAVE GOLD IN MY POCKET

TO MAKE IT ALL WORTH IT.

BUT I'M ON A GREAT ADVENTURE.

AND THIS IS HOW I CHOSE TO GO ABOUT IT.

GOT TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, OR ELSE

THIS WHOLE SEASON'S GONNA BE A FAILURE.

Dustin: CARLOS IS GOING DOWN TODAY.

HE CAME UP WITH A WAY TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT

HOW TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE BOTTOM.

IT'S PRETTY DEEP DOWN THERE.

NOW, THESE ARE SOME SERIOUS, POWERFUL UNDERWATER LIGHTS.

AND, UH, I WANT TO GET A VIEW OF EVERYTHING

THAT YOU CAN SEE DOWN THERE.

Narrator: IN ALASKA, THE DAKOTA BOYS HAVE BEEN SEARCHING

FOR A POCKET OF GOLD WORTH MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

ALL RIGHT. GOING DOWN.

BUT EIGHT WEEKS INTO THE SEASON,

THEY'VE FOUND LESS THAN $800 WORTH.

Dustin: WE ARE WORKING WAY TOO HARD TO NOT HAVE GOLD.

WE SHOULD HAVE -- OUR POCKETS SHOULD BE LINED WITH THIS STUFF.

Narrator: AND THEY HAVE TO REPAY

A $50,000 LOAN TO TODD HOFFMAN

BEFORE ANY OF THEM GET TO SHARE A CENT.

SURE YOU WANT TO DO A CLEAN-OUT?

I DON'T THINK WE GOT A SINGLE THING IN THERE.

A FEW SPECKS IS JUST GONNA PISS ME OFF.

FRED AND DUSTIN ARE UNDER PRESSURE TO DELIVER.

Dustin: NO DOUBT, I'M STARTING TO BECOME IMPATIENT.

HEY, CARLOS. YOU GOT DUSTIN ON THE MIC.

Carlos: ALL RIGHT, DUSTIN.

TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON, MAN.

Narrator: SINCE INSTALLING A DIVERSION,

THE CREW HAS DREDGED AN AREA DOWNSTREAM.

BUT THEY'VE YET TO HIT BEDROCK.

HEY, MAN. DO YOU THINK YOU CAN GET UP

AND GO CHECK OUT THOSE BOARDS?

DUSTIN NOW WANTS TO EXPLORE MINING UPSTREAM.

Dustin: SEASON IS HALFWAY THROUGH,

AND WE'VE GOT NOTHING BUT A HOLE TO SHOW FOR IT.

IF YOU CAN GET UP INTO THAT CORNER,

IT WOULD BE AWESOME.

BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN OR NOT.

WELL, JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT DIVERSION,

I THINK THERE'S GOLD AND A LOT OF IT.

WE PROBABLY PUT THE DIVERSION WALL IN THE WRONG SPOT.

THAT'S WHERE YOU WERE AT WHEN YOU FOUND THAT NUGGET.

I THINK IT'S TIME TO FIND MORE.

IT'S TIME TO FIND SOME GOLD, MAN, STRAIGHT UPSTREAM.

Narrator: FOUR WEEKS AGO, DUSTIN FOUND A NUGGET BY THE PLUNGE POOL,

A SIGN THE ENTIRE BEND COULD BE RICH IN GOLD.

THEY BUILT A DIVERSION TO CREATE A SAFE DIVING AREA

AND HAVE EXCAVATED A LARGE SECTION

IN THE DOWNSTREAM END.

NOW, HAVING FOUND LESS THAN AN OUNCE OF GOLD,

DUSTIN WANTS TO MOVE BACK UPSTREAM,

TUNNEL DOWN TO WHERE HE BELIEVES THE GOLD IS CONCENTRATED

DIRECTLY BENEATH THE NUGGET.

Dustin: I'M SICK OF NOT SEEING GOLD.

I'M ACTUALLY HAVING STRESS ABOUT IT.

I CAN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT.

WE'RE GONNA GO UPSTREAM.

I'VE SEEN GOLD THERE.

I NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT'S IN THERE.

IT'S MORE IMPORTANT TO ME

THAN ANY OTHER THING OUT HERE RIGHT NOW.

I NEED THAT TO HAPPEN.

Fred: WELL, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT, UH, THAT.

YOU WANT TO GO INTO THE DIVERSION AND GO UPSTREAM?

FINE.

BUT LET'S FIND OUT WHAT'S DOWNSTREAM FIRST.

Dustin: THERE WILL BE NO GOLD IN THERE AT ALL.

WAIT A MINUTE. WAIT.

LET ME FINISH ONE SENTENCE.

GO OUT AND FORMULATE EXACTLY -- I KNOW.

YOU CAN'T STAND IT. YOU HAVE TO LEAVE.

THIS IS TYPICAL.

Fred: THEY NEED TO CUT OFF ALL THAT

GOING UP INTO THE -- BEHIND THE DIVERSION.

WE'VE GOT A NICE HOLE 10 OR 12 FEET WIDE.

THEY JUST NEED TO KEEP GOING DOWNSTREAM.

Narrator: FRED AND DUSTIN ARE PARTNERS.

BUT DUSTIN OWNS THIS CLAIM.

Dustin: FRED'S TRYING TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE SITUATION.

BUT I DON'T LIKE IT, NOT ONE BIT.

FRED'S TRYING TO MAKE DECISIONS

THAT COULD COST ME WEEKS

IF HE'S WRONG -- WEEKS.

I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF WEEKS RIGHT NOW.

I THINK THERE'S GOLD AND A LOT OF IT STRAIGHT UPSTREAM.

IT'S NOT STRAIGHT.

Narrator: DUSTIN GOES AHEAD REGARDLESS.

GONNA DO THE UN-SMART THING.

AND I'M GOING STRAIGHT DOWN, BASICALLY IN A TUNNEL.

MIGHT BE A LITTLE UNSAFE.

TO EXCAVATE DOWN THROUGH THE BOULDERS

AND BENEATH THE DIVERSION,

DUSTIN RISKS SERIOUS INJURY FROM UNSTABLE ROCKS.

THAT WAS STUPID.

YOU READY?

ALL RIGHT. WE'RE COMING UP.

HERE WE GO. ALL RIGHT.

WOW.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!

DUSTIN.

YOU ALL RIGHT?

UH...

Dustin: ROCK SLIDES UNDERWATER ARE SLOWER, BUT STILL TERRIFYING.

AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE I WENT WITH THE UNSAFE

PLAN BY DIGGING STRAIGHT DOWN.

IT'S MY OWN DAMN FAULT IF I GET HURT.

Fred: WELL, WE DIDN'T DO A WHOLE LOT TODAY.

UH, NOTHING BUT MOVING ROCKS.

WE NEED TO BE DREDGING WHERE THE HOLE IS.

WE'RE LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE.

Dustin: THIS IS A MINOR SETBACK.

THAT'S IT.

Narrator: UP AHEAD...

Dustin: HOLY COW.

LANDSLIDE. IT WILL KICK OUR ASS.

I'M GOING TO GET MY GOLD THIS WEEKEND.

YOU MAY KISS YOUR BRIDE.

**

Fred: WE HAVEN'T BEEN FINDING ANY GOLD.

DEBATE IS TO WHERE THE DAMN GOLD IS.

TODAY, I'M GONNA GET IN THERE AND DO MY OWN THING.

I KNOW DUSTIN.

HE'S UNDER STRESS WANTING

TO GO BUSTING INTO THAT DAM UPSTREAM

WHERE WE FOUND ONE NUGGET. IT'S NOT THE WAY TO GO.

THIS.

Narrator: TODAY, IT'S "DAKOTA" FRED'S TURN TO DIVE.

INSTEAD OF CONTINUING DUSTINGS UPSTREAM TUNNEL,

FRED'S GOING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN,

EXPANDING THE WIDE AREA

IN THE DOWNSTREAM SECTION OF THEIR DIVE POOL.

I APPROACH THINGS MORE LOGICAL. I WANT TO ELIMINATE

THE FIRST POSSIBILITY

OF THE GOLD BEING DOWNSTREAM.

SOMETIMES, IT TAKES A LITTLE MORE EXPLAINING

TO GET IT THROUGH SOME THICK SKULLS

AS TO WHAT'S GOING ON.

FIRE IT UP.

OOH-HOO-HOO. WOW.

Narrator: DOWNSTREAM, THEY'VE ALREADY MOVED THE WORST OF THE BOULDERS.

AND 10 FEET BENEATH THE SURFACE,

FRED CAN GET STRAIGHT INTO DREDGING FOR GOLD.

Fred: LET ME WARM THIS SUIT UP.

HEY. I'M GONNA SHOW YOU FELLAS HOW IT'S DONE.

UH, WE GOT FRED DOWN.

HE SEEMS TO BE DIGGING IT RIGHT.

HE'S DIGGING COMPLETE OPPOSITE WAY OF EVERYONE ELSE.

FRED DECIDED, UH, HE KNOWS BETTER.

SO HE'S DIGGING THAT DIRECTION, I THINK, DOWN-CREEK.

OH, I CAN'T WAIT TO SIT DOWN AND LOOK IN THAT BOX,

SEE WHAT'S IN THERE.

Narrator: SUBMERGED IN THE 38-DEGREE WATER FOR FOUR HOURS,

FRED HAS RUN NEARLY SIX YARDS