Bering Sea Gold

Narrator: NOW ON "BERING SEA GOLD"...

Shawn: MEGA DREDGE IS GONNA GET ME

MORE GOLD THAN I CAN SPEND IN A LIFETIME.

IT'S GONNA SET MY FAMILY UP FOR GENERATIONS.

I WANT MY KIDS TO BENEFIT,

AND I WANT THEIR KIDS TO BENEFIT FROM ALL THIS.

WHATEVER IT TAKES, IT'S GETTING BUILT.

ARE YOU GUYS AT THE STAGE FOR A $6 MILLION INVESTMENT,

OR IS IT GOING TO STAY THE STEVE AND SHAWN SHOW?

Kris: RIGHT NOW I HAVE NOTHING BUT DEBTS IN TOWN TO PAY,

AND A LOT IS RIDING ON THIS RIGHT NOW.

I NEED TO JUST GET UNDER THE WATER.

IT'S BEEN FIVE HOURS AT THIS. -SHUT UP!

FIVE HOURS! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A

-JUST SHUT UP! -

Zeke: WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME.

WE HAVE TO WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER.

WE DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF JUST WORKING HARD.

I'VE NEVER USED THIS PARTICULAR DREDGE.

IT'S BRAND-NEW.

SEE, THIS IS THE MAIN JET. MAKES SUCTION RIGHT HERE.

OH, YEAH.

THAT SHOULD BE ABLE TO BUST UP THE BEDROCK.

Emily: GOING TO BLUFF, IT WAS A GAMBLE,

BUT I HAVE A GOOD CREW AND I WANT TO MAKE THAT MONEY

AND I WANT THEM TO MAKE ME MONEY.

I WANT TO HAVE PILLARS AND PILLARS OF GOLD.

THOSE GUYS ARE JUST GONE.

THEY'RE NOT IN THEIR CAMP. THEY'RE NOT HERE.

ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT IS GONE.

DAMN IT, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

I OWE $14,000, AND I CAN'T PAY ANY OF IT.

-AWESOME. THANK YOU, BUD. -YEAH.

OH, BULL THAT'S AN EXCUSE, JESSE.

I'M DONE WITH YOU. YOU ARE WORTHLESS TO ME.

YOU'RE NOTHING BUT YOU REALLY ARE!

Brad: ANDY, LET HIM GO!

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: NOME, ALASKA.

IT'S THE FINAL WEEK OF THE WINTER MINING SEASON.

AT MIDNIGHT ON APRIL 15th,

THE GOVERNMENT-MANDATED ICE-MINING MORATORIUM

WILL SLAM DOWN ON THE FLEET.

ALL DREDGING MUST STOP,

AND ALL OPERATIONS MUST LEAVE THE ICE.

WITH THE END LOOMING AND THE ICE SOFTENING,

ONE MISTAKE OR MISSTEP COULD SPELL DISASTER,

AS THEY SCRAMBLE TO MAKE EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DIVE COUNT...

...BEFORE THE BELL TOLLS ON THE SEASON.

80 MILES EAST OF NOME.

AT THE BLUFF...

THAT BEACH RIGHT THERE -- 400,000 OUNCES OF GOLD AND SAND.

THAT'S LIKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

...NOME'S MAD SCIENTIST ZEKE TENHOFF

AND HIS BROTHER, SAM,

ARE ALL-IN TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE SEASON'S FINAL DAYS.

IT'S HARD TO GET OUT OF HERE. I'LL JUST CARRY IT.

GLAD IT SURVIVED THE TRIP.

AFTER WEEKS OF PROSPECTING,

THEY'RE OUT TO PUT GOLD IN THE BOX

FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR,

AND THE PAIR HAVE SET UP 100 YARDS NORTH OF MR. GOLD

IN HOPES OF HITTING PAY DIRT FAST.

Zeke: WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM SHAWN,

WHEN HE'S RUNNING AROUND DRINKING TOP-SHELF WHISKEY

AND BRAGGING HIS ASS OFF TO EVERYBODY,

IS THAT THERE'S JUST UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNTS OF GOLD

EVERYWHERE AT BLUFF.

IT'S A GOLD DREDGER'S PARADISE.

YOU GET DOWN TO THE WIRE,

AND YOU GOT TO KIND OF JUST MAKE SOME MONEY.

Narrator: EARLIER THIS SEASON...

-WHAT? -THAT'S GOLD.

HIGH FIVE! BAM! -YEAH.

...AFTER A POTENTIALLY LIFE-CHANGING GOLD DISCOVERY

AT HASTINGS CREEK...

THERE'S A BIG, GREASY CRACK JUST OPENING UP RIGHT THERE!

...ZEKE'S ENTIRE PLAN WENT DOWN THE DRAIN.

WE MIGHT BE FLOATING AWAY AS WE SPEAK.

AFTER THE ICE SHEET BROKE OFF AND HEADED FOR SIBERIA...

WE NEED TO GET DREDGING DONE,

AND WE NEED TO GET SOME GOLD.

WE GOT TO GO TO BLUFF.

...FORCING HIM TO FOLLOW THE CROWD

IN ORDER TO KEEP HIS SEASON ALIVE.

NOW...

WE HAVE TO GET UNDERWATER, WORK AS EFFICIENTLY AS WE CAN,

MOVE AROUND AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE,

BUT GET ON THAT GOOD GOLD

AND GET AS MUCH OF IT AS WE POSSIBLY CAN

IN THE SHORT FEW DAYS THAT WE HAVE LEFT

TO MINE OUT HERE.

WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME.

WE HAVE TO WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER.

WE DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF JUST WORKING HARD.

Narrator: ZEKE'S NEW PLAN TO WORK SMARTER

AND GET ON THE GOLD AS FAST AS POSSIBLE...

I'M GOING TO MELT AS MANY HOLES AS I CAN

AND I'M GONNA DREDGE IN AS MANY PLACES AS I CAN

AS QUICKLY AS I POSSIBLY CAN,

AND IF THERE'S GOOD HOT SPOTS FULL OF NUGGETS TO FIND,

I'LL BE ABLE TO FIND THEM REALLY QUICK.

Narrator: HE'S GOING TO QUICKLY COVER MORE GROUND...

I'M STRAPPING EVERYTHING, CONSOLIDATING EVERYTHING

ON A REALLY EASILY MOVEABLE SLED

SO I CAN MAKE JUMPS,

IN JUST LIKE 15 MINUTES, FROM ONE HOLE TO THE NEXT.

...WITH A LEAN AND MEAN OPERATION AND PRE-CUT HOLES.

WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET ON THE GOOD BY THE END OF THE DAY

IF EVERYTHING WORKS RIGHT.

THE CENTERPIECE...

I'VE NEVER USED THIS PARTICULAR DREDGE.

IT'S BRAND-NEW.

...A CUSTOM-BUILT, STATE-OF-THE-ART SUB DREDGE

ZEKE HAD PLANNED TO USE AT HASTINGS CREEK.

OH, I LOVE THIS MOMENT.

WHAT SETS THE 10-FOOT SUBMERSIBLE DREDGE APART

IS THE SLUICE BOX.

WITH A CLOSED CIRCULATION SYSTEM

THAT SENDS MATERIAL THROUGH MULTIPLE LAYERS OF MATS,

COARSER GOLD IS TRAPPED BELOW,

AND FINE GOLD, THAT TYPICALLY SLIPS THROUGH,

GETS TRAPPED UP TOP.

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVANTAGE FOR ZEKE IS MOBILITY.

THE SUB DREDGE IS CONNECTED TO SURFACE SYSTEMS

BY AN UMBILICAL THAT EASILY DETACHES,

ENABLING THE DREDGE AND SURFACE SYSTEMS

TO BE MOVED QUICKLY TO THE NEXT HOLE,

WHERE EVERYTHING IS REATTACHED AND DREDGING CONTINUES.

THERE MIGHT BE GOLD IN THIS HOLE.

IF THERE'S NOT, I BET THERE'LL BE GOLD

IN ONE OF THE OTHER THREE HOLES THAT WE ALREADY HAVE READY

AND WE CAN PULL TO IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.

-YEAH! -OKAY. READY?

**

Zeke: EVERYTHING LOOK LIKE IT'S RUNNING GOOD?

-YEAH, MAN. -I GOT TO HUSTLE.

I GUESS WE GOT TO GET ON SOME GOLD TONIGHT.

CRANK IT ON UP.

ALL RIGHT, I'M JUST GONNA DIG A HOLE RIGHT HERE.

I JUST -- I WANT TO FIND A NUGGET, SAM.

I WANT TO FIND A NUGGET.

Narrator: 300 FEET SOUTH.

Emily: EVERYTHING'S RUNNING, WHICH IS COOL.

YOU KNOW WHAT, WE MIGHT -- WE MIGHT REALLY MAKE IT OUT HERE.

WE'RE MINING. EVERYTHING'S GOING WELL.

THIS MIGHT REALLY BE HAPPENING.

Narrator: IN THE FINAL DAYS OF WINTER MINING, CAPTAIN EMILY RIEDEL

IS MAKING A RUN AT TURNING HER ICE SEASON AROUND

TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO SUMMER.

THE WINTER SEASON IS EITHER GONNA SET UP YOUR SUMMER

OR COMPLETELY DETRACT FROM IT --

LIKE, WEAR YOU OUT, BURN YOU OUT FINANCIALLY AND MENTALLY.

AND IT'S REALLY THE WORST TIME TO GO TO BLUFF.

THE SNOW HAS STARTED TO MELT.

THE TRAIL IS POUNDED OUT.

NOTHING SHORT OF ABSOLUTE SUCCESS

WILL JUSTIFY ME BEING HERE.

I'M GONNA GO CHECK IN WITH RICKY AND SEE HOW IT'S GOING.

Narrator: SO FAR...

OH RICKY! PUMP MOTOR'S DEAD, DUDE.

...HER HASTINGS CREEK PLANS HAVE FALLEN THROUGH.

OH, MY GOD.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FREAKING IN BLUFF.

SO NOME'S ONLY FEMALE DREDGE OWNER RALLIED HER

EXHAUSTED CREW AND LAUNCHED A HAIL MARY

TO SAVE HER SEASON AT THE BLUFF.

AND AFTER A ROUGH START...

THERE'S GOLD ALL OVER THE BOTTOM RIGHT HERE.

...SHE FOUND SOME PROMISING GOLD.

HOLY MOTHER OF THERE'S MORE!

DUDE, THAT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!

NOW...

HEY, RICKY, WHAT'S THE GROUND LOOKING LIKE?

ARE YOU SEEING ANY GOLD?

...SHE'S GOT JUST DAYS

TO SUCK UP A SEASON'S WORTH OF GOLD.

YEAH, I'M SEEING GREAT GOLD.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE SPOT YOU PUT US ON PAID OFF.

WHEN I HEAR A GOOD REPORT FROM MY CREW, AND THEY'RE LIKE,

"WE'RE ON THE GOLD AND EVERYTHING'S RUNNING GREAT,"

AND I'M LIKE, "YEAH!"

AND IT'S LIKE I'M SUPER-HAPPY AND HIGH,

AND IT FEELS WONDERFUL.

I MEAN, TRULY, THE ONLY THING THAT REALLY MAKES ME HAPPY

IS KNOWING THAT MY BOAT IS SUCCEEDING

AND THAT WE'RE MAKING MONEY

AND THAT WE'RE OVERCOMING OBSTACLES.

OH, YEAH, HERE'S A PILE.

THERE'S A PILE OF GOLD

THE CHOKE ALWAYS HAS TO BE OUT?

YEAH.

THIS IS RUNNING REALLY BADLY.

REESE, TELL HIM TO COME UP.

Narrator: JUST MINUTES INTO THE DIVE,

THE PUMP MOTOR HAS GIVEN OUT.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, MAN.

**

WAIT, WHAT?

OH, JESUS. I JUST...