Bering Sea Gold

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

Man: WE'VE PUT EVERY LAST DIME WE HAVE INTO THIS.

YOU SPEND ALL THIS MONEY ON AN OPERATION.

YOU DON'T WANT THAT THING TO STOP RUNNING.

THIS ONE ISSUE RIGHT HERE COST ME $20,000-SOMETHING.

WE STILL DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO GET THE MEGA DREDGE GOING,

BUT IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.

POMRENKES ARE VERY GOOD AT BUILDING

WHAT THEY WANT OUT OF NOTHING.

GIVE HER A LITTLE NUDGE.

YEAH!

Woman: MY ICE SEASON IS ABOUT TO FALL APART.

AND IF I CAN'T SUCCEED, THEN I HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING HERE.

IT'S NOT LOOKING LIKE WE'RE GONNA MAKE ANY MONEY OUT HERE.

WHOO!

HERE'S ANOTHER -- ANOTHER BIG OLD CHUNK HERE.

HELL, YEAH.

THAT'S NOT BAD FOR A DAY'S WORK.

GOLD JUST GOT A LOT BETTER!

GIVE ME SOME LOVE! ALL THE WAY!

LOVE, EVERYBODY, LOVE!

WHOO, BABY!

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: NOME, ALASKA.

THE ICE-MINING SEASON IS IN HIGH GEAR AND FUELED

BY WHAT COULD BE THE LARGEST GOLD RUSH

IN MODERN ALASKA'S HISTORY.

THE FLEET IS PUSHING TO THE LIMIT.

IN THE QUEST FOR PAYDIRT, THERE ARE NO OBSTACLES,

ONLY OPPORTUNITIES.

**

80 MILES EAST OF NOME, AT THE BLUFF.

Man: WE'RE GONNA BE BACK UP AND RUNNING,

PUTTING GOLD IN THE BOX.

Narrator: CAPTAIN SHAWN POMRENKE IS ON THE HUNT FOR A BOULDER

HE FOUND AT THE END OF LAST SUMMER...

Narrator: A BIG ROCK HE BELIEVES

MARKS A MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR PAY STREAK

THAT'LL FUND HIS $6-MILLION MEGA DREDGE

AND TURN HIS FAMILY BUSINESS INTO A GOLDEN DYNASTY.

Man: ONCE I BUILD THE MEGA DREDGE,

I'M GONNA BE FILTHY RICH.

I'M GONNA HAVE BIG, HUGE PILES OF GOLD, NOT LITTLE, TINY ONES.

IT'LL BRING IN $75,000 EVERY DAY.

MEGA DREDGE IS GONNA KEEP ME

AND MY CREW BUSY FOR THE NEXT 30 YEARS.

Narrator: BUT SO FAR THIS SEASON...

Man: SON OF A BITCH.

Narrator: SHAWN HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET BACK ON

THE SUMMER PAY STREAK.

DID YOU GUYS COME FIND THIS?!

AND NEW NEIGHBORS...

DID YOU FIND THIS?! NO --

DID YOU FIND IT?!

...HAVE BEEN AN UNWELCOMED DISTRACTION.

Man: WHENEVER YOU POP ONE OF THESE ROCKS UP,

YOU'LL FIND A COUPLE OUNCES.

Narrator: BUT PERSISTENCE PAID OFF...

Man: YOU JUST WANT TO TAKE YOUR GLOVES OFF

AND JUST START GRABBING THEM.

Narrator: WITH THE CREW STRIKING A CONCENTRATED

VEIN OF CHUNKY GOLD.

KEEP POPPING THOSE ROCKS AND SUCKING UP THAT GOLD.

Narrator: NOW...

Man: NOW IT'S TIME TO GET BACK ON THE BOTTOM

AND MAKE SOME CHEESE.

Narrator: MR. GOLD IS LOOKING TO STAY ON TRACK.

Man: I MEAN, EVERY TIME YOU GO DOWN,

YOU HOPE THAT YOU'RE GONNA FIND THE MOTHER LODE.

I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING.

ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING DIVING.

**

**

**

BOY, THAT LOOKS INTERESTING OVER HERE.

LOOKING FOR THAT EASY-CHEESY STUFF.

IS THAT PUMP ALL THE WAY UP?

ROGER THAT.

**

LOTS OF BIG ROCKS, LOTS OF PLACES FOR GOLD TO HIDE.

**

HOPE THAT WE HAVE A BIG PAYDAY TODAY.

SEE IF MY HUNCH IS RIGHT.

**

Narrator: 80 MILES WEST, ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF NOME.

Woman: HASTINGS ISN'T REALLY WORKING OUT

THE WAY I WANT IT TO.

WE HAD A NEW HOLE, IT WAS A DEAD END,

AND NOW WE'RE KIND OF BACK TO PROSPECTING

WHEN WE REALLY JUST NEED TO BE MAKING GOLD.

Narrator: ONLY FOUR WEEKS INTO THE SEASON,

CAPTAIN EMILY RIEDEL'S WINTER OPERATION

IS ALREADY ON THIN ICE.

THIS SEASON I KIND OF TOOK A GAMBLE AND DID SOMETHING

THAT I WOULDN'T NORMALLY DO, EXPECTING BETTER RESULTS.

BUT IT'S BEEN A STRUGGLE TO FIND SOME GOOD GOLD OUT HERE.

THE LAST HOLE WAS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING.

WE WENT THROUGH ALL THIS TROUBLE OF MOVING,

AND, YOU KNOW, WE THOUGHT WE WERE MAKING MONEY.

THE MOST DEVASTATING THING IS, YOU KNOW,

WE THOUGHT THAT WE HAD FINALLY HIT A STREAK,

AND IT JUST ENDED ABRUPTLY.

Narrator: DESPITE THE SETBACKS, EMILY STILL HAS GRAND PLANS.

FOR ME, IT'S ALL ABOUT EXPANSION AND -- AND UPWARD MOBILITY,

MAXIMUM GOLD, MAXIMUM POSSIBILITIES.

AND I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL WHAT I WANT TO HAPPEN HAPPENS.

I NEED TO MAKE IT A VIABLE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

AT HASTINGS.

I KNOW THERE'S STILL GOLD THERE.

Narrator: LAST SUMMER,

WHILE PROSPECTING WITH ON-AGAIN, OFF-AGAIN

BUSINESS PARTNER/LOVE INTEREST ZEKE TENHOFF...

Man: IT IS DEFINITELY 100% UNDOUBTEDLY HERE.

WHOA. -THAT'S OVER 6.

Narrator: THE DUO STRUCK GOLD AT HASTINGS CREEK.

UNBELIEVABLE.

I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT OUR FUTURE IS GOING TO MEAN

EXACTLY AS FAR AS A BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP

IF THERE IS TO BE ONE.

Narrator: AND ZEKE QUICKLY DISSOLVED THE PARTNERSHIP.

Woman: I'M DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO WALK AWAY FROM HASTINGS.

I MEAN, THE GOLD IS TOO GOOD, THIS WINTER,

Narrator: THE STAR-CROSSED PAIR AGREED TO WORK DIFFERENT AREAS

OF THE NEWLY DISCOVERED GROUNDS.

2.4. 2.7 OUNCES.

Narrator: BUT AFTER A PROMISING START...

AH RICKY! PUMP MOTOR'S DEAD, DUDE.

IT'S BEEN ALL DOWNHILL FOR EMILY.

I DON'T KNOW WHICH IS WORSE -- YOUR PUMP MOTOR GOING OUT

ON GOOD GOLD OR YOUR PUMP MOTOR

GOING OUT ON BAD GOLD.

NOW...

Emily: I FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR MY CREW,

AND I BROUGHT THEM DOWN HERE.

IF THIS NEXT HOLE DOESN'T WORK OUT,

WE MIGHT NEED TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD AND --

AND DO SOMETHING ELSE.

IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO STAY IN THE BLACK ICE MINING.

IT SOUNDS GREAT IN THEORY.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE WEATHER.

YOU CAN MINE 24 HOURS A DAY.

BUT THE SHEER LOGISTICS AND THE REALITY OF WORKING

IN 27-DEGREE WATER UNDER 4 FEET OF ICE

MEANS THAT THERE'S GONNA BE MANY,

MANY THINGS THAT SLOW YOU DOWN.

**

LET THE PHYSICAL LABOR BEGIN.

Narrator: DETERMINED TO CASH IN

ON THE PROMISE OF HASTINGS CREEK,

CAPTAIN EMILY HAS RALLIED HER CREW -- VETERAN DIVERS

JESSE STRICKLING AND RICKY LARSEN --

FOR ONE FINAL PUSH TO FIND THE GOLD.

**

**

Emily: HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE

SOME GOOD MONEY AT THIS ONE.

Man: YEAH.

**

JUST PEELING BACK LAYERS, TRYING TO SEE IF I --

CAN EXPOSE ANY --

ANY, UH, GOLD.

SOMETIMES YOU CAN FIND THE PERFECT ROCK.

**

Emily: HEY, RICKY, HOW'S IT GOING DOWN THERE, MAN?

Man: NOTHING THAT'S --

TOTALLY GONNA PAY US YET.

LET HIM DO A BIT MORE PROSPECTING.

JUST KIND OF HOPPING AROUND, HOPING I HIT SOMETHING

GOOD, LIKE, REALLY GOOD,

BUT IT'S NOT LOOKING TOO GOOD AT ALL.

I DON'T THINK IT'S DIED OUT.

I THINK IT'S OUT THERE SOMEWHERE.

I'M OUT HERE LOOKING AROUND.

I'M NOT SEEING .

**

ONE OF THE RECURRING NIGHTMARES

I'VE HAD REALLY EVER SINCE I CAME HERE IS WAKING UP ONE DAY

AND REALIZING THAT I HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW FOR ALL THE TIME

I'VE SPENT, ALL THE WORK I'VE DONE UP HERE.

THAT'S NOT GOOD NEWS.

SOUNDS LIKE THIS HOLE MIGHT BE A DUD.

IT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING.

**

Narrator: 70 MILES EAST...

AT THE BLUFF.

HOW'S IT GOING DOWN THERE, BUDDY?

LOOKS GOOD.

THIS IS PROBABLY A GOOD PLACE RIGHT HERE.

LOTS OF BIG ROCKS.

Narrator: THREE HOURS INTO HIS DIVE,

MR. GOLD IS ON THE HUNT FOR HIS ELUSIVE PAY STREAK.

Man: THEY'RE ROUNDED.

SO, JUST KIND OF SEEING...

I'M COMING INTO LIKE --

THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF BIG BOULDERS UP OVER HERE.

"BIG ROCKS, BIG GOLD" -- THAT'S USUALLY THE SAYING.

Narrator: LARGE ROCKS ON THE SEAFLOOR

COMBINED WITH THE TIDAL ACTION OF THE OCEAN ACTION

LIKE RIFFLES IN A SLUICE BOX, SIFTING AND TRAPPING GOLD.

AS THE THEORY GOES, THE BIGGER THE ROCK, THE BIGGER THE GOLD.