Bering Sea Gold

Narrator: NOME, ALASKA.

THE SHORTEST ICE MINING SEASON ON RECORD

IS KICKING INTO HIGH GEAR.

THE GOVERNMENT AGENCY, THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES,

IS SHUTTING US DOWN THE 15th OF APRIL.

THAT SUCKS. WE HAVE HOT WATER.

WE HAVE COLD ICE.

WE NEED TO GET DOWN THERE AND START POPPING DIRT.

Narrator: HOPING TO TURN A FAST PROFIT,

MINERS ARE GAMBLING ON RADICAL NEW EQUIPMENT...

LOWER THE LOAD!

BIG MONEY. BIG, BIG, BIG MONEY.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, I'M A BIT NERVOUS.

...AND HAZARDING FAR-FLUNG HOT SPOTS.

HEY! YOU GUYS AWAKE IN THERE?

IT'S TIME TO GET UP. OH, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T WANT TO.

EVER SINCE I WAS A KID, WE WENT CAMPING AT THE BLUFF.

I SPENT 20 YEARS OF THINKIN' OF HOW I'M GONNA GET DOWN THERE

AND GO MININ' THERE.

WE WANNA FIND THAT GOLD. WE WANNA FIND THAT MOTHER LODE.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: A HUNDRED MILES FROM NOME CITY LIMITS...

MAN, IT WAS COLD OUT LAST NIGHT.

UM, IT'S BEEN A LONG, HARD FEW DAYS TO GET OUT HERE,

BUT WE'RE HERE.

IT'S DAY ONE OF MINING IN THE WILD FOR THE POMRENKE CREW.

THOSE BOOTS ARE PROBABLY LIKE ICE CUBES.

THEY ARE PRETTY DAMN COLD.

THIS IS WHAT MR. GOLD HAS FOR BREAKFAST.

AFTER PULLING OVER $5 MILLION FROM THE WATERS OF NOME,

THIS WINTER...

...MR. GOLD IS ROLLING THE DICE,

LOOKING FOR HIS NEXT BIG PAYDAY...

AND THERE IT IS. THERE'S THE BLUFFS.

Narrator: ...TRAVELING DEEP INTO THE BUSH

TO GROUNDS UNTOUCHED FOR NEARLY A CENTURY.

OH, WOW. THIS PLACE IS PRETTY ROUGH.

Shawn: ALL RIGHT.

THE OLD MINER'S CABIN GIVES A LITTLE MORE SHELTER,

A PLACE TO COOK.

WE COULD'VE STUCK AROUND TOWN, WENT AND JUST GRINDED OUT

AND GOT SOME GOLD.

BUT WITH THE SHORTER SEASON, I FEEL LIKE WE COULD TAKE

A LOT MORE CHANCES.

SO I GOTTA MELT ICE HERE JUST TO MAKE COFFEE.

WE GOTTA GO GET OUR FIRST DIVE IN YET.

GET OUT, GET SET UP AND, UH, FIND SOME GOLD.

MM.

OH, THAT'S GOOD. -MM-HMM.

COME ON, KONA. LET'S GO.

I CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE A RISK-TAKER.

I KNOW THERE'S A TON OF GOLD DOWN THERE SOMEWHERE.

HOPEFULLY I DON'T GO BROKE LOOKIN' FOR IT,

BUT, HELL, NOTHIN' VENTURED, NOTHIN' GAINED.

LET'S GET SOME GOLD, BABY!

Narrator: WHILE SHAWN AND HIS CREW BEGIN THE HUNT,

100 MILES TO THE WEST...

ON CLAIM 14...

I CAN GET THE HOSES SET UP

FOR GETTIN' THE HOT WATER HEATER FIRED UP AGAIN.

I BROUGHT A FIVER OF GAS OUT FOR THE GENERATOR.

SWEET.

ONCE BITTER ENEMIES, ZEKE TENHOFF AND EMILY RIEDEL

HAVE FORMED AN ALLIANCE BEST DESCRIBED AS ICY.

EMILY HAS ARRANGED A LABOR FORCE TO COME AND HELP HER.

BUT WHAT I BELIEVE THAT EMILY NEEDS RIGHT NOW

ARE THINGS THAT I HAVE -- I HAVE PERMITS.

I HAVE THE SKILLS.

IT'S A LOT OF WORK TO PULL OFF AN ICE OPERATION,

AND ZEKE CAN'T DO IT BY HIMSELF.

WE HAVE A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.

I HAVE GOLD MONEY, AND I HAVE A TEAM I CAN OFFER.

Narrator: EMILY'S TEAM --

A VERY UN-NOME-ISH TRIO OF CERTIFIED DIVERS --

SHELBY JOHNSON, JENN NEWBY, AND KENDALL WINSLOW.

I THINK THEY'RE, LIKE, SCUBA CERTIFIED.

BUT DOES THAT MEAN THAT THEY SPENT, LIKE, 1,000 HOURS WORKING

UNDERWATER AND DEALING WITH ALL OF THE THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG

AFTER 1,000 HOURS OF WORKING UNDERWATER? PROBABLY NOT.

FOR MORE DIVERS HOURS TO EQUAL MORE GOLD,

THE FIRST STEP IS TO TURN DIVERS INTO MINERS.

THIS IS A GAS COMPRESSOR. GAS RELEASES CARBON MONOXIDE.

THE SAFEST WAY TO BREATHE OFF OF THIS IS

FOR THE INTAKE HOSE TO BE SUPER LONG.

THAT WAY WE'RE GETTING THE CLEANEST AIR POSSIBLE IN,

AND IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT IT'S RUNNING OFF GAS.

ALL RIGHT, LOVELY LADIES.

UM, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS?

I DON'T WANNA BREATHE IN MONOXIDE.

WELL, YEAH. THAT -- NOBODY'S --

YEAH, THAT -- THAT -- THAT NEVER

IS IN ANYONE'S INTENT. AND THEN --

TO HAVE YOU GUYS BREATHE IN MONOXIDE.

ALL RIGHT. I THINK WE'RE READY TO GEAR UP, Y'ALL.

Narrator: FOR ONE OF EMILY'S GREENHORNS,

LEARNING TO BE A NOME DIVER

IS NOT LOOKING AS ENTICING AS ADVERTISED.

UP HERE, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE'S JUST KIND OF LIKE,

"OH, WELL, WE'LL JUST THROW THIS SYSTEM TOGETHER."

WELL, IT'S GONNA POISON YOU.

COULD KILL YOU, BUT, UM,

PROBABLY JUST SLOWLY KILLING YOU.

Narrator: THE FIRST ONE UP FOR BEING SLOWLY KILLED --

SIX-YEAR VETERAN ZEKE TENHOFF.

SO IF THESE GIRLS ARE GONNA LEARN HOW TO DREDGE,

THEY HAVE TO START OUT IN A PLACE WHERE THERE IS GOLD

SO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE LOOKIN' AT.

AND I'M THE ONE THAT HAS TO PUT 'EM ON THE GOLD.

YEAH! ARE YOU EXCITED TO SEE IT COME TOGETHER?

I AM EXCITED TO SEE ZEKE GET IN THAT WATER.

I HAVE A FEW GREENHORN DIVER GIRLS, AND, UM,

ZEKE IS GONNA BE ABLE TO TEACH THEM A LOT ABOUT GOLD MINING.

AND ALSO, WHETHER ZEKE LIKES IT OR NOT,

UM, THE ONLY OTHER GREENHORN DIVER GIRL

THAT'S EVER BEEN UP HERE IN NOME IS ME.

AND HE DID PRETTY WELL WITH ME, YOU KNOW?

Zeke: ALL RIGHT.

OKAY, YEAH. YOU'RE KEEPING A STEADY AT 80 P.S.I. UP HERE.

Zeke: LOOKS PRETTY SAFE DOWN HERE,

BUT I THINK I MIGHT SEE A DARK SHAPE OF, LIKE,

A PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THERE...

OH, A SEA MONSTER.

THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE THERE ARE TAILINGS PILES.

WE'VE DREDGED IN THIS AREA BEFORE.

Narrator: HAVING RECOVERED 150 OUNCES OF GOLD

FROM THIS CLAIM LAST SUMMER, EMILY'S G.P.S. MARKS

SHOULD LESSEN THE GUESSWORK IN THE SHORT WINTER SEASON.

Zeke: I'M GONNA MOVE OVER TO SOME -- SOME MORE OF THIS STUFF

THAT'S A LITTLE MORE ROCKY

TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE PAY LAYER IS HERE.

THIS PLACE LOOKS AS GOOD AS ANY AS A PLACE TO START OUT.

YEAH, MY COORDINATES DID. YES.

HOW PSYCHED ARE THE GIRLS GONNA BE TO GET DOWN THERE?

IT'S BEAUTIFUL. THERE'S SOME GOLD.

IT IS BEAUTIFUL. IT'S BEAUTIFUL DOWN HERE.

LOVE IT DOWN HERE IN THE WINTERTIME.

I WASN'T SURE, YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE GONNA GET IN THE WATER

TODAY OR ANYTHING, BUT IT HAPPENED, AND THAT'S AWESOME.

Narrator: UNDER THE ICE, ZEKE IS ON PAY DIRT.

Kendall: THERE'S SO MANY THINGS

ABOUT THIS SYSTEM THAT AREN'T SAFE.

I LIKE MY LIFE WAY MORE THAN I LIKE ANY POSSIBLE GOLD.

Narrator: BUT TOPSIDE,

NOT EVERYONE IS SHARING IN THE CELEBRATION.

I MEAN, THAT WAS PROBABLY DUMB ON MY PART TO THINK

THAT THERE WAS A SOLID OPERATION UP HERE, BUT...

I'M JUST STARTIN' TO THINK THAT IT'S NOT WORTH IT TO BE HERE.

Narrator: ONE HUNDRED MILES DOWN THE COAST...

AT THE BLUFF...

IT WILL BE EXCITING TO SEE WHAT'S DOWN THERE.

GONNA GRAB THE CAMERA.

WE'RE GONNA TAKE A LOOK AT THE BOTTOM,

SEE IF WE CAN FIND SOME STRUCTURE OR SOMETHIN'

THAT WE LIKE, AND THEN WE'LL GO AFTER IT.

ARMED WITH A WATERPROOF CAMERA,

SHAWN POMRENKE, JACOB MUSICH, AND CODY MOEN

ARE THE FIRST MINERS TO EVER PROSPECT THE BLUFF SEAFLOOR.

HOPIN' TO FIND SOME BIG CHUNKS OF THAT YELLOW STUFF.

WE'RE LOOKIN' FOR ROCK.

SAND WITH A LITTLE DREDGE LIKE WE HAVE IS A LOT OF WORK

JUST TO GET THROUGH THE SAND DOWN TO THE PAY LAYER,

SO WE NEED TO FIND ROCK.

SEE THAT COBBLE?

I THINK THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO START.

LET'S DO IT.

I MEAN, BASICALLY, WHAT WE'RE DOIN' IS MAPPIN' OUT THE GOLD

IN A VERY LARGE AREA IN A VERY SHORT TIME.

ON THIS TRIP, I'M LOOKIN' TO PICK UP, UH, YOU KNOW,

15, 20 OUNCES.

IF I GET THAT, THEN IT'LL DEFINITELY BE WORTH

BRINGIN' THE CHRISTINE ROSE DOWN THERE.

I BROUGHT A LITTLE SOMETHIN' TO REMIND US ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE.

THAT'S PRETTY COOL.

HUH? YEAH.

CHRISTINE ROSE, JR. YEAH, THE LITTLE JUNIOR.

I THINK I CAN. I THINK I CAN.

THE LITTLE DREDGE.

Narrator: FINDING A SPOT RICH IN COBBLE,

WHICH OFTEN INDICATES GOLD, IT'S TIME TO HIT THE WATER.

NO! OH!

GOT OUR DIVE TENT, A PLACE TO GET OUT OF THE WEATHER

OR CHANGE, SET UP.

NOW WE GOTTA GET THE MONKEY HEATER SET UP, GET THE PUMPS

HOOKED UP, GET THE SLUICE BOX HOOKED UP, AND DO A DIVE.

I'M KINDA EXCITED. I'M HOPIN' TO SEE GOLD RIGHT OFF THE BAT.

FEELS GOOD TO GET TO THAT POINT

TO WHERE WE GET TO KNOW WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE.

HOPEFULLY GET SOME MONEY.

I'M DROPPIN' THE PUMP IN FOR THE FIRST TIME.

IT'S PERFECT.

LET'S GET DOWN THERE AND SUCK SOME GOLD UP.

HOLY !

Narrator: AT THE BLUFF...

HOLY !

THE MOST CRITICAL PART OF AN ICE MINING OPERATION,

SHAWN'S DIVE HEATER, IS UP IN SMOKE.

AH, LOOK AT THAT BIG OLD CRACK RIGHT THERE.

OUR COIL INSIDE THE TANK RUPTURED,

AND WITHOUT HOT WATER, WE CAN'T DIVE

IN THIS FREEZING COLD WATER.