Bering Sea Gold

NOME ATTRACTS RISK TAKERS.

PEOPLE WHO LIKE THE ACTION.

PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY'RE GONNA GET RICH QUICK.

YEAH!

THAT IS GOLD. WHOO-HOO-HOO! Man: GOLD. AWESOME.

THEY FIND OUT PRETTY QUICKLY IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY.

NO! THE ANCHOR JUST WENT OVER.

EVERY DAY IS AN EXERCISE IN FIXING BROKEN DOWN EQUIPMENT.

OH, .

GOLD GODS ARE PISSED OFF AT US.

WHAT THE DO I DO?!

AAH!

THIS SHOULD BE CALLED "BROKEDOWN CITY,"

BECAUSE IF YOU GOT EQUIPMENT, HEY, GUESS WHAT.

IT'S GONNA BREAK DOWN.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: NOME, ALASKA.

Emily: WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEASON,

AND IT'S NOT GOING WELL.

I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT'S THE GROUND

OR THE DIVER OR WHAT THE IS GOING ON,

BUT, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE.

Narrator: THE SUMMER DREDGING SEASON

IS HALFWAY OVER,

AND THE FLEET IS FEELING THE PINCH.

800 BUCKS A DAY

TO 1,000 BUCKS A DAY JUST TO COME OUT HERE, YOU KNOW?

AND, UH, IF YOU DON'T FIND GOLD, YOU'RE NOT GONNA --

YOU CAN'T SURVIVE.

Narrator: MINERS HAVE SUNK HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

INTO THEIR RIGS JUST TO KEEP THEM UP AND RUNNING.

800 BUCKS WORTH FOR THEM TWO LITTLE DINK PARTS.

DON'T DROP 'EM. GO MAKE SOME DAMN GOLD, THEN.

SEE YA, DAD.

Narrator: BUT THERE'S STILL TIME LEFT TO TURN A PROFIT.

BOAT IS GOOD. THE SLUICE BOX IS GOOD.

ALL WE NEED TO DO NOW IS JUST GET UP AND GET GOING.

FINGERS CROSSED, MAYBE WE CAN FINISH THE SEASON

OUT WITH A BANG.

Narrator: NOW HITTING PAY DIRT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER...

...ESPECIALLY IF YOU NEED MONEY FOR DIAPERS.

YOU READY? I'M READY, BABE.

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR DAYS.

Narrator: IN THE CENTER OF NOME, BRAD KELLY GETS

HIS FIRST CHANCE TO HOLD HIS DAUGHTER, THE GOLDEN CHILD,

LITTLE BABY NIA.

TRUST ME. I'LL HANDLE HER WITH KID GLOVES.

OKAY, OKAY, OKAY, OKAY. CAREFUL, CAREFUL, CAREFUL.

CAREFUL, CAREFUL.

ARE YOU LITTLE NIA?

MY LITTLE BABY.

DAMN, SHE'S SO SMALL.

SHE'D FIT UP A SUCTION HOSE.

HEY, YOUR BROTHERS ARE A LITTLE ROUGH,

BUT THEY'RE GONNA LOVE YOU.

Narrator: THREE DAYS AGO...

I DON'T KNOW --

I DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S GONNA MAKE IT, YOU KNOW?

I REALLY DON'T. I'M REALLY UPSET OVER THIS .

Narrator: AFTER HEMORRHAGING BADLY DURING CHILDBIRTH,

BRAD KELLY'S GIRLFRIEND COURTNEY WAS MEDEVACKED TO ANCHORAGE

TO SAVE HER LIFE.

I JUST WANT MY BABY AND MY GIRL TO BE HEALTHY.

THAT'S ALL I GIVE A ABOUT.

COURTNEY, YOU SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME, BABE.

I WAS REALLY SCARED. I THOUGHT YOU WERE DYING.

I WASN'T GONNA SEE YOU AGAIN.

I THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE,

AND I'M GONNA WORK THE HARDEST I'VE EVER WORKED

TO KEEP GOLD FOR YOU AND THE BABY, OKAY?

MY LITTLE PUMPKIN HEAD.

YOU GET OLDER, YOU SEE THE JOY IN HAVING THIS LITTLE BABY.

IT'S A GREAT LITTLE THING, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.

I GOTTA GET OUT THERE AND MAKE A LOT OF GOLD NOW.

I WANT THIS BABY TO GO TO SCHOOL HERE.

I WANT HER TO GO TO COLLEGE. EDUCATION. YEAH.

OH, AND I KNOW HOW TO RAISE KIDS NOW.

I LEARNED ALONG THE WAY. I MADE MISTAKES WITH MY BOYS.

I'M NOT GONNA MAKE MISTAKES WITH THIS ONE.

TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, WHEN I HAD MY KIDS,

I WAS YOUNG. I WAS 17 YEARS OLD.

YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO RAISE A FAMILY.

I WAS KINDA SHUNNED FROM MY FAMILY.

NOW THAT I HAVE A NEW FAMILY,

I KNOW A DIFFERENT PATH TO GO DOWN.

NOW YOU'RE GONNA SEE A DIFFERENT BRAD.

I GOTTA TAKE CARE OF MY BABY AT ANY COST.

I THINK SHE'S HUNGRY

AND WANTS A SECOND OR SOMETHING.

LOOK AT HER.

NO, THAT WAS BAD.

DADDY'S GONNA QUIT SWEARING, TOO.

DADDY'S NOT GONNA USE NO MORE BAD WORDS. NOPE.

Narrator: WHILE THE NEWEST KELLY SETTLES IN,

OVER IN NOME HARBOR...

GO AHEAD AND START PUSHING AWAY.

Narrator: WITH 606 OUNCES,

WORTH 727 GRAND COLLECTED ON THE SEASON,

SHAWN POMRENKE AND THE 80-FOOT CHRISTINE ROSE

ARE FIRING UP TO HEAD FOR THE TOMCOD CLAIM.

I'M A VERY, VERY COMPETITIVE GUY.

I DON'T LIKE TO LOSE.

SO COMING IN FIRST IN THE GOLD COUNT

IS PRETTY IMPORTANT TO ME. I DON'T LIKE TO BE BEAT.

I DON'T LIKE ANYBODY BEATING ME AT ANYTHING.

I LIKE BEING THE NUMBER ONE.

THAT'S THE BOAT I WANNA BUY AT THE END OF THIS.

MAYBE I'LL FIND THAT PILE OF GOLD TODAY,

SO I CAN BUY MY BIG BOAT.

THE CHRISTINE ROSE MIGHT BE LITTLE,

BUT IT'S EFFICIENT,

AND IT'S GOT ONE HELL OF AN OPERATOR.

Narrator: SHAWN IS LESS THAN 400 OUNCES AWAY

FROM BREAKING THE 1,000-OUNCE BARRIER

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.

YOU GET 1,000 OUNCES, I MEAN, PEOPLE RESPECT THAT.

THAT SHOWS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

AND WE NEED TO GET 25, 30 OUNCES IN THE BOX TODAY,

OR WE'RE GONNA FALL BEHIND.

OH, . THE ANCHOR JUST WENT OVER.

HEY, JAKE...

YOU GOT A 1,000-POUND ANCHOR HANGING OFF THE END OF IT.

IF THAT CATCHES SOMETHING ON THE BOTTOM,

IT'S GONNA RIP THAT WHOLE WINCH AND EVERYTHING RIGHT OFF.

Narrator: AS THE HALF-TON ANCHOR FELL OVERBOARD,

IT RIPPED THE TRAILING STEEL BUOY ACROSS THE DECK

INTO THE GUARD RAIL, NEARLY TEARING IT OFF THE BOAT.

I'M GONNA FLIP THE BALL OUT OF THERE

AND TRY GRABBING THAT ANCHOR.

HOPEFULLY IT DOESN'T SINK.

Narrator: TO GET HIS ANCHOR BACK AND KEEP THE HULL INTACT,

SHAWN NEEDS TO CAREFULLY RAISE THE LINE

WITH HIS EXCAVATOR.

HERE WE GO. I'M GONNA TRY IT.

OH, OH. OH, MAYBE I CAN JUST FINESSE IT.

OH, NO, IT MIGHT WANNA COME OFF THAT TOOTH.

IT'S HANGING ON A THREAD.

Narrator: THE BUCKET ARM IS AS HIGH AS IT CAN LIFT.

NOW IT'S A MATTER OF GENTLY HOOKING THE ANCHOR

BACK ON THE GUARD RAIL.

NO!

MORE? MORE.

Narrator: WITH THE ANCHOR AND BUOY OVERBOARD,

IT'S NOW A RACE TO ATTACH A CHAIN TO IT

BEFORE THEY'RE LOST COMPLETELY.

THINKING ON HIS FEET, SHAWN SECURES THE CHAIN

TO THE MIDPOINT OF THE ANCHOR LINE,

HOPING TO REDUCE THE DISTANCE THE BUCKET ARM NEEDS TO LIFT.

GOT IT.

JUST GOT THE CHAIN HOOKED UP. NOW I GOTTA GET THIS ONBOARD.

WHOA! WE GOT EVERYTHING ONBOARD!

Narrator: THE ANCHOR AND BUOY SAFELY SECURED ON DECK,

IT'S NOW FULL SPEED AHEAD FOR THE DIGGING GROUNDS.

YEAH, FORWARD, FORWARD.

THAT WAS SCARY.

KEEP PUSHING.

DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THE GOLD.

Narrator: 4 MILES TO THE WEST,

ON THE ROCK WALL CLAIM...

WE'RE ALL SYSTEMS GO.

JUST GONNA LET THE ENGINE RUN FOR A WHILE,

GET MY HOT WATER ALL WARMED UP.

MY LEAST FAVORITE PART OF DREDGING

IS PUTTING ON A COLD, WET WET SUIT.

I REALLY HATE IT.

Narrator: DIVER ZEKE TENHOFF AND HIS GIRLFRIEND SARAH DUNN

ARE PREPPING FOR ANOTHER DAY AT WORK.

I WANNA FIND ONE OF THOSE REAL HOT SPOTS

AND HOPEFULLY PUT A COUPLE OUNCES IN HERE TODAY.

Narrator: 10 DAYS AGO...

Narrator: ZEKE BROUGHT ON HIS BABY BROTHER GABE

AS A TENDER AND SECOND DIVER.

12 OUNCES. THAT'S NOT BAD.

NOT BAD AT ALL.

Narrator: AND THE PAIR BROUGHT IN

A $15,000 SCORE.

NOW, AFTER LITTLE BRO HEADED HOME...

HEY, OUR GENERATOR STOPPED WORKING,

AND I DON'T KNOW WHY. I THOUGHT IT WAS OUT OF GAS.

WHAT'S THAT?

Narrator: ZEKE IS ONCE AGAIN DIVING SOLO

WITH A GREENHORN TENDER.

ARE THERE ANY HOLES IN ANY OF THESE THINGS?

THE BONES OF THE TENDERING JOB ARE NOT -- NOT VERY HARD.

THERE'S NOT VERY MANY THINGS YOU HAVE TO DO.

YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A GENIUS TO DO THAT STUFF.

YOU NEED SOME HELP?

Sarah: HE'S JUST IN. NO GOODBYES OR ANYTHING.

HE'S ANXIOUS.

THE CURRENT IS REALLY STRONG,

AND IT'S SWINGING EVERYTHING AROUND.

I JUST GOTTA MOVE THE ANCHOR.

ARE YOU PULLING US?

THIS IS -- THIS IS BOLD.

OKAY.

JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE I LEFT OFF.

I'M A LITTLE BIT DISORIENTED.

OKAY, BUT YOU'RE NOT PUTTING ANY GOLD IN THE SLUICE BOX, THEN.

I KNOW. I'M JUST ASKING. I'M JUST...

I'M NOT ASKING IF YOU GOT A SECOND OUNCE OF GOLD ALREADY.