Bering Sea Gold

Vernon: IF THIS THING WORKS THE WAY I THINK IT WILL,

I'LL HAVE MORE GOLD THAN KING MIDAS.

Bobby: EVERYTHING'S LOOKING GOOD?

Emily: THIS SEASON, EVERYTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE.

THIS IS MY TEAM OF DIVERS.

Kris: I NEEDED TO GET AWAY FROM MY DAD.

I NEED TO DO THIS BY MYSELF.

THAT'S A BIG FLAKE. WE'RE FIRST ON THE GOLD.

Shawn: THERE'S A FORTUNE DOWN THERE.

I THINK I'M THE FIRST GUY

THAT'S EVER PUT MY EYES ON THE BOTTOM OUT HERE.

Shawn: BUT IT'S 100 MILES FROM HELP.

GETTING IT MEANS SURVIVING OUT HERE.

Narrator: IN 1898, THREE LUCKY SWEDES

HIT THE JACKPOT IN THE CREEKS OF NORTHWEST ALASKA,

AND THE BOOMTOWN OF NOME WAS BORN.

IN JUST OVER A CENTURY,

MINERS HAVE FOUND OVER 3.5 MILLION OUNCES OF GOLD.

HANDFUL OF NUGGETS.

AND THERE'S STILL FORTUNES BEING MADE.

THIS IS WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT FOR A GOLD MINER.

Narrator: THE RUSH CONTINUES IN THE BERING SEA

WITH DREDGES LITTERING THE COAST IN SUMMERTIME.

BUT COME WINTER, ONLY THE TOUGHEST PUSH ON.

GOLD IS IN MY HANDS!

YEAH! WHOO!

OH, !

DON'T DO THAT!

Woman: MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!

Brad: PULL HIM IN! RED ALERT!

OHH!

YOU KICKED ME WHEN I WAS DOWN, AND YOU DID.

IT'S A LITTLE STORMY OUT. IT'S A BLIZZARD.

Kris: IT'S NOT GOOD.

PICKER, PICKER. YEAH!

REAL AS GOLD.

BOOM!

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: AT THE START OF THE 2015 WINTER MINING SEASON...

UNDER THIS SPOT'S MEGA GOLD.

THE NOME DREDGING FLEET IS SCRAMBLING LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

OKAY, WE'RE MOVING. THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS.

Zeke: THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

PUT A MORATORIUM ON ICE MINING.

THE WHOLE PROCESS FOR OFFSHORE MINING HAS BEEN UPENDED.

Narrator: A NEW MANDATE HAS BEEN HANDED DOWN --

BE OFF THE ICE BY APRIL 15th OR FACE STEEP FINES.

IRONICALLY, ON TAX DAY, WE HAVE TO STOP MAKING MONEY.

SHORTEST SEASON EVER.

JUST A LITTLE BIT OVER A MONTH TO MAKE SOME MONEY OUT THERE.

Narrator: TO MAKE IT PAY, MINERS ACROSS THE FLEET

ARE TAKING EXTREME MEASURES.

THIS CARGO IS GONNA MAKE ME OR BREAK ME.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GONNA WORK.

IF IT DOES, THEN IT WILL BE

A TOTAL GAME CHANGER IN NOME, ALASKA.

Narrator: 100 FROZEN MILES FROM NOME...

Narrator:...CAPTAIN SHAWN POMRENKE, A.K.A. MR. GOLD,

IS WORKING ON HIS NEXT NICKNAME -- MR. TRAILBLAZER.

Narrator: FOR YEARS...

Shawn: FORWARD HO. YEAH!

Narrator: ...SHAWN AND HIS OLD MAN, STEVE,

HAVE BEEN BUILDING A GOLD MINING EMPIRE.

WE'RE GONNA HAVE A GOOD SEASON THIS YEAR.

I HAVE A FEELING.

Narrator: LAST SUMMER... THAT IS A -- HOLY...

THAT'S HEAVY.

Narrator: ...THEY PEAKED WITH A 1,145-OUNCE,

$1.4 MILLION TAKE.

YEAH!

Shawn: BUILDING A LEGACY FOR THE POMRENKES

IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.

I WANT MY KIDS TO BENEFIT,

AND I WANT THEIR KIDS TO BENEFIT FROM ALL THIS.

Narrator: NOW HE'S NOT ABOUT TO TAKE HIS FOOT OFF THE GAS.

Narrator: LOOKING TO EXPAND THE DYNASTY,

SHAWN IS USING THE SHORT SEASON TO FOLLOW A DREAM --

SEARCH FOR GOLD ON A REMOTE CLAIM

100 MILES FROM NOME -- THE BLUFF.

IF I DON'T GET OUT THERE AND FIND THAT NEW HOT SPOT,

WHO WILL?

BACK 100 YEARS AGO,

THERE WAS THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

DOWN THERE WITH PICKS AND SHOVELS MINING THAT BEACH,

JUST LIKE NOME.

NOME -- WE FOUND THE GOLD IN THE OCEAN.

YOU KNOW THERE'S GOT TO BE GOLD OUT THERE IN THE OCEAN, TOO.

WE'RE GONNA GO FIND THAT MOTHER LODE.

THIS GETS ME REALLY EXCITED.

YOU SEE MINING LIKE THIS, AND IT ENDS RIGHT HERE.

ENDS RIGHT AT THE OCEAN.

YOU LOOK AT ALL THE WORK THEY DID

TO GET THIS GOLD OUT OF HERE.

WE'RE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE,

AND THEY COME UP HERE AND GOT THIS -- DID ALL THIS WORK.

BROUGHT THAT BIG-ASS TIMBER.

YOU CAN SEE THE REMNANTS OF THEIR SLUICE BOX COMING DOWN.

I GUARANTEE YOU THERE'S A TON OF GOLD RIGHT OUT HERE.

NOBODY'S EVER DOVE OUT HERE.

THEY'VE MINED UP HERE BECAUSE THERE'S GOLD.

NOBODY'S EVER THOUGHT ABOUT MINING OUT THERE.

WE'RE GONNA BE THE LEAD DOGS ON THIS TRAIL.

Narrator: BEING THE LEAD DOG THIS FAR FROM TOWN

IS A RISKY PROPOSITION.

BESIDES THE PERIL OF MINING UNDER THIN ICE,

SHAWN AND HIS CREW WILL HAVE TO SURVIVE

OFF THE GRID IN THE SUBARCTIC WINTER.

IT'S A DANGEROUS SPOT,

AND IT'S THE MOST DANGEROUS ADVENTURE I'LL EVER GO ON.

Narrator: WHILE SHAWN'S ADVENTURE IS ONLY BEGINNING,

100 MILES WEST, IN THE CITY OF NOME...

FOR CAPTAIN EMILY RIEDEL,

THE SEASON MAY ALREADY BE OVER.

I JUST SPOKE WITH D&R,

AND THEY'RE PERMITTING ME THIS SEASON.

THEY CHANGED THEIR WHOLE PERMITTING SETUP,

AND BASICALLY, ONLY A COUPLE PEOPLE GOT PERMITS THIS SEASON.

I WAS TOO LATE OR SOMETHING.

I DON'T KNOW, BUT I'M NOT ONE OF THEM.

THEY JUST TURNED ME DOWN FOR A PERMIT.

Narrator: AS THE ONLY FEMALE DREDGE OWNER IN THE FLEET,

NOME HAS ALWAYS BEEN A ROLLER COASTER FOR EMILY.

NOT EVEN GOD COULD SINK THIS SHIP!

NOT EVEN GOD COULD SINK THIS SHIP!

Narrator: SHE CAME TO TOWN TO DREDGE

WITH HER CHILDHOOD LOVE, ZEKE TENHOFF.

THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME!

YOU HAVE TO PAY YOUR DEBTS.

YOU CAN'T OWN PROPERTY FOR FREE!

BUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP WENT UP IN FLAMES.

YOU'RE WELCOME FOR EVERYTHING!

SO, SHE SET OUT ON HER OWN...

WHOO!

21, 22...

...PULLING IN NEARLY 300 OUNCES IN TWO SEASONS AS CAPTAIN.

HA-HA! YOU DOUBTING OUT THERE!

Narrator: NOW SHE'S OUT OF LUCK AGAIN.

I'VE GOT A TEAM OF DIVERS COMING UP HERE.

I HAD THIS WHOLE OPERATION PLANNED OUT,

AND I CAN'T RUN NOW.

I CAN'T GO OUT AND MINE NOW.

I CAN'T MINE WITHOUT A PERMIT.

THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO.

Narrator: WITH THE CLOCK TICKING,

EMILY HAS TO FIND A NEW PLAN.

SPEAKING OF NEW PLANS...

BEEN UP HERE -- THIS IS COMING UP ON FIVE YEARS.

Narrator: ...CAPTAIN VERNON ADKISON

HAS ONE OF HIS OWN.

I SOLD THE WILD RANGER. I SOLD THE BERING BOOTY.

I'VE SOLD A LOT OF MY OTHER EQUIPMENT

TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT.

I'M THINKING IT'LL BE A VERY SIGNIFICANT UPGRADE

FROM MY PRESENT WAY OF DOING BUSINESS.

THE HUMAN ELEMENT WILL BE REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY.

NOT THAT I GOT ANYTHING AGAINST HUMANS.

Narrator: FOR VERNON...

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!

WHAT DO YOU MEAN I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING?!

YOU WANT TO GO, VERN?

YEAH, YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I DO! COME ON! COME ON!

Narrator: ...THE HUMAN ELEMENT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM.

BUT AFTER A MASSIVE 366-OUNCE YEAR

WORTH ALMOST HALF A MILLION DOLLARS...

Vernon: 2.5 POUNDS OF GOLD.

Narrator: ...THE SKIPPER IS DOUBLING DOWN.

ONCE I GET IT PAID FOR,

I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SPLITTING THE GOLD WITH IT.

Narrator: PITTING HUMAN STRENGTH AGAINST HUMAN INNOVATION,

VERNON HAS SPENT OVER 100 GRAND BRINGING TO TOWN A SUPER DREDGE.

Vernon: IT'S A RISK WORTH TAKING.

THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF TONS OF GOLD OFFSHORE IN NOME.

AND I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I'M GONNA LIVE.

I MIGHT END UP WITH JUST A HEAD IN A JAR WITH HOSES AND TUBES.

I'M STILL GONNA BE OUT THERE GUNNING FOR THAT GOLD.

Narrator: ALREADY RUNNING A DIVER OPERATION,

VERNON IS ABOUT TO TURN IT UPSIDE-DOWN.

Vernon: OKAY, GUYS.

YOU KNOW I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU

I HAD A LITTLE SURPRISE FOR YOU, RIGHT?

Man: OH, DAMN!

COME MEET YOUR COMPETITION.

ALL RIGHT.

Narrator: ENTER THE SUB DREDGE,

A 5,000-POUND SUBMERSIBLE WORKHORSE.

ITS SEVEN-FOOT ROBOTIC ARM IS EQUIPPED

WITH A SELF-SORTING CLASSIFIER BASKET

THAT HAS THE POWER TO CHEW THROUGH COBBLE

AND DIG DEEP INTO THE PAY DIRT.

FOR SUCTION, A FOUR-INCH-HIGH SOLID PUMP

DESIGNED TO MOVE SAND AT A RATE OF 120 CUBIC YARDS PER HOUR.

IF IT WORKS, IT'LL OUT-DREDGE A HUMAN 15 TIMES OVER.

THAT'S A HELL OF A PUMP RIGHT THERE.

IT'S LIKE JOHN HENRY vs. THE STEAM MACHINE.

I'M ROOTING FOR THE STEAM MACHINE

'CAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE GOLD IS.

I MIGHT HAVE A SADDLE BUILT FOR RIGHT HERE.

THIS IS THE AMERICAN WAY.

GET OFF YOUR ASS, GET WET, GET SOME GOLD.

Narrator: JUST OUTSIDE NOME...