Gold Rush: White Water

WHAT IN THE HELL? LOOK AT THE WATER.

HEY, PAUL.

COMING UP A LITTLE BIT, A LITTLE BIT OF STICKS, MAN,

A LITTLE BIT OF DEBRIS.

-HAPPY BIRTHDAY! -HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

-HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRED! -HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRED!

-75 YEARS OLD. -YOU'RE OLD.

75 YEARS OLD, STILL DIVING IN ALASKA?

THAT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.

-HE STARTED TO PANIC DOWN THERE. - .

THAT'S HOW DANGEROUS THIS IS.

WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR FIRST FUEL DROP DOWN THE MOUNTAIN.

THE CRAZY THAT WE DO TO MINE IN ALASKA.

WE'RE THAT CLOSE TO THE GOLD.

WE'RE IN BUSINESS, BOYS. A LITTLE NUGGET.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Casey: WELL, THE WATER IS NOT PERFECTLY CLEAR THIS MORNING, BUT...

Fred: IT'S NICE. IT'S NOT MILKY.

Dustin: ALL RIGHT. ABOUT A FOOT, FOOT AND A HALF OF VISIBILITY.

Narrator: THE DAKOTA BOYS ARE 10 WEEKS INTO THEIR MINING SEASON,

DREDGING FOR GOLD IN ONE OF ALASKA'S

MOST REMOTE AND DANGEROUS CREEKS.

HEY, GUYS! RIGHT HERE.

THIS IS OUR ENTIRE REASON FOR BEING HERE, RIGHT HERE.

SO YOU KNOW HOW THE CRACK GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN,

IF YOU WERE TRYING TO BUILD A NUGGET TRAP,

THIS IS WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE.

I JUST BELIEVE IT'S GOING TO BE CHOCK FULL OF GOLD,

AND NOW WE NEED TO CLEAN IT OUT.

SO THE HOLE HAS TO GO FORWARD IN ORDER TO DO THIS.

WELL, I CAN'T WAIT TO GET INTO THIS.

MAN, THIS IS -- IT LOOKS LIKE A GOOD DAY TO DIVE.

Narrator: LAST WEEK...

...DUSTIN DISCOVERED A CRACK IN THE CREEK WALL...

YEAH! YES, IT IS!

...THAT GAVE THEM THEIR BIGGEST CLEANUP YET.

NOW WE'RE GETTING INTO GOLD, BABY.

NOW DUSTIN NEEDS HIS CREW TO DREDGE DOWN THROUGH THE ROCKS

AND GRAVEL TO THE PILE OF GOLD

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BEDROCK CRACK.

WE'RE THROWING THE DICE.

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING FOR.

THIS IS OUR FOCUS. ALL RIGHT.

LET'S GET TO WORK, GUYS.

SO, TODAY, WE HAVE TO OPEN THE HOLE UP MORE

SO WE CAN GET DOWN TO THE CRACK.

THAT PROMISE OF THE POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW,

I THINK, IS IN EVERY MAN'S HEART.

THAT'S WHAT DRIVES YOU ON.

SOME MEN HAVE MORE OF THAT DRIVE THAN OTHERS.

DUSTIN AND I HAVE GOT IT.

Narrator: DUSTIN HAS INVESTED $75,000 IN THIS SEASON.

HE NEEDS IT TO PAY OFF, OR HE'LL LOSE IT ALL,

AND NONE OF HIS CREW WILL GET PAID.

Dustin: I'M GOING TO GET THE GOLD OUT OF THIS HOLE.

Narrator: DIVING ALONGSIDE HIM IS RICH WEBSTER.

I'M READY TO ROCK AND ROLL. START GETTING BACK TO DIGGING,

SEE IF WE CAN GET DOWN TO SOME GOOD OLE YELLOW GOLD.

Narrator: AFTER 4 HOURS, DUSTIN AND RICH ARE 12 FEET DOWN,

JUST 3 FEET FROM BEDROCK.

WHOA. WAS SCARY.

I WAS OUT OF AIR, DUDE.

THAT'S THE MOST SCARIEST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED

TO ME DIVING. -YEAH, I BET.

Rich: THANK GOD YOU WERE PULLING ME, DUDE,

BECAUSE I COULDN'T GET UP FAST ENOUGH.

I WAS YANKING AS HARD AS I COULD.

THAT WAS GOOD BECAUSE I WOULDN'T HAVE GOT OUT IN TIME.

THAT THING SMASHED AGAINST MY FACE SO HARD

WHEN I WENT TO TAKE A BREATH.

PANICKED?

I STARTED TO.

I KNOW.

CASEY SAVED MY ASS.

HE SAVED MY ASS.

YEAH, THAT WAS BAD. -SORRY, MAN.

GLAD I GOT YOU OUT. -THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

-I KNOW. -I OWE YOU ONE.

YOU'RE ALL RIGHT, DUDE.

Casey: THAT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE SCARIEST RESCUES

WE'VE EVER HAD TO DO.

HE STARTED TO PANIC DOWN THERE.

THAT'S HOW DANGEROUS THIS IS.

WE GOT TO CHECK THAT POP-OFF VALVE.

Narrator: THE HOSE CLIP CONNECTING THE AIR LINES

TO THE COMPRESSOR HAS BLOWN.

BEFORE ANYONE CAN DIVE AGAIN,

WES SWITCHES IT OUT FOR A THREADED BRASS COUPLING.

Wes: YEAH.

THIS IS THE LIFELINE TO THE DIVER RIGHT NOW.

WE CAN'T AFFORD FOR THIS HOSE TO COME OFF OF THERE LIKE THAT.

I'M GOING TO GIVE IT A SHOT AND SQUEEZE IT DOWN SOME MORE.

WE'LL RUN IT FOR A LITTLE BIT AND SEE IF WE CAN GET IT

TO CONTINUALLY RUN WITHOUT POPPING UP.

LUCKILY, WE JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE A TOOL HERE TO CRIMP THIS STUFF.

SO I THINK I GOT THAT CRIMPED TIGHT ENOUGH

THAT MAYBE IT WILL STAY ON HERE THIS TIME.

I'M HOPING, ANYWAY.

LET'S SEE IF THAT DOES THE TRICK RIGHT THERE, A QUICK FIX.

HOPEFULLY, THAT'S GOING TO TAKE CARE OF IT.

Rich: SO, FRED, IS IT BACK WORKING AGAIN?

Fred: IT'S WORKING FINE.

THE PRESSURE-RELIEF VALVE IS WORKING PERFECTLY.

DID WE DOUBLE-HOSE CLAMP THAT?

YES. I DID.

AWESOME. YOU'RE THE MAN.

SORRY TO ASK.

IT HAPPENED TO ME IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT 80 FEET.

I MADE IT TO WITHIN 5 FEET OF THE SURFACE BEFORE THE GUY SAYS,

"OH, OKAY. HERE'S WHAT THE PROBLEM IS."

ONE BREATH, AND THERE WAS NOTHING.

BELIEVE ME. I WAS COMING UP.

I THINK THEY CALL THEM NEAR-MISSES.

SO I'M GOING TO GO BACK DOWN.

I'M GOING TO GET BACK IN THE SADDLE.

I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD.

YOU NEED TO GET YOUR HEAD RIGHT FOR THIS SITUATION.

YOU HAD AN EVENT TODAY.

I DON'T THINK YOU NEED TO BE BACK IN THE WATER NO MORE TODAY.

COME ON OUT.

YOU ALL RIGHT, MAN?

WHEN I HEARD, "DIVER UP! DIVER UP!"

I JUST TURNED AND STARTED TO COME UP THE WALL,

AND IT WAS LIKE

THAT MASK WENT TO MY FACE SO HARD,

AND IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT I SERIOUSLY

STARTED TO PANIC.

IT IS TERRIFYING.

THE BEST MEDICINE IS TO GET BACK IN THAT DAMN WATER.

Narrator: UP NEXT...

-NUGGET! -THAT'S GOLD, BUDDY.

WE'RE GETTING CLOSER.

THE BEST MEDICINE IS TO GET BACK IN THAT DAMN WATER.

ALL RIGHT. I'M GOING.

I'M GOING.

Narrator: ON HIS LAST DIVE, RICH PANICKED WHEN HIS AIR SUPPLY FAILED.

NOW HE'S BUCKING HIS FEARS, GETTING BACK IN THE RAGING CREEK

AND DOWN TO THE NUGGET TRAP.

Rich: I'D BE LYING IF I SAID I WASN'T A LITTLE NERVOUS,

BUT I'M GOING TO GO BACK DOWN.

I'M GOING TO GET BACK IN SADDLE.

I JUST GOT TO GET THROUGH TODAY.

RICHARD, YOU'RE CLEAR TO GO DOWN.

Narrator: DUSTIN HEADS BACK INTO THE CREEK WITH RICH.

Narrator: OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

GRAVITY COMPRESSES GRAVEL ON THE CREEK BED

INTO A DENSE LAYER KNOWN AS HARDPACK.

THIS IS NOW ALL THAT STANDS BETWEEN THEM AND THE GOLD.

Narrator: THE HARDPACK IS TOO TOUGH FOR THE SUCTION HOSE.

WE'RE COMING UP.

WE GOT THE AIR CHISEL.

WE HAVE IT. IT'S READY.

WE SHOULD STICK IT DOWN THERE TODAY, ACTUALLY,

BUT TOMORROW WE'RE GOING TO HIT THIS REALLY HARD.

Dustin: GOOD JOB TODAY, FELLOWS.

ALL RIGHT. LET'S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE.

TOMORROW, WE'LL BE DIGGING THROUGH HARDPACK.

Fred: I DON'T THINK THAT THAT HARDPACK IS MORE

THAN 2 OR 3 FEET DEEP AT THE MOST.

WE'RE THAT CLOSE TO THE GOLD.

Dustin: THEY MINED IN THIS AREA ABOUT 100 YEARS AGO,

AND IT TAKES OVER 100 YEARS TO MAKE THIS ROCK LIKE IT IS,

SO WE KNOW THAT NO ONE HAS MINED HERE BEFORE.

IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS ROCK THIS WAY, YOU HAVE

TO HAVE THOUSANDS OF YEARS, AND THAT'S WHAT IT TOOK.

A LOT OF PEOPLE CALL THIS FALSE BEDROCK.

RIGHT BELOW THIS IS WHERE THE GOLD IS SITTING.

WE JUST GOT TO GET THROUGH IT.

THAT HARDPACK HAS GOT THAT PREHISTORIC CEMENT.

CAVEMAN CONCRETE, BROTHER.

Narrator: TO BREAK THROUGH THE HARDPACK, THE CREW WILL USE

A PNEUMATIC HAMMER POWERED BY AN AIR COMPRESSOR.

EACH STRIKE DELIVERS 150 POUNDS OF PRESSURE

TO THE HARDENED STEEL CHISEL 3,000 TIMES A MINUTE.

SO WHEN HE GETS DOWN THERE, UNDERNEATH THE WATER,

HE'S GOING TO ESSENTIALLY GET ALL THIS HARDPACK,

AND HE'S JUST GOING TO TRY TO BREAK IT UP,

PULVERIZE IT WHERE HE CAN SUCK IT INTO THE DREDGE.

THERE'S A LOT OF GOLF MIXED INTO THAT HARDPACK,

AND THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF GOLD UNDERNEATH THE HARDPACK,

WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE AFTER.

Narrator: DIVING WITH CARLOS TODAY IS 74-YEAR-OLD FRED.

HE'S GOING TO USE THE AIR CHIPPER.

AS HE CHIPS, I'LL BE SUCKING UP THE DEBRIS ON THE BOTTOM,

AND WE'RE GOING TO GET AFTER THAT THING.

-READY? -LET'S DIVE!

WE'RE IN BUSINESS, KIDS.

RIGHT THERE. YEP.

OKAY. HERE IT COMES, BROTHER. LET'S DO THIS.

BRIGHT ORANGE HOSE.

Paul: PERFECT. ALL RIGHT.

LET'S SEE HOW HE DOES.

WOW.

WE'RE GETTING DESPERATE FOR FUEL.

Dustin: I THINK WE NEED TO CHECK ALL THESE FUEL BARRELS.

Dustin: OH, MY . WE RAN OUT OF FUEL.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.

AH!

OH, DUSTIN, MAN. IT WAS A ROOKIE MISTAKE.

Dustin: WE'RE IN TROUBLE.