The Wizard Is Forced To Stop Fishing After Stormy Seas Causes Crew Injury | Deadliest Catch

Into the Storm: The Wizard Battles the Bering Sea

The Bering Sea is a relentless force, an unyielding beast that shows no mercy. As Captain Keith Colburn and his crew aboard the Wizard brace for yet another grueling battle, the ocean roars with 30-foot waves that pound the steel hull like a relentless battering ram.

“We’ll do this as long as we can get away with it relatively safely,” Captain Keith announces, his voice carrying both resolve and the unspoken understanding that safety is a fragile illusion in these waters. The plan is simple yet perilous—haul pots, stack gear, offload crab, and find shelter when possible. The Wizard is at war with the sea, and there are no guarantees.

The Relentless Grind

The deck crew plunges into action, their bodies already bruised from the relentless toil of the season. Every haul is a gamble, every movement calculated against the howling wind and freezing spray. When the hatch swings open, it’s like a gate at a rodeo—an eruption of controlled chaos. The storm is an uninvited guest, demanding respect and punishing weakness.

“Hold on!” someone bellows over the din of the storm.

The Wizard lumbers forward, but the sea has other plans. With 21 straight hours behind them, exhaustion claws at the edges of their resolve. The numbers are good, but the price is steep. Fatigue numbs their limbs, the cold gnaws at their bones, and still, they push forward.

“I don’t like it,” Keith mutters in the wheelhouse, eyes scanning the ever-growing swells. “Every wave is a 30-footer now. We’re pushing our luck.”

And then, in an instant, disaster strikes.

Man Down

A rogue 15-foot wave smashes into the launcher, throwing deckhand Tyler Gateman like a ragdoll. His body slams against the steel deck with a sickening thud.

“Tyler! You okay?”

A groan. He blinks up at the storm-torn sky, pain contorting his face. His knees—smashed. His neck—stiff from the whiplash. The storm doesn’t pause for the injured, but Captain Keith does.

“We’re short a man, and this storm’s only getting worse. Shut it down.”

Shutting Down the Operation

With a 100% injury rate among crab fishermen, Keith knows better than to gamble with his crew’s lives. Tyler, though battered and in agony, refuses to tap out completely.

“These guys need me,” he grits out, wincing as he shifts. “I’d never leave my brothers behind.”

But his injuries are no small matter. Swollen knees. A locked neck. Ice and rest are his only refuge now.

“I know he’s hurt,” Keith says, jaw tight. “If Tyler says he’s hurting, then he’s hurting.”

A Brutal Start

The Wizard is forced to retreat. The storm has robbed them of time, and their Southwest gear has been a bust. They are behind. Down a man. Running on fumes.

Keith grips the wheel, staring into the raging void ahead.

“What a horrible start,” he mutters.

But the battle isn’t over. The Bering Sea may have won this round, but the Wizard isn’t done fighting. Not yet.