The Wizard Is PUMMELED By A Typhoon For 6 HOURS | Deadliest Catch

The High-Stakes World of Crab Fishing: A Tale of the High Seas

In the unforgiving waters of the Bering Sea, 170 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor, Captain Jonathan Hillstrand and his crew on the Time Bandit are locked in a battle against nature, time, and the competition. For the past 12 hours, Hillstrand has been hauling in impressive numbers of crabs, with a sense of excitement and pride that’s infectious. “Yeah, yeah, this is a hot spot, dude,” Hillstrand remarks, celebrating his team’s good fortune.

One of the most powerful partnerships of the season has been Hillstrand’s alliance with Captain Keith Coburn of the Wizard. Their risky collaboration has proven to be a lucrative one, as their combined efforts yield substantial crab hauls. “Having a partner with Keith might have been the best thing that ever happened to me,” Hillstrand admits. The camaraderie between the two crews reflects the respect they share despite their differences and fierce competition in the crab fishing world.

The Wizard, captained by Coburn, has seen extraordinary success this season, and a sense of accomplishment is palpable when they finish their haul. “Good job, man, you slammed it. You’re a hero!” Hillstrand congratulates Coburn after another stellar catch, showing the mutual respect and support among these seasoned fishermen.

But even in this tightly-knit community, challenges arise. Captain Sig Hansen, a legend in the crab fishing industry, reflects on the complexities of the season. With his brother Edgar recovering from a back injury, Hansen is left to navigate the business side of things, ensuring the family’s legacy continues even amid personal setbacks. “It’s a business, we don’t have time to make mistakes,” Hansen reflects, underscoring the immense pressure that comes with each decision and every haul.

A key moment of the season occurs when Hansen digs through his old logbooks to find a forgotten fishing hotspot from two decades ago. His research leads to the discovery of an area that hasn’t been fished in over 20 years. “This is it, this is the one we’ve been waiting for,” Hansen says as he gets ready to set his pots. With a crew eager to prove themselves, they dive into the hunt, their spirits lifted by the nostalgia of the old school fishing methods that Hansen’s crew is known for.

As the season progresses, the weather grows increasingly unpredictable. A super typhoon, Typhoon Nori, begins to form south of Japan, and its path threatens to disrupt the fishing operations of every boat on the water. “It’s going to be really nasty out here,” Coburn warns as his crew scrambles to stack their gear and prepare for the worst. With high seas and 40-50 mph winds forecasted, the pressure mounts, and the crews know their time is running out.

For Wizard’s greenhorn, Miles Johnson, this season has been a test of both physical and mental endurance. After struggling through his first season, Johnson faces the harsh realities of life on the deck. He’s given the responsibility of stacking the crab pots, a task that can be perilous if not done correctly. As Johnson begins to struggle under the pressure of the storm, the crew is forced to remind him of the stakes. “If you miss getting the pot tied, the boat starts rolling violently, and the whole stack could shift,” Coburn explains, emphasizing the life-or-death consequences of his actions.

But Johnson isn’t alone in his challenges. Kevin Stafford, another member of Coburn’s crew, struggles with a back injury that makes even the simplest tasks seem like insurmountable challenges. As his crew members observe his difficulty, they grow frustrated. “We’re all worried about you,” one of his teammates tells him, urging Stafford to keep pushing through the pain, even if it means risking further injury. The pressures of the job are immense, but the rewards are too significant to let personal struggles get in the way.

The final stretch of the season is a race against time. The Wizard crew has met their king crab quota, but with the typhoon on the horizon, they need to stack their gear and head to safety. “We’ve got 71 pots left down south, and we need to get them stacked,” Coburn says. The looming storm is a constant threat, but the crews press on, knowing that getting their gear in order before the weather hits is their only chance of completing the season successfully.

In the end, it’s all about timing and teamwork. With the storm approaching, Coburn coordinates with other boats in the fleet to transfer crew members and gear in the hope of saving time. “We’ve got a greenhorn flying in, and we need to get him on the boat before the weather makes it impossible,” Coburn explains, highlighting the cooperation that drives this high-stakes business.

Despite the intense conditions and physical tolls, there’s a sense of accomplishment when the Wizard finally pulls in one last successful haul. “I think we’re going to have more fun this season than we’ve had in a long time,” Coburn says, the crew’s hard work finally paying off. The season may have been filled with unexpected twists, but the end result is a testament to their grit, resilience, and dedication to the craft of crab fishing.