Time Bandit Deckhand SLAMMED Violently By Huge 30ft Waves! | Deadliest Catch

Storms, Setbacks, and Survival: Another Day in the Bering Sea

On the 113th time pulling pots, the crew of the Time Bandit knew the weather would be unforgiving. Northeast winds blowing at 35 knots brought 20-foot seas, but veteran skipper Andy Hillstrand pressed on.

“Oh boy, if it blows northerly again, it’s going to be a big white boat instead of a black one—it’ll have ice all over it,” Andy remarked.

The storm had turned the sea “really nautical” and dangerously rough. But Andy remained focused.

“This machine’s not going to stop. If we find some crab, we’re going to start dialing our gear in. So, here we go.”

No Quitters Here

As the pots came up, a massive wave struck.

“Oh yeah, big wave just took him down. That sounded like it hurt too,” Andy said, unfazed. “Part of the game around here.”

Despite the pounding waves, the crew kept pushing. “These guys are all big boys with their big boy pants on,” Andy joked.

With 56-knot winds and 30-foot seas, Andy ordered the gear set back.

“Let’s go ahead and bait it up. Shove those bags.”

For Andy, storms are just part of life after 34 years on the Bering Sea.

“I’ll keep pulling crab pots until my fingers, my toes, my legs—nothing works anymore.”

As good numbers started coming in—290, 295 crabs per pot—the mood lightened.

“Go Andy, go! Watch him go!”

Disaster Strikes

The rough seas, however, were relentless.

“It’s getting a lot rougher, a lot windier. We’re barely doing five knots and taking water over the bow,” Andy noted. “You can almost hear the ocean coming for you.”

Then it happened:

“Got a guy caught up! We’ve got a man down—leg!”

Chaos erupted on deck.

“Kyle, you okay?”

Shaken, 24-year-old Kyle Dyle struggled to speak.

“My leg got caught under the launcher,” he groaned.

A 15-foot wave had slammed him to the deck, pinning his leg under the 2,000-pound launcher and tangling him in the lines. Quick action by deckhands and Eddie Walani Jr. saved Kyle from being pulled overboard by an 800-pound pot.

Assessing the Damage

Kyle was helped inside, clearly in pain.

“Lay back, put your head on those pillows,” Andy instructed. “Move your toes—can you? Move your ankle as comfortably as you can.”

Kyle winced. “It hurts. Feels like it’s more than a muscle.”

The crew suspected a broken leg.

“I think we might have to take you to town,” Andy said.

Kyle protested, “I can still work.”

Andy shook his head. “We’re not putting you back to work, no way.”

The Uncertainty of the Sea

As the crew regrouped, Andy reflected on the risks of crab fishing.

“Lots of bad stuff happens out here. We try not to have it happen to us, but it’s going to happen to somebody at some point in time. Broken hands, heart attacks, bait choppers—you hear about it every year.”

He added grimly, “One thing’s for sure—nothing’s for sure.”

Despite the setbacks, the Time Bandit pressed on, determined to finish the season no matter what the Bering Sea threw at them.