FTA-TV The Deadliest Catch

[gytre]

I've been watching this brilliant doco series on The Discovery Channel entitled The Deadliest Catch.

It's about crab fishing off the coast of Alaska. It's one of the most dangerous industries on earth. Forty-one men had died in the last ten years - many through falling overboard into the freezing cold waters.

But because the money's so good, there's plenty of people willing to do it. They only fish for a few weeks each year, and only the large males are kept for selling. Juveniles and females are thrown back.

In October they fish for King Crabs. Then in January in the freezing winter, they come back to fish for the smaller Opilio Crabs (aka "Opi's").

The King crabs are bloody massive. Check out the pic below. Each boat has many dozens of "pots" which they bait and set. Then when they come back and pull them up, they might find them full of many dozens of crabs. One pot found over 100 large male King Crabs to keep! At US$35 a crab, that's a lot of dosh.

An ordinary deckhand might make US$50,000 or more in a good season. All for only a few week's work a year.

But it's very dangerous work there out on the Bering Strait where it can be very stormy and unpredictable. In one episode, one of the boats got capsized by a freak king wave! They got it all on film too! Amazing stuff. But the boat luckily rights itself and the crew survives.

Anyway, I'm just loving the series. They've got film crews on about six different boats and are following all the trials and tribulations. This is reality TV on a knife edge on the high seas!

 

[arakaan]

great series caught every episode over the last 6 months or so they've been showing it.

those buggers work hard for the dosh, and while taping the series I think 7 have died on two boats.

 

[Mentallo]

On News Years day i got up at about Midday and just plonked myself on the couch for an arvo of channel surfing got to channel 610 and the dial barely changed(except during the ads) for the next 9 hours, the show had me totally captivated.
If i had the op to do that for 5 or 6 days and potentially earn $40000 US i would give it a crack but i reckon i would be more scared of the bloody crabs than of the potential to drown or die of hypothermia.

 

[gytre]

On News Years day i got up at about Midday and just plonked myself on the couch for an arvo of channel surfing got to channel 610 and the dial barely changed(except during the ads) for the next 9 hours, the show had me totally captivated.
If i had the op to do that for 5 or 6 days and potentially earn $40000 US i would give it a crack but i reckon i would be more scared of the bloody crabs than of the potential to drown or die of hypothermia.

Haha. Yeah, I know just what you mean. Those King crabs are massive. I'm a bit surprised by how easily the deckhands handle them.

I watched about seven hours of TDC on NYD and I still have another three hours taped to watch. Thoroughly enjoyed the marathon. I had missed all the first series so it was great to catch those early episodes I hadn't seen before.

I fully agree that TDC is a totally captivating series. There's nothing contrived about it. It's reality TV that doesn't get any more real! Or any more exciting.

 

[Magnum27]

Yeh i'm enjoying watching it when i remember it's on, but their is no way in hell i would be on one of those boats no matter how much moneys up for grabs.

Never heard of king crabs either until i saw this.

 

[gytre]

Season 3 begins Wednesday 26th September 8.30pm AEST Discovery Channel.

I am so looking forward to this!

 

[Mentallo]

Good work.
Will be setting the video for this.

 

[dmc333]

Another good series, watched it earlier this year.

 

[Elle]

Season 3 begins Wednesday 26th September 8.30pm AEST Discovery Channel.

I am so looking forward to this!

Yep, very much looking forward to it tonight

 

[gytre]

Wow, what an explosive opening episode to Season 3. Four men in the water, so far only one found and he has to be treated for extreme hypothermia. Some very rough weather indeed. It's great to see the return of such old favourites as Sig Hansen and Phil Harris. The show wouldn't be the same without its characters. They're a special breed those who can do this very dangerous job. It'll be very interesting to see how young Blake goes, now that he's finally been made captain of the Maverick.

Awesome stuff. If you haven't seen this series before, check it out. You don't know what you've been missing.

 

[Lady Lawrence]

can't wait till he notices the smell from the rotting fish!!!

 

[gytre]

Oh my God! It's coming on to free-to-air! Premieres tonight on Ten at 7pm. (The first series I presume).

 

[NitroFan]

I forgot to watch this the other night on Ten

Oh well. Maybe next week

 

[Pessimistic]

Just watched the first one and you can name about 20 ways it could be made safer.

Having a short season meaning they have to work round the clock is the first thing youd change - cant they just set quotas ?

The modififcations the guy made for the over 50yr old crew would be useful for all of them, not just the oldies.

I worked on Oil rig supply boats for a few years myself which could get hairy in itself. most accidents or fatalities could be linked to greed in one way or another.

Fisheremen are their own worst enemies though - authorities had to impose catch limits just to stop the poor fools sinking their own boats through overloading !! as much as fish stocks preservation.

Great series showing it as it is - they say 'world's deadliest job' too often for my liking

 

[gytre]

Back on free-to-air again tonight. 7.30pm on Ten.

 

[iDon]

I am not sure what series it is up to over here in the UK but i think it is at least 4 king crab series. Its absolute quality show, love my docos but it this one is different so real especially in the series with the men that fall over board oh great show

 

[gytre]

Oh my God, well isn't season 3 getting interesting now? I really thought Phil Harris went way overboard in his reaction to Blake sharing Phil's information with another captain. Welding equipment together and other such pranks between captains is one thing, but I thought Phil way overstepped the mark when he actually stole the Maverick's catch with their pot he picked up. Surely that was crossing an ethical boundary. Imagine if stealing other boats pots became commonplace?

I couldn't help but think maybe Phil was getting a bit of karma when one of the propellers on the Cornelia Marie broke! Hopefully Phil will think about that himself as he waits and waits and waits for his propeller to be fixed.

I had really liked Phil until now.

 

[Deestroy]

What about the footage of the guy falling into the water before being picked up by the other ship a minute or 2 before he would've been frozen to death.

Crazy stuff, I couldn't believe the guy was allowed to hang off the side of the boat at water level to begin with.

 

[Gun Barrel Straight]

Oh my God, well isn't season 3 getting interesting now? I really thought Phil Harris went way overboard in his reaction to Blake sharing Phil's information with another captain. Welding equipment together and other such pranks between captains is one thing, but I thought Phil way overstepped the mark when he actually stole the Maverick's catch with their pot he picked up. Surely that was crossing an ethical boundary. Imagine if stealing other boats pots became commonplace?

I couldn't help but think maybe Phil was getting a bit of karma when one of the propellers on the Cornelia Marie broke! Hopefully Phil will think about that himself as he waits and waits and waits for his propeller to be fixed.

I had really liked Phil until now.

Probably one of those unspoken laws. It was Blakes first time out at sea so Phil was helping him out with a hotspot he'd found so when Blake decided to leak the information i think it's only fair for a little payback. Especially if you a re told not to give it out.

 

[gytre]

What about the footage of the guy falling into the water before being picked up by the other ship a minute or 2 before he would've been frozen to death.

Crazy stuff, I couldn't believe the guy was allowed to hang off the side of the boat at water level to begin with.

Amazing footage. It's just part of what makes this series so captivating. This isn't some Kevin Costner movie - this is the real thing! Real people, real danger.

 

[RoosterLad]

I have started getting into this on Fox, last night's ep was the one where the guy fell overboard. Good effort by the other crew to keep an eye out when they had no pots to pull. It was crazy watching him hanging onto the side and basically touching the water before disappearing, and when he was saying "you saved my life!" while showing such emotion, that is awesome. As gytre said, this is not a movie it is the real deal.

 

[Pessimistic]

I have started getting into this on Fox, last night's ep was the one where the guy fell overboard. Good effort by the other crew to keep an eye out when they had no pots to pull. It was crazy watching him hanging onto the side and basically touching the water before disappearing, and when he was saying "you saved my life!" while showing such emotion, that is awesome. As gytre said, this is not a movie it is the real deal.

Are you saying the stopped trying to look for him when there was apot to pull - gee thats pre captain cook seamanship - set off with 3 ships 600 men come back with 1 ship and 32 men and be lauded a national hero !


Should be called "when greed comes first"

 

[RoosterLad]

No they had nothing to pull up so had a squiz at the other ship and saw some guy hanging off the boat so they kept their eye on him... comraderie at sea matey.

 

[iDon]

Each boat had two camera man doing the filming. They were showing how they filmed the shows and some of the angles were amazing. They were sending one of the camera men out on the crane dangling like 8 m off the freezing water while he filmed them fishing.

The great moments are when they are working in the high seas, some of the take outs from the waves are sensational.

 

[gytre]

I must say it was really satisfying watching the Time Bandit pull up such good pots after doing such a good deed!