Who would have known that there is a ton of work that goes in behind the scenes to film an episode of Deadliest Catch? It’s not something we often think about when watching the show.
Even though most people don’t actively think about the filming of an episode while they watch, that doesn’t change the fact that filming episodes of Deadliest Catch is a very dangerous job. As a matter of fact, many of the camera crews used on the show were frequently known to run into dangers that wouldn’t come with the filming of a different documentary. But it’s hard to find good cameramen who have experience on crab boats.
As for Sig Hansen, he is the captain of the fishing vessel F/V Northwestern. And since 2005, he has made a name for himself in every single season of the show Deadliest Catch. The 55-year-old fishing captain and actor sat down for an interview with Channel Guide Magazine back in May where he discussed several topics. One of them was how the cameramen don’t get as much credit as they deserve.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize the risk a lot of the cameramen put themselves in,” Hansen said.
Not only that, but Hansen stressed just how close the bond between the cast and crew can be. The same can probably be said for the cast and crews for several TV shows. But since Deadliest Catch is so dangerous compared to most others, it just makes everyone involved trust each other more and bond closely with one another.
“And they don’t know the true bonds between the fishermen, the characters, I guess you would call them. The relationships are really there — some are deeper than perceived.”
Why is ‘Deadliest Catch’ So Dangerous?
If you are a fan of the popular show, then you know that Deadliest Catch follows the lives of various crab fishermen. They are aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea.
Crab fishing is obviously quite a bit different than just your normal fishing trip. Chances are the only real danger you might run into on a normal fishing trip would be ending up with a hook caught somewhere you don’t want it to be. And as traumatic as that may be, it doesn’t really compare to the dangers of commercial crab fishing.
One of the top reasons that crab fishing is so dangerous is because of the cold water. Deadliest Catch, for example, is filmed in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. And the cold water temperatures are perfect for crabs to grow to the proper size for harvesting. A fall into those cold waters could spell a disaster very quickly for the cast and crew involved.
Other reasons why the profession is so dangerous include a number of things. Some of those are the rough seas and potentially bad weather, entanglement in the fishing lines, and the chance of drowning.
