08x04 - Proving Day

[bunniefuu]

I make my entire living off
The land with gold mining.

We need a bunch of capital
In a hurry.

And I just have this vision.

That it's going to
Come from bluff.

I mean, you never know.

But if I could get out there And
prove what's there is There,

I'm going to be
Piling the gold up fast.

It's "Make it or break it" Time.

Today is our first day
Of mining.

Go find us lots of gold!

You need to come up
immediately.

right there.

we've got gold, boys!

Take my hand, zeke.

I am a miner!

Captions paid for by
Discovery communications

the moment of truth.

For a bering sea miner,

It's an integral part
Of the lifestyle.

For some,

A long-elusive mother lode
May finally be in reach.

For others,

A last chance To find redemption.

Where they've pinned
Their hopes.

And for newcomers,

It's time to prove They belong.



At the bluff...

we're back. Weather's good.

We're going to see how much Gold.

We can put in the box
In this next dive.

Shawn pomrenke
Could be on the brink of.

Unleashing the next
Alaskan gold rush...

We're on our claim now.

And it all looks like
Really good rocky material.

And proving to his father
That his instincts are dead-on.

This is right next to where
That big nugget come from.

This is going to be good.
This is going to be fun!

At the start Of the season...

Bluff is a silly Damn idea.

I think it's Just silly, shawn.

The senior pomrenke scoffed
At shawn's dream.

Of finding gold at the bluff.

Here we go,
First claim I've ever staked,

And it's out in the richest
Offshore reserve in the world.

Undeterred,
Shawn led his expedition.

To the remote,
Untapped location.

Yeah! Look at that nugget!

Wow!

And on his last trip,

He finally found evidence
He's onto something big.

That's a big nugget there.

Now it's Time to find out.

If the 1 1/2-ounce nugget
Was just the beginning.

We're going to start
From where we found the gold.

And widen the search From there,

Grid it out, See how big the...

Big the area is and see
If we can find.

A big slab of gold down there.

Today might be the day.

I might just go down there.

And be able to retire
After today.

Using the spot of the nugget's
Discovery as a starting point,

Shawn will
Systematically check out.

The grounds in every direction.

And we need
This ground to pay off.

And we need to pay it off big
And pay off in a hurry.

But if the nugget
Was just a one-off.

And he comes up dry,

Shawn's big gamble
Will have been a bust.

Ooh, here we go!

Going to get that gold.

Nuggets, nuggets, nuggets.

All right, I'm on the bottom.

which way do I head?

Turn and walk northeast.

How's the visibility?

visibility's not bad at all.

And he's moving straight
Towards Where the nugget was.

And here we go.

Let's hope there's some
gold right here.

Not seeing anything here.

Just a few little colors
here and there.

I don't know.
I'm not seeing it.

damn, I was hoping
to come down here

and see a bunch of gold
in this spot, but...

I'm not seeing it right now.

yeah, I'm going to just keep on

taking a look here
to the east of us.

yeah, copy that.

So he's still hunting
And pecking a little bit,

You know, not really
Quite mining.

I'm punching
my second hole here.

I'm not seeing much gold
right here either.

He's not finding it.

The nugget
May have been a promising sign.

Now I'm starting to get worried.

I ain't seeing over here.

But without other nuggets
To keep it company,

Shawn's dad may have been right
About the bluff all along.

If I was some gold, where in
the hell would I be hiding?



I've done a bunch
Of dives so far,

And I haven't seen anything
That looks.

Even remotely
Indicative of gold.

Zeke tenhoff and emily riedel
Are readying for another battle.

With their nemesis,
Mighty sledge island.

You know, I think
The definition of insanity,

You keep trying the same thing,
Expect different results.

And they're desperate
For a big score.

Can't find gold
Without looking, but...

At the same time, You know,

If the evidence is just
Completely lacking.

And you know that you have
The skills and the time.

And you know what
You're looking for,

And if it's just not there,
Then there's a time to quit.

I've angled myself
Financially and otherwise.

For a prospecting trip
Out to sledge island.

And kind of just assumed
That it would work out,

But if it doesn't work out,
Then I'm going to be broke.

We don't see any evidence
Of any gold,

We're going to have to
Have a powwow.

And kind of
Reconsider our options.

For weeks...

Whoa. My god.

Zeke and emily have braved.

Treacherous waters
At the mysterious site.

It would be really nice to see

just a little flake of gold,
you know?

But after exhausting their
Most promising leads...

I'm not seeing
any heavy minerals.

Yeah, I think we've done
all we can do on this side.

They haven't found a thing.

Where's the gold?

So now they're hoping
To salvage the mission...

West-northwest side
Of the island,

It was just sort of
Supposed to be.

Where these pods were
That I heard about.

By investigating one of
The island's oldest.

And tallest tales.

So there are some rumors
That emily heard.

About these mounds
Or pods of gravel.

That were glacierally Deposited.

I don't really know what
That's supposed to mean,

But I think it's
Enough of a hunch to follow.

Whoa, what's that?

Looks like It could be like.

Maybe, you know,
Like bays of grav...

I mean, there're definitely
Ridges through here,

Some kind of Ridges of gravel.

Yeah. That's very interesting.

That's definitely different
From the other side.

It looks like there's
These, like, it...

I mean, it...
Like, I guess, yeah.

I could... Could describe that.

As like mounds or pods
Or something like that,

These like rocks
Kind of popping up.

Out of the sand right here
And these ridges.

Yeah.
It looks like mounds of gravel.

Well, what do you think?

Should we go down
In this spot, check it out?

Yeah. This place looks
Pretty interesting to me,

But if I don't see
Any gold here,

I think we're going to have
To start seriously thinking.

About going somewhere
Other than sledge island.

Gold is Where you find it,

And we haven't found it yet.

Okay. So, Let's go anchor up...

All right. Out front and...

I'll toss the anchor. Yeah.

We could have missed it.

And this could have been
Where it was all along.

This is our last attempt.

With their season and
Potentially their partnership.

Hanging in the balance,
Zeke looks to see.

If the rumors
Of the mounds are true.

Go find us lots of gold, Zeke!

All right, what are we
going to find down here?

I always hate
going down the hose.

It's always really deep.

Big ol' rocks down here.

You know, I thought the rocks
looked a little smaller.

More of the same. All right.

Kind of like the same old,
Same old down there,

Nothing new?

Just rocks, rocks,
rocks, and more rocks.

grab my hose.

We've circumnavigated
This entire island.

Multiple times
And done a bunch of dives,

And this is really
Our only chance.

Of making this trip worth it
Or discovering gold out here.

What's up?

yeah!



what's up?

Zeke and emily are
Making a last-ditch effort.

To unlock the mysteries
Of sledge island...

And find gold.

Yeah!

look at that.

The rumors of the fabled
Sledge island mounds.

Prove to be true.

Pretty unmistakable.

And now it's time to learn
If they hold the gold.

Kind of what
we were thinking of.

It's just like mounds
of what could be clay

or hard band
coming up from below.

I mean, that's what
it looks like to me.

Now we just need to
find some gold in them.

I'm going to try to plow it
through and see what...

See what's under there.

The concentration
Of gravel could be a sign.

That heavy minerals
Are trapped beneath...

a lot of silty stuff.

It's getting a little cloudy.

And zeke's hoping.

One of them is gold.

You see anything in
Those mounds of gravel?

It looks like there is
just gravel under this gravel.

I can't really speculate
as to whether they are

glacially deposited gravel

or if it's just
busted-up pieces of rock

that fell off the mountain.

It looks like bedrock.

look at that.

Just big chunks of bedrock

that have fallen
off the mountain,

probably chunks of bedrock

from around different places
from around here.

I don't know why all this
gravel is like sitting

on this bedrock and not
getting washed off of it.

that's really weird.

Well, that could be
A pretty good sign?

I don't... I don't know.

I bet what happens
is this place

gets beat up by
the waves really hard,

and so you probably
have this...

this light gravel
on these rocks,

just like kind of
on these mounds,

these mounds of maybe
glacial gravel that was...

started piling up.

just more rock.

It's got a lot Of shells in it.

Shells are never A good sign

'cause shells Kind of indicate.

That it's not really
All that old.

And it's not really
That mineralized.

It just looks like ground-up
island rock, you know?

Little pieces just got
beat up and pulverized

by the ocean waves.

yeah, no,
definitely no gold here.

that's... that's
pretty depressing news.

We've done so many
Dives at this point.

If we don't see anything
Leading up to gold,

You know, it's like,
When the do we quit?

When do we call it?

This is not looking
all that promising.

Well, what do you
Want to do, zeke?

You want to keep Wasting gas.

And looking around Down there?

What do you want to do?

No, it's...

all right, man.

I'll meet you
At the nozzle line.

Frustrating.

I'm discouraged.

I'm not happy.

It's the same story.
There's no gold.

And there's not even
A trace of gold.

What do you think, man?
Is it time to call it?

Yeah, I think so.

It's cool and it's pretty,
But there isn't...

There isn't Any money in it.

Sledge has
Delivered a death blow.

To zeke and emily's hopes.

I mean, we came out to
Sledge island chasing rumors.

The mounds of gravel,

They were supposed to
Have gold in 'em.

There's no gold
In these things at all.

It's been another day
Of no gold.

I think my theory about there
Being a lot of gold here.

In this area is maybe not true.

Let's get the Out of here.

I don't really know
What I'm going to do next.

And as they flee,
The mighty island.

May have claimed
Its latest victim.

Sledge island.

While the book May have closed.

On one prospecting dream...



Back in nome...

well, I'm going to
Go get some gold.

Another mining story
Is just beginning.

It's going to happen.

Rookie miner
George young has packed up.

And left his life
In colorado behind.

As gold's siren song Has led him.

To seek his fortune
In the bering sea.

There's a lot of gold
In that ocean,

And if you can find it,
You can make damn good money.

The lure of golden
Treasure has bankrupted.

And destroyed many a soul,

But this free spirit
Is willing to take the risk.

I love going out
And doing now things and,

You know,
Doing things on my own.

It's a pride thing.

And that's come to bite me
At times.


To drive home that day.

And hit some black...
Bunch of black ice,

Went in the ditch,
Rolled my pickup truck once,

And...

Legs haven't worked since.

You just roll with the punches
And keep going.

All right.

We're going mining.

That's what's Happening today.

This is the beginning of
Another chapter in my life.

Today's my first day
Ever getting some of that.

Yellow rocks for me.

I'm going to dive for gold
And I'm going to succeed.

If another man can do it,
I can do it.

George has picked A tough season.

To start his prospecting Career,

'cause traditional hot spots
Have dried up throughout town.

The bering sea
Is right out there.

I'm going to get me
Some of that.

But he's got
An ace up his sleeve.

What are you Yapping about?

Brother dave has been in
The nome mining game for years.

And owns the rights to Several
claims yet to be Tapped.

Today we've got to find ground.

That's going to be good
To start mining on.

So that's where George
Will begin his hunt,

But the opportunity
Will not come cheap.

I have big debt to pay off.

I owe my brother 50 grand
Just for this boat,


So I'm in the hole $70,000.

And I've got to get some gold
To start paying that off.

That's right.

I can retire.

You gotta love debt.

Hundred ounces would guarantee
That I pay off my dredge,

I'll be able to pay my guys,

And I'll be able to go home
With some money.

I'm jacked. I'm excited.
I know we can do it.

Once you get past these rocks,
I can be considered a captain.

That has driven a boat
In the bering sea.

You know, right now,
I'm just excited.

Just getting in the water,
You know, it starts right then.

This is awesome. Woo!



At the bluff...

come on, baby.
where's the gold at?

Shawn pomrenke is trying to
Keep His family's empire alive,

Hoping a 1 1/2-ounce nugget.

Was just a stepping stone
To riches.

But, after three
Hours of dive time...

I keep going over here.

I'm going to come and punch
a couple more holes out here.

you never know.

He hasn't added A single speck,

And the bluff might be
Proving to be a mirage.

I see some cobble over this way.

I'm going to go check it out.

I just punched another hole,
and, all right,

I'm seeing some better-looking
material right here.

A lot more iron, heavier,

and the field's underneath you.

I do have a good feeling
about this.

I think we're going to
find something really,

really good down here.

If I can find the edge...

edge of there,
it's going to be good.

here's a big rock.

I'm going to flip this out of
the way, see what's here.

right there!

we got gold, boys!

we got gold.

yeah!

Now we've just got to see
if we can find

where it's concentrated
a little better around here,

but we do have... yeah!

rice krispie treats,
rice krispie treats.

It's just pouring out of
The sand down here.

Big chunks,
nice-sized clumps of gold,

easy to catch.

It just keeps coming out, too.

We are k*lling it right now.

We are k*lling it Right now.

While shawn may be
Seeing gold on the bottom,

Looks can sometimes
Be deceiving.

I'm coming on up.

He'll need confirmation.

That it's piling up
In the sluice box.

Did you have fun?

Yeah.

Whoo!

This is loaded!

Hell, yes!

That's Sold gold ripples!

Whoo!

Finally we have
A whole big pile of gold.

Now it's just
Getting it off the bottom.

Of the ocean floor
And hopefully onto the scale.

Life's good. I'm happy.

Well, what I'm seeing down
Below Is I'm seeing the black.

Like we're seeing
On the cliffs there,

And then it turns tan,
And as soon as it turns tan,

The gold was just
Pouring out of the dirt.

Going right into
The middle of our claim.

Perfect.

You know what this is?

What is that?
That's the gold dance.

We're going to find
The mother lode here.



Slow it up a little, Buckwheat.

I got ya.

Rookie miner George young.

Is looking to make his
First dive of the season.

I'm jacked, man. I cannot wait.

To get in that water
And see what's down there.

And see that gold
To pay off my debt.

And get that gold
To pay off my debt.

George will be
Starting his mining career.

On claim 31,

One of his brother's
Virgin claims,

Five miles from nome
Off the alaskan coastline.

We're there!

We've got a spot that's
Going to offer some good gold.

I've got leases that
They haven't been dredged,

So the cobble should still
Have lots of gold in it.

So, yeah, I mean, it's going to
Be a pretty big debt.

To my brother
I'm going to have to owe.

You ready? Yep.

George has had a Taste Of
underwater mining before,

But he's never tangled
With a body of water.

As intimidating
As the bering sea.

I love to ski. I love to hunt.

I love to fish.

Just be careful.

Can happen Pretty fast.

But quite honestly,
You know, this is...

This is dangerous stuff.

Dave worries, But I love diving,

So I'm going to dive.

Ready?

Yeah, I'm ready.

All right, I'm on the bottom.

How's it feel down there?

just trying to get
my groove on.

there we go, baby.

I can do this!

I'm on the nozzle.

power up.

all right, powering up.

me. yes, now I got it.

I just want to dig this hole
and see what I got.

Everything good? 10-4.

Keep sucking, george.
I want to hear rocks.

Trying to just get a hole here.

I hear rocks Coming through.

There it is.

Now you're getting it.

See any gold?

Holy!

Five miles West of nome...

feeling the weight
Of his debt to his brother.

And intent on proving
He can make it.

As a bering sea miner...

holy!

George young needs to hit
Pay dirt in a big way.

Yeah, baby!

Woo!

And on his debut Dive,

The rookie may already
Be coming through.

Good job.

He's doing pretty good.

It's getting pretty bouncy.

If it keeps up, we...
We won't be able to dredge.

What's it like down there?

But just as
The gold's rolling in...

so too Are rough waters,

As fortunes can change
In an instant.

In the bering sea.

We've got to Get out of here.

I think I can
balance under this.

I just want to dig this hole
and see what I got.

The waves are starting to
Get over a foot or two now.

These waves are
Probably three-footers.

This is about max right here.

You need to
come up immediately.

well, it's not enough.

we're out of here.

Okay, come on.

George is forced to cut
His first dive short...

Whoo! Whoo! Yeah!

But not before he gets
Gold in the box.

Boom! Not bad for a rookie.

You know, when you
First hit the water,

It feels like, Yeah, freedom.

Whoo!

When you see gold on
The bottom of the ocean,

It's a pretty exciting thing.

It can get you Pretty riled up.

One day into
The next chapter of his life...

I am a miner!

Nngh!

George young can now
Officially call himself.

A bering sea miner.

All right.

Got to get my first...
First-dive celebratory cigar.

I'm now a miner,
A miner in nome.

Good job.



I'm really ready to see
A little bit of gold.

Just a speck of gold
Would be good.

I think the best option
At this point.

Is to go somewhere different
To make some new theories.

And find some new clues,
Et cetera.

Yeah.

Zeke tenhoff and emily riedel
Have left sledge island behind.

Check this out.

Well, for some reason,
The bottom comes up.

And there's a big
Like shallow area.

See right here, it starts
Getting really shallow.

Right. Super shallow.

But there may be one.

Last potential spot
On their way back.

It looks like there's
These big kind of shelves.

Of bedrock and stuff
And like drastic like.

Elevation changes
On the bottom where it like...

There would be like
A cliff of bedrock.

And if a bunch of
Gold-bearing gravels.

Did get kind of deposited there
By like a big glacier plow,

Then that shallow spot
Is where it's like.

The currents Are concentrating.

And kind of probably removing
The light gravels.

And silt and stuff,
And so if there's.

Any heavy minerals there,
It'll be probably evidence.

Of them on the seamount.

Well, if there's gold
Out here at all,

This is where it would be.

A little ways offshore
From sledge island,

There's a place where
There's a bedrock pinnacle,

Apparently, that comes up.

It's a really hazardous,
Tricky place to dive,

Though, 'cause the currents
Are very strong.

We're well out Into the channel.

In between the mainland
And the island,

And that's where the water
Kind of gets channeled.

And it speeds up.

Despite the rough
Conditions of the area,

The partners are refusing
To throw in the towel.

I want to get down there
And see what we're looking at.

They'll give it one last
Hail mary try for gold.

Holy. Look at this current!

This is insane!

There's like a wake!

We're like leaving a wake.

I've never seen
Anything like this.

Without the Protection Of
massive sledge island,

Zeke and emily
Will be fully exposed.

To the raging sea waters.

With like the wind
And the current, though,

It's going to be
A really sketchy dive,

So just be careful.

I think the current's
Making it difficult,

But, you know, I mean,

If I can even find
A trace of gold,

It would be a success.

We're out at open sea
And the current is insane.

It's definitely
A dangerous diving situation.

But if we're going to
Make money,

We're going to
Have to take risks.

No, It's getting worse!

I'm not going to
Survive this, dude.

This current's too strong.

Just be really
Careful down there.

Hey, Is everything okay?

Zeke, you've got to
Get out of there.

You can... well, I...

Know what?
Just don't let go, dude.

Take my hand.

Take my hand, Zeke.

How many times have I
Almost died in the bering sea?

Way too many times.

A long time ago,
I put a new motor on our skiff,

Decided I was going to
Go take it for a ride.

I was by myself, No life jacket.

Started turning.

The boat didn't turn,
Turned a little more.

It's still didn't turn.

Well, When it decided to turn,

It decided to throw me
Out of the boat.

And into the ocean.

And I had to Swim for my life.

And I remember thinking,
"I'm going to die."

Somebody heard me scream.

And picked me up
And brought me to the hospital.

I was hypothermic.

I lost the feeling in my
Fingers And heels and toes.

For probably three months.

The closest call I've had.

In the middle
Of the bering sea...

Take my hand, Zeke.

Zeke tenhoff Is struggling.

With his "Current situation."

aah!

that's a.

That's just crazy!

This is bananas.

You can't do anything
Down there in that.

I've never seen
Anything like that.

The last-ditch Effort is a bust,

And with no gold
On the season...

Just too much.

The partnership and spirits.

Are hanging by a thread.

I'm getting pretty depressed
About this whole adventure.

There's no reason to believe
There's gold out here,

As far as I'm concerned.

It's getting Real frustrating.



In the nome Small boat harbor...

Let's see what we got, Buddy.

Can you get in there?
Yeah, right here.

George young Is cleaning the box.

After his first Bering sea dive.

There's one. Look at that.

We got some gold in there.

Christmas.

That's kind of
What it feels like,

'cause you just
Unwrapped a present.

Yeah. First piece of gold.

There's my first piece
Of bering sea gold.

Looks like about 10 cents,
So I've got a lot of of that.

To get to pay off my debt,
I'll tell you that.

He needs to fill that up.

He's got one
Little piece in there.

George still
Has a long way to go.

To pay off the $70,000 debt,
But, at least for now,

The rookie's confidence.

Is shining brighter
Than the gold.

I want to prove
That I can do it,

That I don't just come and go.

I want to prove that
I can be up here.

And I'm going to stay here.

I'm going to succeed this year.

And I'm going to
Be here next year.

And I'm going to succeed
Next year.

You fill this up And we're even.

Across town...

see if dad's here.

Can't wait to show him
This gold I found.

Shawn pomrenke's got a score
To settle with the old man.

He said he would never
Give me crap again.

If I found gold at bluff.

Well, I think he...

He can't really give me
Too hard a time about that.

If I would've been wrong
About the bluff,

My dad would've never let me
Hear the end of that.

It's 6.2 ounces in two hours.

That's over
Three ounces an hour.

At one point,
He almost had me convinced.

That there was no gold.

But, I mean, I was right
And dad was wrong.

Again.

There he is.

Well, if this don't put
A smile on your face,

I don't know what will.

Wow, look at all
Them big pieces.

This out in comcon, or...

No, that's bluff.

Yeah, right! It's there.

Sure, right.

It is?

It's there.

Damn it.

Jeez, now I can't holler
At you ever again.

That's true.
How many ounces is that?



How many hours is this
That you got...

Took you to get this, A day?

Nuh, two hours. Yeah, right.

Two hours.
Don't be fibbing a fibber.

It's over Three ounces an hour.

With a recreational dredge.

I think I found it.

Shawn went out to the bluff
And found a nice patch of gold.

I'm very proud of him.

Yep, by golly, that kid,

He's pretty good
At finding gold.

He found a patch.

That is some Damn big gold.

Well, that should help
With the down payment.

I know it's just a start.

We don't know
How big that patch is.

That's the $64 question.

Is it a big patch
Or is it a little patch?

Thanks to shawn's
Hot spot at the bluff,

The pomrenkes continue
To dominate the scoreboard.

I think we found A big treasure.

It's been a long summer!

It's another beautiful day
On the bering sea!

Let's get some gold.

The nozzle's gone, guys.

This is not good.

The buck stops here.
Seriously, I'm broke.

George, are you there?

Help me! Come up!

Come up!

Holy. Wow.