01x02 - Hurricane Humberto

[bunniefuu]

CRICO: Oh, yeah, Crico,

let's just fish in middle of a hurricane!

(LAUGHS)

We might be in the middle of a waterspout!

I'm gonna die.

(THUNDERCLAP)

Well, hello.

NARRATOR: Off the coast of Texas,

veteran captain Carl Roby,

on board the fishing boat Cynthia Renee,

is hauling his first catch of the day.

NARRATOR: The Cynthia Renee

has been at sea for eight days,

during the hottest June on record.

(CARL SPEAKING)

NARRATOR: Commercial fishing

in the Gulf of Mexico

generates $900 million a year.

But for almost half the year,

boats operate under a constant threat.

June 1st is the start of hurricane season.

The Gulf coast is home

to 15 million people.

Out in the ocean are 3,500 oil platforms,

all in one of the most notorious

hurricane hotspots in the world.

Now, some of these platforms,

as well as cargo ships,

government vessels and fishing boats

in the Gulf of Mexico

FISHERMAN: Whoa!

NARRATOR: will carry

National Geographic cameras

for an entire hurricane season.

To document one year's storms

across our changing planet,

on a scale never seen before.

Hello, my name's Kenneth MacWhirter,

we're at Grand Isle 22, Lima platform.

NARRATOR: Cox Oil is one

of the privately-owned oil companies

in the Gulf,

operating more than 500 platforms

stretching from Florida to Texas.

KENNETH: All right, we're gonna

get on the helicopter.

We're gonna up here

and meet Mr. Danny Domain.

There he is, right there.

Takes care of all our safety issues

and compliance issues.

NARRATOR: In hurricane season,

all eyes are fixed on the skies

to the southeast,

towards the Atlantic and Caribbean.

This is the usual route in for hurricanes.

But just a few weeks into the season,

meteorologists have spotted

a threatening weather pattern

coming from the opposite direction,

the north.

MAN: Tim, what are you looking at here?

NARRATOR: This is not

where hurricanes usually come from.

If the system hits the Gulf,

high sea temperatures

could cause it to intensify,

becoming a hurricane in less than a day.

CAPTAIN: Stand by,

we're almost through our turn.

- We're almost through our turn.

- (INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)

NARRATOR: 220 miles

off the Texas coast,

United States Coast Guard Cutter Cypress,

is en route to a designated location

in the middle of the Gulf.

- We've got this sling ready to go.

- MAN: All right.

We're hooking everything up. I'll climb.

NARRATOR: The Cypress has

a specialist role among Coast Guard ships.

They work with the National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration,

or NOAA, to maintain their network

of ocean weather monitoring buoys.

CAPTAIN: They're pretty important buoys.

They provide data in the Gulf of Mexico,

to give early warning of storms.

A lot of commercial traffic

goes through the Gulf of Mexico,

it's in the trillions of dollars

in terms of commercial industry,

so, a pretty important mission.

NARRATOR: Today, the crew of the Cypress

are deploying a weather buoy,

that will give NOAA

live wind and wave data

from more than 200 miles offshore.

But the weather will play a big part

in determining how smoothly

this operation goes.

We'll try to give you

the best ride we can.

I'm not sure how much

of a lee we'll be able to give ya.

The conditions are gonna pick up.

All right.

NARRATOR: They will be setting

a four-ton concrete anchor,

12,000 feet of cable and a fragile

half million dollar weather buoy.

Even in calm weather,

this is a precarious operation.

- We've got some weather coming in.

- Is it coming fast?

Or what did they say?

Pretty fast, it's rain.

Let's send the buoy out.

Yeah.

Hopefully, just in time

before it starts pouring down rain,

'cause it's coming.

NARRATOR: The storm has turned south

and is approaching

the warm seas of the Gulf.

The National Weather Service

issues coastal forecasts

and now, they're preparing

to announce storm warnings.

The one reason we're getting concerned

is if it gets into the Gulf of Mexico,

it's gonna start getting

into this much warmer area,

so these reds here are much warmer water

off the Louisiana coast

over the next few days,

where the upper level shear

will become more favorable

for intensification and development.

NARRATOR: Almost as soon

as the system reaches

the warm seas of the Gulf,

it intensifies to a sustained wind speed

of 40 miles per hour,

making it officially a tropical storm

and earning it a name.

Barry.

(CAPTAIN SPEAKING)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

NARRATOR: Across the Gulf,

ships carrying our cameras

are seeing the skies change above them.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

MAN: It's clear this way.

But it don't look clear this way.

Feel the cool in this air.

We got a big storm coming right now.

NARRATOR: In the middle of the ocean,

the oil platforms are exposed.

Increasing winds are a big concern.

Hey this is Devon,

electrician here at Grand Isle 22.

Got a little storm

settling in over us right now.

Uh

We'll take a look at it.

I'm kinda ducked behind

a building over here

to try and stay out of the wind.

Probably about 25-knot wind right now.

NARRATOR: A powerful hurricane

could completely destroy an oil platform,

taking its crew down with it.

If Cox Oil feel

the incoming system is a threat,

they'll shut down the rigs,

seal the wells,

and evacuate the workers.

Safety of the crews and safety

of the environment are paramount.

But a shutdown can cost

millions of dollars in lost oil revenues.

Hello. James Morone, lead operator.

Mark Poche, field foreman, 3-61 Area 2.

Here we go. We got tropical storm,

possible hurricane evacuations,

fixing to have a meeting about it.

NARRATOR: In New Orleans, Louisiana,

Cox Oil's senior management have

all rig supervisors on the line.

They must decide if and when

to initiate an evacuation.

All right, gentlemen.

You know, we all know the drill,

we all know the exercise.

NARRATOR: The final decision rests

with Cox Oil President, Rodney d*kes.

The main reason I want to get

everybody together this afternoon

is to get everybody on task

and everybody focused.

RODNEY: We anticipate that we will

have to take some sort of evacuation,

but, hopefully, we plan for the worst

and don't have to execute.

All right, gentlemen, y'all have

a good day and let's talk at 3:00.

NARRATOR: Hurricanes

can be devastating for the rigs.

Across the Gulf, Hurricane Katrina

destroyed 46 oil platforms,

and damaged 100 pipelines.

Oil spills from damaged platforms

prompted strict new regulations,

enforcing costly measures

in the face of a hurricane threat.

Rig operators now face

some tough decisions.

(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)

WORKER: They need help! Spin.

There we go, there we go.

Pull it, pull it, pull it!

NARRATOR: The Coast Guard crew

is trying to deploy the buoy

before the bad weather hits.

WORKER: All right, here we go.

NARRATOR: But this is not a job

easily rushed.

MAN: Oh, no, no, no! Oh!

NARRATOR: The buoy smashing into the ship

could be a half million dollar mistake.

MAN: We're gonna hit her.

Trip the cage, trip the cage.

Go, thrust! Thrust away!

Stopper broke?

It's just coming down. Good job.

(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)

NARRATOR: The buoy lands in the water,

just as the rain and winds hit.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

This is the 12,565 feet

of line of up here,

we're slowly setting out.

I don't know what's going on here,

but it doesn't look right.

NARRATOR: The buoy is surging away

from the ship on the wind and waves,

but the line is tangled,

putting the deck crew at risk

of being caught and pulled overboard.

This doesn't look right. Bosun! Slow down!

It's twisted. Look out! Son of a

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

- (GRUNTS)

- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)

NARRATOR: The sudden arrival

of a storm has made the job

of deploying a weather buoy

a lot more difficult.

Working in the deluge,

the Coast Guard crew unsnag the line.

- MAN: Hey, watch your feet!

- Let's go!

NARRATOR: Once all the line is out,

the crew drops the anchor.

We're going to trip it

and she's gonna go in.

NARRATOR: A four-ton block of concrete,

which will take almost 15 minutes

to reach the ocean floor.

We are already receiving

real-time information from it.

We got the buoys in,

they're working properly,

everybody's getting the data

that they need

and they're spitting it out

to the mariner.

NARRATOR: Data from the buoys

is invaluable to forecasters

trying to predict the path

and intensity of storms.

But it's not enough on its own.

The call has gone out to launch

one of NOAA's hurricane hunters.

NOAA PILOT: 120 at zero

clear for take-off from 1-2-7-0-1-4.

NARRATOR: The specially equipped

Lockheed Orion P-3 aircraft

fly from NOAA's Aircraft Operations base

in North Florida,

and they're carrying our cameras.

NARRATOR: Almost

as soon as they're airborne,

they're into rough weather.

NARRATOR: On the ground,

near the Florida Panhandle

and the center of the ever-building storm,

the marine units of the

Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office

is responding to a distress call.

- You're not allowed outside the Gulf.

- MAN: Even on nice days.

NARRATOR: An inshore leisure boat

has been caught

in the rapidly-growing ocean swell.

Tropical storm Barry

is churning up the seas.

The stranded boat may be in real trouble.

DARRELL: We can stay with them

if they have to evacuate

and get 'em off the boat

as fast as we can.

(BEEPING)

If we can get on the other side

of the breakers here, as it goes out.

(BEEPING)

SHERIFF: 216, we're 10-97 with the

pontoon boat in the mouth of the pass.

How'd it seize up? What's going on?

MAN: They've got a line

wrapped around the prop.

DARRELL: They got

the anchor wrapped up in it!

SHERIFF: Yeah. Hold on, Darrell.

NARRATOR: The small sheriff's boat

is immediately getting knocked around

by the waves.

SHERIFF: All right, Darrell,

what's your thought?

- Uh

- (BEEPING)

DARRELL: We are in a bad way dude.

SHERIFF: So we definitely

need the Coast Guard 45 out here.

MAN: Yeah.

I'm sure it's still

NARRATOR: On-board

the fishing boat Cynthia Renee,

Carl and his crew

have also hit serious problems.

NARRATOR: His engine has shut off

right in the middle of fishing,

and he can't get it started again.

(CARL SPEAKING)

NARRATOR: The Cynthia Renee

is a sitting duck

in front of the rapidly-building

storm system.

(MAN SPEAKING)

MAN: (OVER RADIO) A tropic storm watch

has been issued.

Tropical cyclone expected

to form by Thursday

over the North Central Gulf of Mexico.

(CARL SPEAKING)

(LAUGHS)

My name is Danny Domain,

I am the compliance technician.

Raining right here.

- (THUNDER RUMBLING)

- Ooh big lightning.

This is how fast a storm can

pop up in the Gulf of Mexico.

NARRATOR: On the oil platforms,

in the path of tropical storm Barry,

Cox Oil must now decide

if they are going to shut down production

and evacuate.

DANNY: This is our production foreman,

Larry Pickens.

He's getting on a hurricane call

and possible evacuation.

LARRY: This is Larry at Main Pass.

MAN: (OVER PHONE)

Hey, Larry, how you doing?

LARRY: I'm good, good.

NARRATOR: NOAA's forecasters

now expect intensifying storm Barry

to become a hurricane within days.

Cox Oil has taken the big decision

to shut down production,

seal oil wells, and evacuate 51 platforms

in the storm's path.

We're still seeing, you know,

four of five footers.

SHERIFF: So a big Coast Guard vessel's

on its way out.

We're gonna stand by.

DARRELL: Coming up hard on the left.

(BEEPING)

NARRATOR: In Destin, Florida,

tropical storm Barry

is making the seas rougher by the minute.

SHERIFF: I wanna stand by

because they're in the water.

DARRELL: Oh, I know,

I'm just saying we can't do it.

NARRATOR: It won't be long

before the stranded boat

starts to succumb to the waves.

(DARRELL SPEAKING)

(GLASS SHATTERS)

MAN: That hurts.

(SHERIFF SPEAKING)

(DARRELL SPEAKING)

NARRATOR: A freak wave

has crashed through the screen,

showering the driver with glass.

He's still conscious,

but he and his passenger

both need medical attention.

The Coast Guard are already

on their way, but for now,

the pontoon boat

must face the waves alone.

DONNIE: Hm, may be a hurricane.

We gotta go get him.

NARRATOR: In Dulac, Louisiana,

Captain Donnie

of the fishing boat Intrepido II,

has received Carl's distress call.

Carl's boat has been adrift in the

open ocean for more than 24 hours.

It's 140 miles offshore,

and it will take Donnie

at least another day to reach them.

Just another day

in the life of a fisherman,

here in the Gulf of Mexico.

(NOAA MEMBER SPEAKING)

NARRATOR: In the skies above the Gulf,

NOAA 42 is beginning another run

into the center of tropical storm Barry.

Radio transmitters fitted

with temperature, pressure

and wind speed monitors,

are dropped into the storm,

to give a real-time cross-section

of the intensifying cyclone.

(NOAA MEMBER SPEAKING)

NARRATOR: Tropical storm Barry

is picking up power, fast.

CAPTAIN: We're just east

of the storm track,

but we're certainly feeling

a little bit of it I think right now,

it's still a little rough,

a little choppy out.

(CARL SPEAKING)

NARRATOR: Carl Roby

has been adrift for three days

without an engine.

And he continues to film on our cameras.

(CARL SPEAKING)

NARRATOR: All over the Gulf of Mexico,

vessels carrying our cameras

alter their course,

doing what they can to avoid

the worst of the incoming storm.

But the Intrepido II has other priorities.

NARRATOR: Donnie and the crew

of the Intrepido II,

found the Cynthia Renee

not a moment too soon.

NARRATOR: Barry is now within

24 hours of the Louisiana coast.

Tropical Storm Barry

is about to come ashore tomorrow.

I'm just coming here to check on my boat.

Make sure it's all good.

NARRATOR: Ron Dufrene,

owner of the shrimp boat Mister Jug,

should've been half way

across the Gulf of Mexico by now.

RON: These are some of the feeder bands.

It's out here right now.

Once it gets south of us,

the winds gonna shift

and start coming from that direction.

NARRATOR: The Texas shrimping season

starts in a few days.

Ron had hoped to be there, but with

a brewing hurricane now just offshore,

it's too dangerous to leave.

RON: We have a season

that's opening up,

and I'm three days

away from that tomorrow.

'Cause it'll take me three

days to get to where I wanna be.

So, if I have any intent

to make it down there,

I'm gonna have to leave

as soon as possible.

Go!

CARL: Slack off on the bow please.

NARRATOR: The crew

of the Intrepido II have arrived

in Dulac, Louisiana,

their rescue mission complete.

NARRATOR: But despite

now being tied up at the dock,

Carl and his crew

are not clear of danger yet.

Some of the models in particular showing

that there's 20 inches of rainfall

for isolated locations.

So the flash flood risk

is really ramping up with this system,

could be some catastrophic,

life-threatening flash flooding.

The other issue as it slows down,

is we're looking

at three to six feet of storm surge.

So, that and battering waves

on top of that.

So it's something we really are concerned

about along the Louisiana coast.

A major system bearing down

on the U.S., the Gulf bracing.

Mandatory evacuations have

now been ordered for parts of the coast.

NARRATOR: Three hours before landfall,

wind speeds hit 75 miles per hour,

and tropical storm Barry,

becomes Hurricane Barry.

(CARL SPEAKING)

(CARL SPEAKING)

(CARL SPEAKING)

NARRATOR: As night falls

on southern Louisiana,

category one Hurricane Barry arrives.

(CARL SPEAKING)

(MAN SPEAKING)

MAN: It's not blowing in here.

No. (LAUGHS)

NARRATOR: Carl Roby

and his crew are just thankful

they're not still at sea.

(CARL SPEAKING)

NARRATOR: Hurricane Barry's bizarre track

continues the next day,

as it moves north into Arkansas,

almost making a complete loop

and breaking rainfall records as it goes.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

The tail end of Barry

brings a new threat

storm surge.

Coastal areas experience

almost eight feet of flooding.

RON: Okay, we're on our way

to the boat this morning.

Sunday morning after Hurricane Barry.

There's the bayou, coming over the banks.

Just when you think you got it bad,

it could be worse,

you could be these poor souls,

buried, underwater.

NARRATOR: Ron Dufrene

can't afford to wait for the winds

to completely pass.

RON: We're heading out into the Gulf.

Heading to Texas.

We got 400 miles to go

to where I wanna be.

NARRATOR: The Texas shrimping season

opens in two days,

and Ron is three days away.

It's a little choppy,

but we're doing okay.

NARRATOR: Offshore,

rig workers can begin to make their way

back to their platforms.

The shutdown has already

cost the Gulf of Mexico oil industry

almost a billion dollars.

They're not wasting any time

getting back online.

We gotta see how the weather

affects our work.

NARRATOR: The hottest summer

on record passes

with no more hurricanes in the Gulf.

CAPTAIN: Been an absolutely beautiful day.

Been calm,

no wind, very hot.

NARRATOR: As October begins,

marine workers can start to hope

that they may have got lucky.

But sea temperatures

are still alarmingly high.

CAPTAIN: Extremely hot outside today.

Water temperature is 89 degrees.

89.4.

It's so damn hot the seagulls

have to put their a*s in the water

just to cool down.

NARRATOR: Warm seas mean

hurricane formation is always a threat,

and two weeks into October,

it's becoming a reality.

A buildup of clouds

by the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico,

is moving slowly eastward.

If it develops into a storm,

it has a run of more than 1,000 miles

over warm ocean,

toward America's Gulf Coast.

These are ideal conditions

for a hurricane.

NARRATOR: In the Bay of Campeche,

west of the Yucatán,

the 190,000 ton Saipem 7000,

the third largest semi-submersible

crane ship in the world,

is building an oil platform,

and they're carrying our cameras.

As the growing storm approaches,

Saipem 7000 has to detach

from the platform for safety reasons.

(MAN SPEAKING)

NARRATOR: They get the ship clear

of the platform just in time.

NARRATOR: The incoming weather

is almost on them.

If faced with hurricane force winds,

the ship could be smashed

into the new platform.

They're safer battling the storm alone.

(MAN SPEAKING)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

MAN: (OVER RADIO) Come back,

come back, did you say something?

Twenty-two pallets on the risk truck,

we need every net out.

MAN: (OVER RADIO) 10-4.

NARRATOR: On the Texas coast,

skies are clear,

but forecasts are now showing

increasing winds

and cloud beginning to build.

This morning we have

a little bit of a snafu.

We have a lot more equipment

than what we thought

we were gonna have going out.

This is the mad dash.

Winds supposed to get up

to 30-40 miles an hour.

So we're gonna be running pretty hard

trying to get it all out to them.

NARRATOR: Outside most major ports,

there is an offshore anchorage,

where incoming cargo ships queue

for a space to unload,

and outgoing ships can drop anchor

and await their next instructions.

Ryan Marine operate a delivery

and supply service

to ships anchored outside Houston's ports.

Radio's on, radar's checked,

we're good to go.

NARRATOR: If a hurricane develops,

deliveries to ships will be cut off.

They need supplies immediately.

But the bigger the waves,

the trickier the operation becomes.

WORKER: The wind's gonna

blow it all over the place.

Holy (BLEEP)!

NARRATOR: Sea conditions

in the northern Gulf of Mexico

are much worse than forecasts

suggested this morning.

WORKER: It's swinging back this way now!

So I'm having to run away from him.

The wind is having this ship

swinging back and forth

on its anchor chain.

So it's going back and forth

about 30 degrees on each side.

WORKER: Now he's going the other way,

so I gotta chase him.

Holy, hold on!

We've probably got

about two more hours of this.

I'm gonna go in

and shut off the camera now,

save some of the battery for later.

We've seen some pretty strong winds

from the radar,

in fact, we've seen nearly

hurricane force winds from the radar.

NARRATOR: Jon Zawislak,

Field Operations Director of NOAA's

Hurricane Research Division,

is closely watching

the latest data

on the storm as it comes in.

At this point in the hurricane center

still expect those winds

to increase, kind of,

in the next 12 hours or so

as it heads towards this landfall.

You know, this is the kind of storm

that it doesn't look like a hurricane,

it doesn't look like

a tropical storm on satellite

and it might fool some people,

but it does have strong winds.

NARRATOR: The weather system is building,

but its irregular shape means

it's not yet classified

as a tropical storm, and storm warnings

are not being issued.

Jon will now head to NOAA's

Aircraft Operations Base

in Lakeland, Florida,

to fly with the Hurricane Hunters,

into the eye of the storm,

to find out just how bad it really is.

Pretty clear circulation center

we saw earlier today,

plenty of precipitation up to the north,

so there's a lot of slop out there

in the Gulf of Mexico.

But gonna quickly move northeast here

over the next 24-36 hours,

and accelerate towards

the U.S. Gulf Coast.

NARRATOR: The storm

is heading for the U.S.

The question now is how powerful

it will be when it gets there.

CRICO: Got a push boat coming.

No traffic inbound.

NARRATOR: In Louisiana,

the fishing boat Saucy Wench

is heading to sea,

despite the incoming storm.

We're heading down the bayou now

after being stuck on land

for four days due to repairs

for our autopilot system.

We got some risks, risk that the trip

might not be profitable,

'cause we might not have enough time

to put enough fish on the boat.

The other risk we have is there's

a big storm coming this weekend.

NARRATOR: The path of the storm

puts them on a collision course, for now,

but Sean and his first mate Crico,

are gambling on being able

to skirt around the worst of it.

SEAN: We got our first couple of sets out.

You can see it's already

a little choppy out here.

Tropical depression off of Mexico

and working its way up here,

looks like projected path

is going to hit Alabama,

just miss Louisiana.

Well, that's what we're dealing with,

so maybe we'll get

some storm action this trip.

I'll show you what it's like

to be on the back deck.

Oh man.

Yep pretty rough out there.

NARRATOR: 200 miles south, the approaching

weather system is still disorganized.

But it now has sustained winds

over 40 miles per hour

and is upgraded

to tropical storm Nestor.

All these lightning storms.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

Doesn't even look real does it?

NARRATOR: Those who have

chosen to stay at sea,

must now live with their decisions.

It's too late to turn back.

The Cox Oil rigs

are now bracing for impact.

RODNEY: (OVER PHONE) Let's just

hunker down and ride this thing out.

It does look like

it's moving pretty quickly.

You guys there in Mobile,

Main Pass, West Delta, Grand Isle,

stay safe, don't take any chances,

we're not looking for any heroes.

This is Bill Hill, it's October 18th.

We've got a tropical storm coming through,

and it should be hitting us

in about three hours.

Just been having a meeting and all,

about what we're gonna do out here.

Weather's looking pretty rough though.

Waves just started picking up.

BILL: I'm here at Mobile 916

watching the seas roll in,

the clouds roll in

from tropical storm Nestor.

We got eight-foot seas,

roughly 40 mile an hour winds.

There you can see, y'all,

to the southwest,

the dark clouds rolling in

from the leading edge of it.

NARRATOR: Eight-foot waves are hitting

the base of platform Mobile 916,

but the center of Nestor

is still three hours away.

In Lakeland Florida,

the Hurricane Hunters

are preparing to get airborne.

Jon will be leading the data gathering.

The storm has moved north,

seeing decent tropical storm winds.

We're gonna leave out of here Lakeland,

lot of weather en route,

there's a lot of that rain

in the storm is on the

actually, the east side between us

and the center,

so we're gonna be trying

to get through that.

NARRATOR: The vast reach

of Nestor is still impacting

the Saipem 7000.

As the storm rages,

their vessel becomes a shelter

for an unlikely visitor.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

The ship is so huge,

that a flock of exhausted birds

have landed on it,

looking to hide from the storm.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

Here's some pictures of the birds.

Look at these guys.

Poor guys.

I think they're scared about

the electrical storms happening here.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

NARRATOR: Hundreds of tiny birds,

migrating from the U.S. to South America,

are now perched

on any available surface of the ship.

MAN: Not the best sight.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

JON: Definitely some

really strong thunderstorms

out to our east right now.

We're getting a lot of lightning.

NARRATOR: Jon and the

Hurricane Hunter flight are now in Nestor.

JON: Yeah still seeing 50-55 knot

surface winds.

We're getting a significant wave height.

We're really interested in those

wave heights near the center,

to the north and the east.

Because that's what's about to be

experienced in the Florida Panhandle.

NARRATOR: The flight will provide

essential data for forecasters

to predict what ships in the Gulf,

and Florida residents,

can expect to face in the morning.

Nestor is showing no sign of weakening.

So we're here, about to do a testimonial

with the master,

see what he thinks about this weather.

So Captain, what do you think

about this weather?

Well, it's nice in the cabin here.

NARRATOR: Sadly, the crew

can't stay in the cabin,

they have four miles of line to haul in.

NARRATOR: The wind is gusting

harder and harder,

hurling rain sideways into the boat.

(SEAN WHOOPING)

(CRICO SPEAKING)

(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)

CRICO: You could feel the pressure drop.

You know something's not right.

You got to try not to panic.

Hold on!

Hold on, Sean!

(PANTING)

Watch the bandit, watch the bandit.

(COUGHS)

CRICO: We had a lot of gear in the water,

thousands of dollars' worth of gear,

and thousands of dollars'

worth of fish on that gear.

I couldn't take a chance

of leaving it out there like that,

and losing all of that.

JOSH: Yeah.

NARRATOR: After 45 minutes,

Crico and the crew

start to emerge on the other side

of the storm.

(CRICO SPEAKING)

You're staring in the face of death

at that point.

(JOSH SPEAKING)

But, I made it.

NARRATOR: Pressed

by a cold front to the north,

tropical storm Nestor was unable

to form the circular shape

of a conventional hurricane,

preventing it from intensifying.

But it's still brought four feet

of storm surge to parts

of the Florida coastline,

and a deluge of rainfall.

And in the Tampa region,

a tornado outbreak in Nestor's outer bands

caused damage valued at over $100 million.

This hurricane season

will be remembered in the Gulf

for weird, unruly storms

and hurricanes that defied prediction.

But as the world's climate shifts further

from its baseline level,

this season of surprises

looks like a forerunner

of much more yet to come.