‘Deadliest Catch’: Sig Hansen Opens Up About Biggest Fears & Battle to Keep Crew Alive

Sig Hansen is no stranger to life-threatening drama at sea.

The 58-year-old Deadliest Catch captain opened up about some of those close calls in an interview with Fox News Digital. While out on the great blue Alaskan frontier, the fishing vessels – the lifelines of the captains and crews – are often pushed to their limits.

“We’ve had events where the boat was icing down to the point where I thought there was no return,” Hansen said in the interview. “We’ve had struggles with mechanical issues where, you know, we’ve had, like, tanks where our crab tanks either fill with water when they’re not supposed to, and that creates instability on the boat.”

He attributes much of the chaos to one ever-present and relentless (uncredited) character on the show: the weather.

“I think the biggest challenge is always the weather. That’s always a big one and keeping your guys motivated, that’s always a big challenge.”

Crab fishing in the Alaskan Bering Sea is particularly perilous. It is about 80 times the fatality rate of the average worker, according to a study done by CNN in 2003. In the same study, University of Alaska economist Gunnar Knapp deemed it “some of the worst conditions on earth” due to its icy storms and its isolated nature being hundreds of miles from port.

“We’ve had events where the boat was icing down to the point where I thought there was no return,” Hansen said in the interview. “We’ve had struggles with mechanical issues where, you know, we’ve had, like, tanks where our crab tanks either fill with water when they’re not supposed to, and that creates instability on the boat.”.

While the reality fishing competition highlights the ways in which the fleet adjusts and recover to these moments of adversity, Hansen made it clear not every accident has a happy ending.

“There’s been many challenges and there were challenges where I’ve seen boats literally go down. You know, eight miles away from me, and there’s nothing I can do about it,” he said.

For Hansen, who’s become integral to the Alaskan crabbing series and community, it becomes personal.

“You watch people and friends that you know, and you’re literally in the fog. They’re right over there and there’s nothing I can do about it, and they’re gone.”

In the Season 19 finale of Deadliest Catch which aired September 2023, Hansen’s family was trapped in deadly seas due to an unexpected mistake. In spite of it all, Hansen made his return to the Bering for his 20th season on Deadliest Catch.