You know what’s worse than having a killer stress headache at work, and work is the rough and tumble Bering Sea? Pulling up an 800+ pound crab pot that has exactly one crab in it.
Then being slammed nearly overboard by a rogue wave that practically took out the Summer Bay vessel on-deck crew, all while, Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski watched with that throbbing headache.
He worries too, as he was out of pocket for the day with little to show for his efforts. What he had for sure was a huge payroll and operating expenses that would not be recouped.
In our exclusive Deadliest Catch clip from tonight’s episode, you will witness all of this white-knuckle action as his crew laughs off “pissy” Bering Sea weather and gets back to work.
Who is Wild Bill Wichrowski?
This veteran F/V Summer Bay Captain is a lifelong fisherman who spends all his free time far away from the Bering Sea when not engaging in crab fishing.
A Navy veteran, Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski is a professional commercial fisherman, captain, and star of Discovery Channel’s top-rated series, Deadliest Catch, which is going on nine seasons now for him. He is also father to fisherman and Deadliest Catch cast member Zack Larson.
Wild Bill has faced “brutal weather, backbreaking labor, isolation, sleep deprivation, accidents, and death” according to his biography on his website where he sells branded merchandise for fans of the series and the Summer Bay vessel.
He also looks to be happily partnered up with Florida real estate maven Melissa Marie Taylor from all the shared photos of the happy couple on his official Instagram account.
What is a rogue wave?
Large bodies of water have an intense amount of energy flowing through them, even if things look to be calm. Sometimes underwater events and seismic activity can spur a disruption in normal currents and flows of water creating a surface event that suddenly can pose a threat to an unsuspecting vessel.
These “rogue” waves that “come out of nowhere” as Wild Bill’s crew called it are deadly if they catch someone totally off guard.
According to the National Ocean Service, rogue waves are “large, unexpected and dangerous,” just as we will see what happens to the Summer Bay tonight.
Many marine experts believe that rogue waves were responsible for many important ships lost at sea.
Paul Liu at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that 50 historical incidents are probably associated with rogue waves. New Scientist reported that rogue waves did not discriminate and took out cruise ships, Naval merchant tankers, transport ships and yachts.
Not just ships, but people at the shoreline can be swept away by rogue waves too. Their unpredictability is what alarms experts the most.
ScienceDaily.com reported some troubling findings from the University of Southampton (UK) that were published in Scientific Reports with regards to the increased severity of rogue wave events.
An excerpt:
Waves are classed as ‘rogue’ when they are over twice the height of the average sea state around them. From trough to peak, past observations have put some at over 30 metres high. The fiercest are capable of damaging or sinking ships, can wound or kill crew members and on occasions, have swept people off the shoreline and out to sea.
The official logline from Discovery:
As the first arctic storm of the season strikes, Josh and Casey race to haul full pots until an accident-prone deckhand gets tangled in the coiler. Jake’s deck boss takes a knife to the ribs, and Capt. Bill takes a last stab at motivating a lazy greenhorn.
Deadliest Catch airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Discovery Channel.