'Deadliest Catch': The Top Five Close Calls

Thanks to Discovery's bone-chilling reality hit "Deadliest Catch," we know that fishing for crab on the Bering Sea is the most dangerous job on the planet. And after seven seasons of near-death experiences and nasty injuries, no crew has come out unscathed. In honor of this week's Season 8 premiere (and the show's 100th episode), we're looking back at five of the bloodiest, scariest, most death-defying close calls in "Catch" history.

Watch Your Step

On the Bering Sea, something as simple as where you put your feet can be the difference between life and death. That's the case here for Wizard greenhorn Paul Endgren, who almost gets dragged down into the sea by an 800-pound anchor when a buoy line got wrapped around his leg. Luckily, his fellow crew members are there in time to pull him free. Yeah, we're betting Paul will pay a little more attention to where he steps from now on.


Just a Flesh Wound
On "Catch," a heavily bleeding face wound is no reason to stop working. In this clip, Ramblin' Rose captain Elliott Neese is riding his crew hard -- and when his deck boss, Kado, slams his face against the coiler during a hard roll, the captain just taunts him from the wheelhouse: "You gonna live, Kado?" In other words: Shake it off, tough guy; we've got crabs to catch.

[Video: Get an Exclusive Sneak Peek at This Week's 'Deadliest Catch' Premiere]


Cage Match
Want to make a "Catch" captain angry? Don't tie your knots properly. When loose knots send not one but two crab cages crashing down, Kodiak captain Wild Bill Wichrowski lets loose a stream of obscenities that would make a truck driver blush. In this clip, we also see "Dirty Jobs" host Mike Rowe chatting with the "Catch" captains about who's to blame for such an incident.


One Gnarly Wave
The "Catch" captains are used to bad weather; at the start of this clip, Sig Hansen is calmly piloting the Northwestern through fearsome 30-foot waves like a taxi driver weaving through traffic. But when one enormous wave crashes right into the wheelhouse, even Sig has to duck for cover. When a man like Sig tells you to "get the f---- down," you darn well better do it.


Nick Gets Hooked
Another busted face on "Catch": This time, it's aboard the Northwestern, as a loose hook whips right into deckhand Nick Mavar's face, knocking him to the ground. Sig at least shows a little more compassion than old Elliott did, checking to make sure his crew member is okay -- but Nick insists he's fine. That modeling career of his is probably shot, though.


The new season of "Deadliest Catch" premieres Tuesday, 4/10 at 9 PM on Discovery.