‘Bering Sea Gold’: Vernon Adkison Takes a Risk With Massive Underwater Boulders in Exclusive Preview

Vernon Adkison is pushing the limit when it comes to gold mining this season after the Bering Sea Gold star got a late start on with the rest of his Wild Ranger crew. In a PopCulture.com exclusive sneak peek of Friday’s all-new episode of the Discovery series, Captain Vern watched with bated breath as his diver attempts to move a massive boulder he suspects could be hiding a gold haul.

“A lot of times, when there’re boulders like this, that’s where the gold collects, under the boulders,” he explains of the reward possibly awaiting the crew if they can successfully and safely dislodge the massive rock on the sea floor. While the boulders first remain stubbornly embedded in the ground, the captain decides to “push it,” encouraging his diver to flip the rock as best he can.

“So, if can roll ’em, sometimes you’ll get into some pretty good stuff,” Adkison says, noting that the harder it is to roll, the more gold typically found beneath. With the giant rock eventually giving way, the captain sees from his camera topside that there is some serious gold hiding beneath, just as he suspected. “All right, we’re in production!” he cheers. “This is better than Netflix, this is Gold-flix!”

Adkison isn’t the only Bering Sea Gold captain trying to make the most of a difficult season. Eroica Captain Emily Reidel recently opened up to PopCulture about how an early start managed to save her operation when a rogue heat wave and wild weather stirred up the waters that had proved so lucrative in the past. Reidel admitted she was “more than a little bit smug” to get an early start on her fellow miners, including Adkison: “The longer you’re here, the longer you realize how important every decision is,” she said of her decision to put in the earlier launch date.

All the extra work was worth it when the “brutal” weather of this year began to roll in. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Reidel recalled. “The Bering Sea is kind of unique in that, when weather happens, it escalates really quickly. …It’s always these really difficult decisions [as a captain]. When you’re right, you’re right. But when you’re wrong, you lose a lot of money.”

Will the crew of the Wild Ranger be able to bring home the gold this season despite a tough start? Bering Sea Gold airs Fridays 8 p.m. ET on Discovery. For more from PopCulture on all the Discovery Channel’s latest shows, click here.