Things are getting seriously dangerous on the Cornelia Maria as a Deadliest Catch deckhand is hoisted high into the air for a high-stakes repair.
In a clip of Tuesday’s all-new episode of the Discovery Channel docuseries, Captains Casey McManus and Josh Harris watch on nervously as deckhand Taylor Jenson climbs atop a crab pot in order to be lifted into the air and thread a new cable through the pulley atop the boat’s picking crane.
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It’s no easy task, and one made even more intimidating by the rolling 25-foot seas rocking him from side to side.
“With ice and everything else, this is very dangerous,” McManus explains as he attempts to steer the boat in a way that will shield the young crabber from the worst of the waves.
From Jenson’s body camera, the repair looks even scarier than from afar, as he holds tight to the pot while swaying back and forth.
“I’m swinging all over the place, hold on,” he shouts to the other deckhands below. “I’m trying bud, I’m just trying to move slow.”
As a big wave comes in, he clings for his life as the pot spins wildly from side to side, making everyone on board the Cornelia Marie incredibly nervous.
Despite the odds against him, Jenson manages to thread the cable through the pulley and ride the pot back down to deck without injury.
“Taylor is a badass,” McManus says, exhaling after the perilous fix was complete.
But Jenson certainly didn’t feel that way, telling the camera, “That was scary. That was scary. I didn’t like that at all.”
With the line threaded, the crew was able to reattach the hook and get back into action. But narrator Mike Rowe leaves viewers on an ominous note, warning, “But with the fishing grounds still firmly in [winter storm] Elsa’s grasp, swells continue to build in height and frequency.”
“The weather’s not looking pretty,” McManus notes. “But that’s not gonna stop us from fishing.”
Deadliest Catch airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Discovery.
Photo credit: Discovery
