Peril of the High Seas: “Deadliest Catch� on Satellite TV

If you think that your job is tough, you might want to reconsider things after watching an episode of "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel. A documentary series that even fair-weather fans describe as intense and gripping, "Deadliest Catch" follows a number of different boats whose crew are embarking upon what might be the most dangerous job in the world: king crab fishing.

With the season for catching Alaskan sea crab and Opilo crab so short, there are only a matter of weeks that these boats can get out into the waves of the Bering Sea and make some serious cash--if conditions are right. If they aren't, as they often are, then more than just money can be lost. After all, this is a job that has a fatality rate 90 percent higher than the rest of the population. It's not something to be taken lightly.

For those watching "Deadliest Catch" from the comfort of their living room on an HD tv, it can be difficult to imagine why anyone would willingly choose to embark upon these sorts of fishing adventures. But the fact is, those who are good at this sort of fishing are fascinating people. Their ability to actually find the good areas of sea, in the middle of winter, often in storms, is incredible. Their special instinct for knowing where the crabs are--and when the bad weather is coming--is the difference not just between payday and going home empty-handed, but between life and death.

With a sixth season scheduled to begin this year, "Deadliest Catch" has definitely been a runaway hit for the Discovery Channel, with millions of satellite tv viewers tuning in to see what happens next. Each season follows not a single boat, but almost ten, seeing the differences in crews, captains, and success rates. From friendly rivalries to real-life dangerous situations, this is not just a sensationalized account of a difficult job. After all, it's not just the fishermen who are on these boats: the Discovery Channel camera crew is just as at risk as those who are doing the job, meaning that the show is filmed with a type of urgency often not seen in television documentary making.

Fishing boats aren't the only vessels to get screen time during "Deadliest Catch," with various U.S. Coast Guard boats appearing to save those who have fallen victim to the sea. It's the sort of filming that will make your hair stand on end, and make you glad that you're thousands of miles away and only watching these hair-raising experience on satellite tv. There's a tremendous amount of respect for anyone who can leave their family and embark on this sort of moneymaking venture, and the notion that so much can be at stake and that crabs can still be affordable enough for most of us is sometimes mind-boggling.

While watching the perils of life at sea might not be something you'd expect yourself to like, after one episode of "Deadliest Catch," you'll likely be hooked long-term. After all, it's not everyday that something truly remarkable is on television without being sensationalized.

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