Deadliest Catch's Jake Anderson Admits His Worst Mistake Out On The Bering Sea
Like all the greats, fan-favorite "Deadliest Catch" captain Jake Anderson has made his fair share of mistakes over the years. But making a mistake on these waters can cost you your life if you're not careful, which nearly happened to Anderson's crew during what the F/V Saga captain considers his biggest blunder.
Anderson was featured in a 2018 interview with fellow "Catch" captain Sig Hansen on a special captain interview series for the hit Discovery reality show. The discussion saw Hansen ask Anderson what he felt his worst decision had been as captain. Anderson had a tough time deciding, until Hansen puts in his own two cents, saying, "Safety wise, I gotta say it would be that wave." Anderson is quick to agree that the Season 11 moment that saw his on-deck crew nearly get thrown overboard by a set of massive waves could have handled been better. "The wave's definitely number one," Anderson comments. "That was a poor decision, that was probably the worst decision that I ever made."
The moment shook Anderson up quite a bit, who was hard on himself for not taking control the way he should have. It acted as a wake-up call to the then-deckhand, providing Anderson with the motivation to further pursue his place as captain. "After that instance it was, what am I doing letting anybody touch this boat?" Anderson continued. "It was very important as terrifying as it was." Anderson was not alone in finding this moment terrifying.
The incident caused some major tension
Season 11, Episode 13 of "Deadliest Catch" saw the Saga get hit by a massive pair of 40-foot waves. But even the enormous waves can't compare to the height of the crew's frustration.
As conditions that night got worse and worse, Jake Anderson chose to hand control of the ship to relief boat captain Ray Flerchinger. But few could imagine what was to come. Seemingly out of nowhere, one mighty wave nearly sank the crew, shortly followed by another one. The force was enough to fling the hefty team around the deck like ragdolls, but fortunately, no one was harmed.
Still, that didn't stop the disgruntled crew from raising complaints at Flerchinger. "What's your problem dude?" one crew member exclaims to Flerchinger. "It's not worth killing someone over! I'm a six foot man and it was over my head!" Another deckhand shares that he had to swim when the waves washed over, adding that, "A wave like that, you have to hear a warning or something so you can duck for cover. Someone could have been seriously hurt from something like that."
Anderson was affected almost immediately, commenting that the wave was " ... the scariest thing I've ever seen." He makes the decision to not let the guys back out to clean the deck, fearing for their lives despite risking further damage to the vessel.