The show is divided into the summer dredging season (aired in the spring), under the title Bering Sea Gold, and the spring dredging season (aired in the fall), under the title Bering Sea Gold: Under The Ice. For the first three seasons, this distinction held; in the 2015 4th season of the spring ice dredging season, the title card changed to "Bering Sea Gold", making the title identical to the original summer dredging season show. This continued with the 2016 5th seasons.
The show follows boats equipped with various setups to achieve gold mining in a summertime, cold northern latitude, shallow water, ocean environment. The fleet each typically consists of a sluicing apparatus, a means of paydirt collection (dredge), and a cold-water-diving life support system. Conflict issues include choppy seas, poor underwater visibility, inconsistent fuel delivery, personnel issues, mining location rights, sufficient paydirt discovery, diver safety, and ocean-damaged equipment failures. Each season of episodes follow the current fleet of dredges.
The "ice" series follows dredges housed in temporary shelters set up over ice holes. Several crew members have appeared in both the summer dredging and spring ice dredging seasons.
History
In 2012, one of the featured divers on the show, John Bunce, committed suicide during the course of filming the season. The incident aired in 2013.[1][2]
On March 11, 2020, it was announced that the fourteenth season will premiere on April 1, 2020.[3]
The Martinson mining family, shown as background characters on Bering Sea Gold,[4] was featured in Gold Rush: Freddy Dodge's Mine Rescue.[5]
Cast
Season 1
Name
Dredge
Details
Steve Pomrenke
Christine Rose
Co-Owner of the Christine Rose and father of Shawn Pomrenke.
Shawn Pomrenke
Christine Rose
Co-Owner and Captain of the Christine Rose, son of Steve Pomrenke.
Cody Moen
Christine Rose
Deckhand on the Christine Rose.
Robbi Wade
Christine Rose
Deckhand on the Christine Rose.
Ian Foster
Sluicey
Owner and Captain of the Sluicey.
Scott Foster
Sluicey
Diver on the Sluicey.
Ezekial 'Zeke' Tenhoff
The Clark
Owner and Captain of The Clark, who built the dredge from scratch in 2008.
Emily Riedel
The Clark
Deckhand on The Clark. Daughter of Steve Riedel and childhood friend of Zeke Tenhoff.
Vernon Adkison
Wild Ranger
Owner of the Wild Ranger.
Scott Meisterheim
Wild Ranger
Captain of the Wild Ranger.
Jason Walker
Wild Ranger
Diver on the Wild Ranger.
Steve Riedel
Wild Ranger
Diver on the Wild Ranger. Father of Emily Riedel.
Season 1 ICE
Dredge
Name
Details
Lazy Gator
Joe Fullwood
Owner / Captain.
Lazy Gator
Derek McLarty
Diver.
Lazy Gator
Jacob Musich
Diver.
Lazy Gator
Jesse Strickling
Diver.
Lazy Gator
Ricky Larsen
Diver / Mechanic.
Shamrock
Steve Pomrenke
Co-Owner / Shawn Pomrenke's father.
Shamrock
Shawn Pomrenke
Co-Owner / Captain / Steve Pomrenke's son.
Shamrock
Cody Moen
Diver.
Shamrock
Phil Rode
Diver.
Shamrock
Jason Higa
Diver.
Shamrock
Vince Skiba
Diver.
The Clark
Ezekial 'Zeke' Tenhoff
Owner / Captain / Best friend of John Bunce.
The Clark
Emily Riedel
Deckhand / Steve Riedel's daughter / Zeke Tenhoff's childhood friend.
Co-Owner of the Christine Rose and father of Shawn Pomrenke.
Shawn Pomrenke
Christine Rose
Co-Owner and Captain of the Christine Rose, son of Steve Pomrenke.
Cody Moen
Christine Rose
Deckhand on the Christine Rose.
Doug Graham
Christine Rose
Deckhand on the Christine Rose.
Vernon Adkison
Wild Ranger
Captain of the Wild Ranger, Owner of the Wild Ranger, the Bering Booty and four other, unnamed dredges.
Daryl Galipeau
Wild Ranger
Diver on the Wild Ranger.
Steve Riedel
Wild Ranger / The Clark
Diver on the Wild Ranger and The Clark; fired from the Wild Ranger, moved to The Clark.
Dave Thompson
Wild Ranger
Diver on the Wild Ranger, an experienced oil diver and only lasted just one day on the Wild Ranger, (when he was called-in after Steve Riedel failed to turn-up for work one day), because he couldn't work in the sea, as he didn't feel safe with all the technical problems on board the dredge.
Elaine Adkison
Bering Booty / Wild Ranger
Captain of the Bering Booty and Deckhand on the Wild Ranger. Daughter of Vernon Adkison. Girlfriend of Flint Collins. Brought over to her father's dredge with her boyfriend after Steve Riedel was sacked.
Flint Collins
Bering Booty / Wild Ranger
Diver on the Bering Booty and Wild Ranger. Boyfriend of Elaine Adkison. Brought over to Elaine's father's dredge with her after Steve Riedel was sacked.
Zeke Tenhoff
The Clark / The Edge
Owner of The Clark, Captain of The Edge, Older brother of Gabe Tenhoff and Best friend of John Bunce.
Emily Riedel
The Edge
Deckhand on The Edge.
John Bunce
The Edge
Diver on The Edge, Best friend of Zeke Tenhoff, 2012 Gold Panning Champion of Nome and committed suicide during the TV season, by gunshot to the head from a .44 Magnum via two-pulls of Russian Roulette (1985–2012, age 27).[7]
Gabriel 'Gabe' Tenhoff
The Edge
Diver on The Edge, Younger brother of Zeke Tenhoff, Brought on to the dredge as a diver, after John Bunce's sudden death by suicide.
Scott Meisterheim
Anchor Management
Captain of Anchor Management, Best friend of Todd Allen.
Todd Allen
Anchor Management
Diver on Anchor Management, Best friend of Scott Meisterheim. Left midway through the season after Scott Meisterheim's drinking binge, forced the captain to check himself into rehab.
Dan Fogel
Anchor Management
Diver on Anchor Management. Left midway through the season after Scott Meisterheim's drinking binge, forced the captain to check himself into rehab.
Dan Larsen
Anchor Management
Diver on Anchor Management. Left midway through the season after Scott Meisterheim's drinking binge, forced the captain to check himself into rehab.
Joe Dehring
Anchor Management
Diver on Anchor Management. Brought on before the end of the season after Scott Meisterheim's drinking binge, made his old crew abandon the dredge, so consequently he had to find a new diver.
Grant Wilkins
The Clark
Captain of The Clark.
Season 2 ICE
Dredge
Name
Details
The Clark
Zeke Tenhoff
Owner / Captain.
The Clark
Glen LeBaron
Diver / The Dragon inventor.
The Clark
Ian Foster
Diver.
The Clark
Rob Hehnlin
Co-Owner of The Edge / Diver / Engineer.
The Clark
Milan Schield
Diver.
Shamrock
Steve Pomrenke
Co-Owner / Shawn Pomrenke's father.
Shamrock
Shawn Pomrenke
Co-Owner / Captain / Steve Pomrenke's son.
Shamrock
Cody Moen
Diver.
Shamrock
Phil Rode
Diver.
Shamrock
Jason Higa
Diver.
Shamrock
Jesse Virnig
Diver.
Wild Ranger
Vernon Adkison
Owner / Captain.
Wild Ranger
Daryl Galipeau
Diver.
Wild Ranger
Kevin Jupina
Diver.
Wild Ranger
Gordon Grebe
Deckhand / Engineer.
Anchor Management
Scott Meisterheim
Captain.
Anchor Management
Joe Dehring
Diver.
Anchor Management
Alan Balodis
Diver.
Anchor Management
Geordie Krapf
Diver.
Steve's World on Ice
Steve Riedel
Captain.
Steve's World on Ice
Emily Riedel
Deckhand / Steve Riedel's daughter / Zeke Tenhoff's childhood friend.
Co-Owner of the Christine Rose and father of Shawn Pomrenke.
Shawn Pomrenke
Christine Rose
Co-Owner and Captain of the Christine Rose, son of Steve Pomrenke.
Cody Moen
Christine Rose
Deckhand on the Christine Rose.
Jesse Virnig
Christine Rose
Deckhand on the Christine Rose.
Hank Schimschat
AU Grabber
Owner and Captain of the AU Grabber.
Scott Meisterheim
AU Grabber
Deckhand on the AU Grabber, fired midway through the season after repeated failure to turn-up for work and not following the captain's orders.
Nathan Makowski
AU Grabber
Deckhand on the AU Grabber.
Angie Decker
AU Grabber
Deckhand on the AU Grabber.
John Parks
AU Grabber
Deckhand on the AU Grabber, the other excavator operative on the dredge and a very experienced one at that, taking over shifts from Hank Schimschat when he's not working.
Jason Higa
AU Grabber
Deckhand on the AU Grabber, brought on midway through the season after Scott Meisterheim's sacking.
Emily Riedel
The Eroica
Captain of The Eroica (formerly The Edge) and daughter of Steve Riedel.
Derek McLarty
The Eroica
Diver on The Eroica and left midway through the season after the captain failed to turn-up for work over two consecutive weeks.
Spencer McCleskey
The Eroica
Diver on The Eroica and left midway through the season after the captain failed to turn-up for work over two consecutive weeks.
Shem Fogelman
The Eroica
Diver on The Eroica and left midway through the season after the captain failed to turn-up for work over two consecutive weeks.
Vernon Adkison
Wild Ranger
Captain of the Wild Ranger, owner of six dredges.
Kevin Jupina
Wild Ranger / The Eroica
Diver on the Wild Ranger and The Eroica. Left the Wild Ranger midway through the season, then moved to The Eroica.
Daryl Valle
Wild Ranger / The Eroica
Diver on the Wild Ranger and The Eroica. Left the Wild Ranger midway through the season, then moved to The Eroica.
Tony Mann
Wild Ranger / The Eroica
Diver on the Wild Ranger and The Eroica. Left the Wild Ranger midway through the season, then moved to The Eroica.
Glen LeBaron
Dragon / Miss Nomer / Minnow
Inventor of the sub-surface dredge the Dragon, Owner and Captain of the Miss Nomer. Diver on the Minnow. Boyfriend of Jasmin George.
Jasmin George
Miss Nomer / Minnow
Deckhand on the Miss Nomer and Minnow. Girlfriend of Glen LeBaron.
Zeke Tenhoff
The Clark / Miss Nomer
Owner and Captain of The Clark, Diver on the Miss Nomer.
Steve Riedel
Minnow
Captain of the Minnow and father of Emily Riedel.
Brad Kelly
Minnow / Reaper
Diver on the Minnow, Captain of the Reaper (formerly the Minnow). Father to Kris and Andy Kelly.
Kris Kelly
Minnow / Reaper
Diver on the Minnow and the Reaper, Oldest son of Brad Kelly and brother to Andy Kelly.
Andy Kelly
Minnow / Reaper
Diver on the Minnow and the Reaper, Youngest son of Brad Kelly and brother to Kris Kelly.
Season 3 ICE
Dredge
Name
Details
Wild Ranger
Vernon Adkison
Owner.
Wild Ranger
Jason Walker
Captain / Fired by Vernon Adkison after falling out with the whole crew, due to his anger management issues and not following the owner's orders.
Wild Ranger
Justin Cooke
Captain / Hired by Vernon Adkison after Jason Walker's sacking and due to his previous experience as an oil diver.
Wild Ranger
Spencer McCleskey
Diver.
Wild Ranger
Shem Fogelman
Diver.
Wild Ranger
Flint Collins
Diver / Elaine Adkison's boyfriend.
Wild Ranger
Elaine Adkison
Deckhand / Flint Collins' girlfriend.
Shamrock
Steve Pomrenke
Co-Owner / Shawn Pomrenke's father.
Shamrock
Shawn Pomrenke
Co-Owner / Captain / Steve Pomrenke's son.
Shamrock
Cody Moen
Diver.
Shamrock
Phil Rode
Diver.
Shamrock
Jesse Virnig
Diver.
Shamrock
Jacob Musich
Diver.
Miss Nomer
Glen LeBaron
Owner / Captain / Jasmin George's boyfriend.
Miss Nomer
Zeke Tenhoff
Diver / Sarah Dunn's boyfriend / After Zeke and Glen mutually agree to end their partnership, Zeke sets up his own operation with Sarah in the form of his old dredge The Clark again, after being paid-off his earnings in gold, for his diving time, with Glen.
Miss Nomer
Jasmin George
Deckhand / Glen LeBaron's girlfriend.
Miss Nomer
Sarah Dunn
Deckhand / Zeke Tenhoff's girlfriend / After Zeke and Glen mutually agree to end their partnership, Zeke sets up his own operation with Sarah in the form of his old dredge The Clark again, after being paid-off her earnings in gold, for her time as a deckhand for Zeke, with Glen.
The Reaper
Brad Kelly
Captain / Mechanic / Kris and Andy Kelly's father.
The Reaper
Kris Kelly
Diver / Brad Kelly's son / Andy Kelly's older brother.
The Reaper
Andy Kelly
Diver / Brad Kelly's son / Kris Kelly's younger brother.
The Reaper
Katy Priester
Diver / Dived once and after a bad experience, never did so again.
The Clark
Zeke Tenhoff
Owner / Captain / Sarah Dunn's boyfriend / After Zeke and Glen mutually agree to end their partnership, Zeke sets up his own operation with Sarah in the form of his old dredge The Clark again, after being paid-off his earnings in gold, for his diving time, with Glen.
The Clark
Sarah Dunn
Deckhand / Zeke Tenhoff's girlfriend / After Zeke and Glen mutually agree to end their partnership, Zeke sets up his own operation with Sarah in the form of his old dredge The Clark again, after being paid-off her earnings in gold, for her time as a deckhand for Zeke, with Glen.
Deckhand on the AU Grabber, the other excavator operative on the dredge and a very experienced one at that, taking over shifts from Hank Schimschat when he's not working.
Jason Higa
AU Grabber
Deckhand on the AU Grabber.
Vernon Adkison
Wild Ranger
Owner of the Wild Ranger.
Justin Cooke
Wild Ranger
Captain of the Wild Ranger.
Spencer McCleskey
Wild Ranger
Diver on the Wild Ranger. Left the dredge midway through the season to honour his close friendship with Shem and Elaine.
Shem Fogelman
Wild Ranger
Diver on the Wild Ranger. Elaine Adkison's boyfriend. Left the dredge midway through the season with Elaine after she had an argument with her father over her role on the dredge.
Flint Collins
Wild Ranger
Diver on the 'Wild Ranger, Left the dredge at the start of the season after splitting up with his now ex-girlfriend Elaine Adkison.
Bobby Lowe
Wild Ranger
Diver on the 'Wild Ranger, Brought on to the dredge at the start of the season to replace one of Vernon's divers who had left.
Kelsy Lessing
Wild Ranger
Diver on the 'Wild Ranger, Brought on to the dredge at midway through the season to replace one of Vernon's divers who had left.
Lucas Wolf
Wild Ranger
Diver on the 'Wild Ranger, Brought on to the dredge at midway through the season to replace one of Vernon's divers who had left.
Elaine Adkison
Wild Ranger
Deckhand on the Wild Ranger, Shem Fogelman's girlfriend and oldest daughter of Vernon Adkison. Left the dredge midway through the season with Shem after an argument with her father over her role on the dredge. Came back at the end of the season and agreed to work for her father on the dredge next season after apologising to him and announcing she was pregnant expecting her first child with Shem.
Yvonne Adkison
Wild Ranger
Deckhand on the Wild Ranger and youngest daughter of Vernon Adkison.
Emily Riedel
The Eroica
Owner and Captain of The Eroica.
Kevin Jupina
The Eroica
Diver on The Eroica. Left the dredge midway through the season after an argument with Emily Riedel.
Jonathan Ruppe
The Eroica
Diver on The Eroica. Left the dredge midway through the season after realising he was too broke to carry on living in Nome.
Daryl Galipeau
The Eroica
Diver on The Eroica. Brought on to the dredge midway through the season after Emily Riedel was left with no crew after both of her divers left.
Zeke Tenhoff
The Clark
Owner and Captain of The Clark, Sarah Dunn's boyfriend.
Sarah Dunn
The Clark
Deckhand on The Clark and Zeke Tenhoff's girlfriend.
Brad Kelly
Reaper
Captain of the Reaper. Father to Kris and Andy Kelly.
Kris Kelly
Reaper / Loko
Diver on the Reaper, Co-Owner of Loko, oldest son of Brad Kelly and brother to Andy Kelly.
Andy Kelly
Reaper
Diver on the Reaper, youngest son of Brad Kelly and brother to Kris Kelly.
Dave Magliocca Aka “Boston Dave” and “Another Failed Miner”
Loko
Co-Owner of Loko.
Season 4 ICE
Dredge
Name
Details
Wild Ranger
Vernon Adkison
Owner.
Wild Ranger
Derek McLarty
Captain / Diver / Mechanic/ The Golden Seahorse invented by Eddy Pump Corporation.
Wild Ranger
Bobby Lowe
Deckhand.
Wild Ranger
Kelsy Lessing
Deckhand.
Wild Ranger
Lucas Wolf
Deckhand.
Shamrock
Shawn Pomrenke
Co-Owner / Captain / Mechanic.
Shamrock
Cody Moen
Diver.
Shamrock
Phil Rode
Diver.
Shamrock
Jesse Virnig
Diver.
Shamrock
Jacob Musich
Diver.
The Clark
Zeke Tenhoff
Co-Owner / Captain/ Mechanic.
The Clark
Emily Riedel
Co-Owner / Deckhand.
The Clark
Shelby Johnson
Diver.
The Clark
Jen Newby
Diver.
The Clark
Kendall Winslow
Diver / Quit at the start of the season after concerns for her own safety when diving.
Paddy Wagon
Kris Kelly
Co-Owner / Captain / Mechanic / Brad Kelly's son / Andy Kelly's older brother.
Both owned and built by the Pomrenkes, until Season 3, the largest dredge in Nome.
Sluicey
Suction dredge
1
Both owned and built by Ian Foster, a simple set of floats with suction dredge equipment.
The Clark
Suction dredge
1–2, 4-
Both owned and built by Zeke Tenhoff, a basic average suction dredge.
Wild Ranger
Suction dredge
1-
Owned by Vernon Atkinson, a simple set of floats with suction dredge equipment.
The Edge (for Season 2) The Eroica (from Season 3 onwards)
Suction dredge
2-
Both owned and built by Andrew Lee and Rob Hehnlin, captained by Zeke Tenhoff as "The Edge" in Season 2, bought by Emily Riedel in season 3 and renamed "The Eroica", a simple set of floats with suction dredge equipment.
Anchor Management
Suction dredge
2
Both captained and built by Scott Meisterheim, a sub par suction dredge (currently sitting at the bottom of the Bering Sea incurring fines).
Bering Booty
Suction dredge
2
Owned by Vernon Atkinson and captained by Elaine Adkison, a basic average suction dredge.
Both owned and built by Hank Schimschat, largest dredge in Nome as of Season 3.
Miss Nomer / The Dragon
Suction dredge
3
Both owned and built by Glenn LeBaron, the Miss Nomer is a simple set of floats with suction dredge equipment. The Dragon was lost before the season started, washed away by sea ice. Having an underwater sluicebox makes this dredge unusual.
Minnow (for the start of Season 3) Reaper (from the end of Season 3 onwards)
Suction dredge
3-
A basic average suction dredge. Built and captained by Steve Riedel as the Minnow; Later acquired by Brad Kelly and run as the Reaper
Loko
Suction dredge
4-
Both owned and built by Dave Magliocca and Kris Kelly. A basic average suction dredge.
Both owned and built by Joe Fullwood, a simple set of floats with suction dredge equipment.
Shamrock
Suction dredge
1-
Both owned and built by the Pomrenkes, a simple set of floats with suction dredge equipment.
The Clark / The Dragon (for Season 2)
Suction dredge
1-
Both owned and built by Zeke Tenhoff, a basic average suction dredge. Used The Dragon for season 2, having an underwater sluicebox makes this dredge unusual.
Wild Ranger / The Golden Seahorse (for Season 4)
Suction dredge
2-
Owned by Vernon Atkinson, a basic average suction dredge. Used The Golden Seahorse subdredge for season 4, having an underwater sluicebox makes, being mechanically controlled and 15x more efficient than a diver on a hose makes this dredge unusual.
Anchor Management
Suction dredge
2
Both captained and built by Scott Meisterheim, a basic average suction dredge.
Steve's World On Ice
Suction dredge
2
Both owned and built by Steve Riedel, a basic average suction dredge.
Miss Nomer / The Dragon (for Season 3)
Suction dredge
3
Both owned and built by Glen LeBaron, the Miss Nomer is a simple set of floats with suction dredge equipment. The Dragon was used on The Clark for season 2 and the Miss Nomer for season 3.
The Reaper
Suction dredge
3-
Both captained and re-built by Brad Kelly, a basic average suction dredge.
The Eroica / The Dragon Slayer (for Season 3)
Suction dredge
3-
Owned by Emily Reidel, a simple set of floats with suction dredge equipment. Used The Dragon Slayer for season 3, like The Dragon, having an underwater sluicebox makes this dredge unusual.
Paddy Wagon
Suction dredge
4
Co-Owned and built by the Kelly brothers and captained by Kris Kelly, a basic average suction dredge.
With the popularity of the show, it has inspired many people to head to Nome, and suction dredge in Norton Bay. In 2015, over 100 gold dredges operated in the summer sea mining season, significantly more than before the TV show started.[9]