Oftentimes, Deadliest Catch proudly showcases the terrifying and dangerous battles the crew aboard the various fishing vessels endure out on the Bering Sea. Yet every so often, the cameras may capture something beautiful. Something rare. Something that might change an entire venture. Such was the case aboard F/V Time Bandit. A miracle had happened when, out in the distance, dolphins came into view. It was an exciting moment that even brought a smile to Captain Johnathan Hillstrand‘s face.
Deadliest Catch is Discovery Channel’s hit reality series that brings the action and adventure of the crabbing industry in Alaska into viewer’s homes. Since 2005, when the series hit the airwaves, Deadliest Catch has been an adrenaline rush for audiences. With its milestone 20th season underway, the smash-hit series has showcased the highs and lows. Sometimes, it’s not always scary. Sometimes, there’s a moment of positivity — it’s not always about the crabs!
F/V Time Bandit Is a Family Affair
Of the various fishing vessels that are featured on Deadliest Catch, one that is included is the fishing vessel Time Bandit. The commercial crabbing ship was co-owned by brothers Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand. Originally designed by the brothers’ father, it was a vessel that was custom-built by the Hillstrands themselves. F/V Time Bandit has been a tried and true family business as their younger brother, Neal Hillstrand, and Captain John’s son, Scott Hilstrand, have served as deckhands aboard the fishing vessel. The Hillstrands were born and raised in Alaska, where being on a boat has been a part of their lives since a very early age. When they were approached to be a part of Deadliest Catch, they thought it would be something they could show to their grandkids. Never did they imagine it would turn into the show it is today. For Captain Johnathan Hillstrand, he wasn’t always consistently with the program. There was a period of time, following Season 13, when he departed and retired. In 2020, he returned to the game in order to maintain his captain’s rights.
Known for its iconic logo with a skull and bones, F/V Time Bandit has proved that crabbing comes naturally to the Hillstrand family. What may seem like an easier job on screen is not the case for the men and women who are actually out at sea, doing the hard job. In an interview from 2014, Captain Johnathan Hillstrand revealed, “What a lot of people don’t realize is that it takes us a week just to get to Dutch Harbour with our boats and a week to get home, and you could write an adventure about that. We got to go through whatever God throws at us.” What that might be is a journey out at sea with not a crab in sight.
The Dolphins Were the Heroes of ‘Deadliest Catch’ for Captain Jonathan Hillstrand
Aboard F/V Time Bandit, Captain Johnathan Hillstrand was struggling. For each Captain, a profitable trip out in the Bering Sea is determined by the catch they bring in. For one journey, it seemed the Time Bandit would return to the dock virtually empty-handed. Captain Jonathan Hillstrand was a bit dejected as this recent trip was seemingly like a bust. Having been out at sea for years, working as a crabber, he had been no stranger to dismal catches. But despite any hope and positivity, unless a miracle was about to happen, it would be just another failure on the list. With only hours to go before reaching the harbor, 250 miles away, Captain Johnathan encountered a miracle.
In a scene almost straight out of a movie, he saw some dolphins swimming around the ship. The crew knew that wherever they were heading, there were bound to be some crabs lurking. Because the dolphins would be attracted to the bait like the crabs, it might be a prosperous moment after all. The crew was hoping their newfound dolphin friends would bring them some luck. Captain Johnathan revealed that he had never seen that many dolphins at one time in his 45 years out at sea. He was giddy at the prospect abound and made the call to the rest of his crew to follow the dolphins. Thanks to the echosound radar, this led them to a deep canyon where he was optimistic that there would be a bounty of crab legs below.
Captain Johnathan Hillstrand had a purpose thanks to the porpoises. It ended up being a lucky day as this last-minute catch, with only 72 hours left in the expedition, proved fruitful. What resulted was a crab pot filled with larger-than-usual crabs, something that the crew was more than overjoyed to see. It was a moment that could not have happened had the dolphins led them to this glorious location. These crabs were essential for their quota and this scene proved just how joyful moments like this on Deadliest Catch can be. Dolphins led F/V Time Bandit to the promised land. As the crew exclaimed, “Always bet on black. Time Bandit Black.”
New episodes of Deadliest Catch air every Tuesday on Discovery Channel in the U.S. All episodes of Deadliest Catch are available to stream on Max.
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