# Gold Rush: White Water

Gold Rush: White Water is a reality television series that airs on the Discovery Channel. A spin-off of Gold Rush, the series follows placer gold miners "Dakota" Fred Hurt and his son Dustin Hurt, returning to the wilderness of Haines Borough, Alaska, seeking their fortune by suction dredge diving within its raging whitewater creeks. The series debuted in 2018, and eight seasons have been aired through mid-2024.
"Dakota" Fred Hurt died from brain cancer on July 11, 2023, a day after his 80th birthday.

## Cast
### Current cast

| Seasons | Name | Details |
| 1–present | Dustin Hurt | Gold miner, claim owner, carpenter; dredge diver, dredge tender, airboat operator; Fred Hurt's son, one of "The Dakota Boys". |
| 1–present | Paul Richardson | Gold miner, dredge diver, dredge tender, fabricator; husband to Kayla Sheets, brother of Wes Richardson, one of "The Texans". |
| 1–present | Wes Richardson | Gold miner, fabricator, mechanic, gold cleaner; brother of Paul Richardson, one of "The Texans". |
| 1–present | Carlos Minor | Professional diver with 15 years diving in the U.S. Marines (becoming a drill instructor) and 13 years' oil platform diving experience in the Gulf of Mexico; dredge diver, dredge tender; season 1 representative of Todd Hoffman. |
| 3–present | James Hamm | Washington State gold miner; 5 years experience working as a professional suction gold dredge diver in the Bering Sea offshore of Nome, Alaska; dredge diver, dredge tender, gold cleaner, the "Gold Hound", hired by Dustin Hurt. |

### Minor/former cast members

| Seasons | Name | Details |
| 1–8 | "Dakota" Fred Hurt (July 10, 1943 – July 11, 2023) | Gold miner, claim owner, gold cleaner, fabricator; diver with 15 years' experience, dredge diver, dredge tender; Dustin Hurt's father, one of "The Dakota Boys". Died on July 11, 2023, at age 80 after being diagnosed with brain cancer four months earlier. |
| 1–4, 8 | Jennifer 'Jen' Hurt, née Sheets | Fred Hurt's fiancée, then wife, mother to Zack and Kayla Sheets; season 2 McKinley Camp cook. |
| 1 | Zack Sheets | Miner, Season 1; general laborer; Jen Hurt's son, Fred Hurt's step-son, Kayla’s brother, Dustin's step-brother. |
| 1 | Todd Hoffman | Investor in The Trifecta Claim with $50,000 invested. |
| 1 | Hudson Hoffman | One of Todd Hoffman's sons. |
| 1 | Tony Beets | Hurt family friend; Hurt–Sheets wedding guest. |
| 1 | Minnie Beets | Hurt family friend; Hurt–Sheets wedding guest. |
| 1, 2 | Danielle Miller | Dustin Hurt's girlfriend; Hurt–Sheets wedding guest, Minor wedding guest. |
| 1, 3 | Darla Hurt | Eldest daughter of "Dakota" Fred and sister of Dustin; Hurt–Sheets wedding guest, Richardson-Sheets wedding guest. |
| 1, 3 | Pastor Darryl Hurt | Fred's eldest son and Dustin's older brother; Hurt–Sheets wedding celebrant, Richardson–Sheets wedding celebrant. |
| 2, 4 | Mary Wilcock | Helicopter pilot, aerial long-line cargo hauler. |
| 2 | Rich Webster | Gold miner, 5 years experience as a U.S. Army mechanic, electronics expert, 5 years experience suction gold dredge diving in Alaska; dredge diver, gold cleaner. |
| 2 | K.C. "Casey" Morgan | Arizona gold miner with 10 years experience suction gold dredge diving; dredge diver. |
| 2, 3 | Teresa Garcia Minor | Carlos Minor's wife, Richardson-Sheets wedding guest. |
| 3, 5 | John "Jag" Garrard | Helicopter pilot with 40 years flying experience, aerial long-line cargo hauler. |
| 3 | Kayla Sheets | Rookie dredge tender, mini dredge operator, rookie dredge diver; Jen Hurt's daughter, Zack Sheets' sister, Fred Hurt's step-daughter, wife to Paul Richardson; hired by "Dakota" Fred. |
| 3–4 | Ryan Cardoza | Gold miner from Willow, Alaska; 6 years experience recreational suction gold dredge diving in Oregon and Alaska; dredge diver, hired by Fred Hurt. |
| 4–7 | Scott Allen | Commercial diver from Battle Creek, Michigan; U.S. Marine veteran, firefighter, logger; rookie dredge diver, fabricator, rookie dredge tender, airboat operator, hired by Fred Hurt in season 4, then Dustin Hurt for Kayla Johanson's dive team in season 5. Fired in season 7. |
| 5–7 | Kayla Johanson | Gold miner from North Carolina; 14 years total experience working as a suction gold dredge diver (8 years in Arizona and 6 years in southeast Alaska); dive team leader, dredge diver, dredge tender, gold cleaner, hired by Dustin Hurt to lead the 2nd dive team in season 5. |
| 5 | Eric Foster | U.S. Navy veteran and recreational gold miner in California; 17 years experience commercial diving; rookie dredge diver, rookie dredge tender, hired by Dustin Hurt for Kayla Johanson's dive team. |
| 5 | Mark Stamper | Gold miner, diver, firefighter; 2 years experience working as a professional suction gold dredge diver in the Bering Sea offshore of Nome, Alaska; dredge diver, dredge tender, hired by Dustin Hurt for Kayla Johanson's dive team. |
| 5, 6, 8 | Mark Sebens | Alaska placer gold miner at a claim in upper Porcupine Creek; an upstream neighbor to "Dakota" Fred Hurt's claim at Porcupine Creek Mine. |
| 5 | Lucas Merli | Raw TV film crew safety officer. |
| 5 | Marty Fowler | Raw TV drone operator, aerial photographer. |
| 6–7 | Justin Peterson | Gold miner from Wasilla, Alaska; 30 years experience working as a placer gold miner; construction worker, powerlifter; dredge diver, rookie dredge tender, fabricator, gold cleaner, hired by Kayla Johanson for her dive team in season 6. |
| 7 | Al Gilliam | Alaska placer gold miner, former owner of the Nugget Creek claims; resident of Haines since 1976; prospector, former logger, and former professional hunting guide. |
| 8 | Brian Alldridge | Raw TV drone operator |

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Season | Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Originally aired |
| Season | Season | Episodes | Season premiere | Season finale |
| | 1 | 9 | January 19, 2018 (2018-01-19) | March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) |
| | 2 | 12 | December 28, 2018 (2018-12-28) | March 22, 2019 (2019-03-22) |
| | 3 | 14 | November 1, 2019 (2019-11-01) | February 14, 2020 (2020-02-14) |
| | 4 | 17 | November 13, 2020 (2020-11-13) | March 12, 2021 (2021-03-12) |
| | 5 | 18 | November 5, 2021 (2021-11-05) | March 18, 2022 (2022-03-18) |
| | 6 | 9 | November 8, 2022 (2022-11-08) | January 3, 2023 (2023-01-03) |
| | 7 | 10 | April 14, 2023 (2023-04-14) | June 9, 2023 (2023-06-09) |
| | 8 | 12 | March 1, 2024 (2024-03-01) | May 17, 2024 (2024-05-17) |

### Season 1

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "Between Craziness & Insanity" | January 19, 2018 (2018-01-19) | 1.93 |
| 2 | 2 | "First Gold" | January 26, 2018 (2018-01-26) | 2.04 |
| 3 | 3 | "Dredge Down" | February 2, 2018 (2018-02-02) | 2.01 |
| 4 | 4 | "Boulder Battles" | February 16, 2018 (2018-02-16) | 1.81 |
| 5 | 5 | "Inland Tsunami" | February 23, 2018 (2018-02-23) | 1.76 |
| 6 | 6 | "Hypothermia" | March 2, 2018 (2018-03-02) | 1.67 |
| 7 | 7 | "The Graboid" | March 15, 2018 (2018-03-15) | N/A |
| 8 | 8 | "End of Days" | March 22, 2018 (2018-03-22) | N/A |
| 9 | 9 | "Hidden Depths" | March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) | 1.25 |

### Season 2

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 10 | Special | "The Dakota's vs Alaska" | December 28, 2018 (2018-12-28) | N/A |
| 11 | 1 | "The Dakota's Strike Back" | January 4, 2019 (2019-01-04) | N/A |
| 12 | 2 | "Burned Alive" | January 11, 2019 (2019-01-11) | N/A |
| 13 | 3 | "When Bears Attack" | January 18, 2019 (2019-01-18) | N/A |
| 14 | 4 | "Too Close For Comfort" | January 25, 2019 (2019-01-25) | N/A |
| 15 | 5 | "The Nugget Trap" | February 1, 2019 (2019-02-01) | N/A |
| 16 | 6 | "McKinley, We Have A Problem" | February 8, 2019 (2019-02-08) | N/A |
| 17 | 7 | "Sacrifice & Sabotage" | February 15, 2019 (2019-02-15) | N/A |
| 18 | 8 | "Landslide" | February 22, 2019 (2019-02-22) | N/A |
| 19 | 9 | "The Widow Maker" | March 1, 2019 (2019-03-01) | N/A |
| 20 | 10 | "Gold Strike" | March 8, 2019 (2019-03-08) | N/A |
| 21 | 11 | "Diving Deeper" | March 22, 2019 (2019-03-22) | N/A |

### Season 3

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 22 | Special | "The Golden Guys" | November 1, 2019 (2019-11-01) | N/A |
| 23 | 1 | "Two Teams, One Dream" | November 8, 2019 (2019-11-08) | N/A |
| 24 | 2 | "The Pound Zone" | November 15, 2019 (2019-11-15) | N/A |
| 25 | 3 | "No Guts, No Glory Holes" | November 22, 2019 (2019-11-22) | N/A |
| 26 | 4 | "Enter The Superclaw" | November 29, 2019 (2019-11-29) | N/A |
| 27 | 5 | "Birthday Gold" | December 6, 2019 (2019-12-06) | N/A |
| 28 | 6 | "The Gold Cave" | December 13, 2019 (2019-12-13) | N/A |
| 29 | 7 | "Nugget Heaven" | December 20, 2019 (2019-12-20) | N/A |
| 30 | 8 | "Thunderfalls" | January 10, 2020 (2020-01-10) | N/A |
| 31 | 9 | "End Of The Rainbow" | January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) | N/A |
| 32 | 10 | "Cliffhanger" | January 24, 2020 (2020-01-24) | N/A |
| 33 | 11 | "Rockfall Ravine" | January 31, 2020 (2020-01-31) | N/A |
| 34 | 12 | "Hands Full of Gold" | February 7, 2020 (2020-02-07) | N/A |
| 35 | 13 | "Royal Flush" | February 14, 2020 (2020-02-14) | N/A |

### Season 4

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 36 | Special | "White Water Roulette" | November 6, 2020 (2020-11-06) | N/A |
| 37 | 1 | "Come Hell or High Water" | November 13, 2020 (2020-11-13) | N/A |
| 38 | 2 | "Good As Gold" | November 20, 2020 (2020-11-20) | N/A |
| 39 | 3 | "Swallowed Up" | November 27, 2020 (2020-11-27) | N/A |
| 40 | 4 | "Enter the Mammoth Claw" | December 4, 2020 (2020-12-04) | N/A |
| 41 | 5 | "Fistful of Nuggets" | December 11, 2020 (2020-12-11) | N/A |
| 42 | 6 | "Rookie Mistakes" | December 18, 2020 (2020-12-18) | N/A |
| 43 | 7 | "Happy Endings" | January 8, 2021 (2021-01-08) | N/A |
| 44 | 8 | "Dustin To The Rescue" | January 22, 2021 (2021-01-22) | N/A |
| 45 | 9 | "Depths Of Despair" | January 29, 2021 (2021-01-29) | N/A |
| 46 | 10 | "Ride Or Die" | February 5, 2021 (2021-02-05) | N/A |
| 47 | 11 | "A Special Kind Of Crazy" | February 12, 2021 (2021-02-12) | N/A |
| 48 | 12 | "In Too Deep" | February 19, 2021 (2021-02-19) | N/A |
| 49 | Special | "Walk The Line" | February 19, 2021 (2021-02-19) | N/A |
| 50 | 13 | "Under Pressure" | February 26, 2021 (2021-02-26) | N/A |
| 51 | 14 | "Buried Alive" | March 5, 2021 (2021-03-05) | N/A |
| 52 | 15 | "To The Edge" | March 12, 2021 (2021-03-12) | N/A |

### Season 5

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 53 | 1 | "Roll of the Ice" | November 5, 2021 (2021-11-05) | N/A |
| 54 | 2 | "Fresh Blood" | November 12, 2021 (2021-11-12) | N/A |
| 55 | 3 | "Shake Up" | November 19, 2021 (2021-11-19) | N/A |
| 56 | Special | "Never Back Down" | November 19, 2021 (2021-11-19) | N/A |
| 57 | 4 | "Who's The Boss?" | November 26, 2021 (2021-11-26) | N/A |
| 58 | 5 | "Groundbreaking Gold" | December 3, 2021 (2021-12-03) | N/A |
| 59 | 6 | "Boiling Point" | December 10, 2021 (2021-12-10) | N/A |
| 60 | 7 | "Gamblin' Man" | December 17, 2021 (2021-12-17) | N/A |
| 61 | 8 | "Hard Times at House Rock" | January 14, 2022 (2022-01-14) | N/A |
| 62 | 9 | "Cut and Run" | January 21, 2022 (2022-01-21) | N/A |
| 63 | 10 | "Robbery at House Rock" | January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28) | N/A |
| 64 | Special | "Blood Runs Thicker Than Water" | January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28) | N/A |
| 65 | 11 | "Curse of the Gold Gods" | February 11, 2022 (2022-02-11) | N/A |
| 66 | 12 | "Blackout" | February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18) | N/A |
| 67 | 13 | "The Motherload" | February 25, 2022 (2022-02-25) | N/A |
| 68 | 14 | "Risk vs. Reward" | March 4, 2022 (2022-03-04) | N/A |
| 69 | 15 | "A Golden Opportunity" | March 11, 2022 (2022-03-11) | N/A |
| 70 | 16 | "The Last Stand" | March 18, 2022 (2022-03-18) | N/A |

### Season 6

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 71 | Special | "Fist Full Of Nuggets" | November 8, 2022 (2022-11-08) | N/A |
| 72 | 1 | "Fortune Favors the Bold" | November 15, 2022 (2022-11-15) | N/A |
| 73 | 2 | "Into the Unknown" | November 22, 2022 (2022-11-22) | N/A |
| 74 | 3 | "Airboat Accident" | November 29, 2022 (2022-11-29) | N/A |
| 75 | 4 | "Dakota Fred Takes Charge" | December 6, 2022 (2022-12-06) | N/A |
| 76 | 5 | "Homemade Highway to Hell" | December 13, 2022 (2022-12-13) | N/A |
| 77 | 6 | "Fuelling the Pressure" | December 20, 2022 (2022-12-20) | N/A |
| 78 | 7 | "At War with a Widowmaker" | December 27, 2022 (2022-12-27) | N/A |
| 79 | 8 | "Explosion at Nugget Creek" | January 3, 2023 (2023-01-03) | N/A |

### Season 7

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 80 | 1 | "Missing In Action" | April 14, 2023 (2023-04-14) | N/A |
| 81 | 2 | "Total Annihilation" | April 21, 2023 (2023-04-21) | N/A |
| 82 | 3 | "4-Ounce Nugget" | April 28, 2023 (2023-04-28) | N/A |
| 83 | 4 | "Blood Red White Water" | May 5, 2023 (2023-05-05) | N/A |
| 84 | 5 | "Risky Business" | May 12, 2023 (2023-05-12) | N/A |
| 85 | 6 | "Mouth Of The Dragon" | May 19, 2023 (2023-05-19) | N/A |
| 86 | 7 | "In Death's Shadow" | May 26, 2023 (2023-05-26) | N/A |
| 87 | 8 | "Hell From The Heavens" | June 2, 2023 (2023-06-02) | N/A |
| 88 | 9 | "Judgement Day" | June 9, 2023 (2023-06-09) | N/A |
| 89 | Special | "Golden Goose Chase" | June 9, 2023 (2023-06-09) | N/A |

### Season 8

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 90 | Special | "The Legend of Dakota Fred" | March 1, 2024 (2024-03-01) | N/A |
| 91 | Special | "In Gold We Trust" | March 1, 2024 (2024-03-01) | N/A |
| 92 | 1 | "A Tragic Beginning" | March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08) | N/A |
| 93 | 2 | "Gold Out of the Gate" | March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08) | N/A |
| 94 | 3 | "Trench Warfare" | March 15, 2024 (2024-03-15) | N/A |
| 95 | 4 | "A Dying Wish" | March 22, 2024 (2024-03-22) | N/A |
| 96 | 5 | "Fred Hurt Forever" | March 29, 2024 (2024-03-29) | N/A |
| 97 | 6 | "Fred's Golden Gift" | April 5, 2024 (2024-04-05) | N/A |
| 98 | 7 | "Unfinished Business" | April 12, 2024 (2024-04-12) | N/A |
| 99 | 8 | "Welcome to My Nightmare" | April 19, 2024 (2024-04-19) | N/A |
| 100 | 9 | "$70,000 Nugget" | April 26, 2024 (2024-04-26) | N/A |
| 101 | 10 | "Dustin's White Whale" | May 3, 2024 (2024-05-03) | N/A |
| 102 | 11 | "Get Rich or Die Trying" | May 10, 2024 (2024-05-10) | N/A |
| 102 | 12 | "Dancing With Death" | May 17, 2024 (2024-05-17) | N/A |

## Locations

* Haines Borough, Alaska, United States (seasons 1–8)
** The Trifecta Claim (McKinley Creek, Chilkat Range, Alaska, United States; seasons 1–2; season 4) — owned by Dustin Hurt
** Cahoon Creek Claim (Chilkat Range; season 2) — owned by Dustin Hurt
** Two Fish Claim – Thunder Falls (Cahoon Creek, Chilkat Range; season 3) — owned by "Dakota" Fred Hurt
** Rainbow's End Claim (Cahoon Creek, Chilkat Range; season 3) — owned by Dustin Hurt
** Rockfall Ravine Claim (The Nugget Bowl - The Chute - The Dog Leg) (McKinley Falls, McKinley Creek, Chilkat Range; seasons 3–5) — owned by Dustin Hurt
** House Rock Claim (McKinley Creek, Chilkat Range; season 5) — owned by Dustin Hurt
** Nugget Creek Claims (Upstream – Golden Gates – Mouth of the Dragon - Big-Ass Boulder - Moby Anomaly – Nugget Bend) (Chilkat Range; seasons 6–8) — owned by Dustin Hurt
** Upper Porcupine Creek Claim (Porcupine Creek, Chilkat Range; season 6) — owned by Mark Sebens

### McKinley Camp

    McKinley Creek, Chilkat Range, Alaska, United States (seasons 1–5)

### Porcupine Creek Mine Base Camp

    Porcupine Creek, Chilkat Range, Alaska, United States (seasons 1–6)

### High Camp

    Chilkat Range, Alaska, United States (season 3)

### Nugget Creek Camp

    Tsirku River, Chilkat Range, Alaska, United States (seasons 6–8)
* Haines, Alaska, United States (seasons 1–8)
* Valdez, Alaska, United States (season 5)
** Mineral Creek Claim (Chugach Census Area, Alaska, United States; season 5)
* Fairplay, Colorado, United States (season 1)
* Medford, Oregon, United States (season 4)
* Glendale, Oregon, United States (season 8)