‘Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove’ Star Gary Ripka Reveals Near-Death Experience on a Fishing Expedition

‘Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove’ Star Gary Ripka Reveals Near-Death Experience on a Fishing Expedition

Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove airs Tuesday nights on Discovery

Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove star Gary Ripka opened up about his near-death experience while on a fishing expedition.

The captain reflected on the life-threatening incident when he was out at sea while fishing for Dungeness crab, taking PEOPLE Now inside the moment itself.

“I’ve gotten rushed out of the wheelhouse,” he recalled. “I’ve been on a boat where it blew the windows out, and I got rushed out of the wheelhouse and I almost died.”

Though Ripka was fortunate to live, he realizes that fellow captains are sometimes not so lucky.

“The guy that saved me – he saved me from getting rushed over the rail – he was killed four years later,” he said. “Him and his whole crew, boat and everybody – they lost everybody. A very close friend of my family.”

Reiterated Ripka: “The guy that saved me from getting killed on a boat got killed himself a few years later. It’s there and you can’t ever let your guard down.”