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'Deadliest Catch' Star Sig Hansen Shares Shocking Details About His Second Heart Attack

Photo credit: Jason Elias
Photo credit: Jason Elias

From Country Living

  • Sig Hansen, star of Discovery's Deadliest Catch docuseries and captain of the F/V Northwestern commercial fishing boat, revealed in the current season that he suffered a second heart attack last year.

  • The father of two initially underwent cardiac arrest in 2016 while at sea.


Captain Sig Hansen has fearlessly commandeered many a choppy sea on Discovery's Deadliest Catch, but the fisherman has experienced his fair share of major health scares as of recent. In fact, he kicked off season 15 of the dramatic docuseries by revealing that he previously had a "slight heart attack," which was unbeknownst to his crew.

While the 52-year-old shared little details on the show, Sig explained to Entertainment Weekly that the incident went down in October. Basically, he had been taking antibiotics for a sinus infection and "started to swell up" while driving through Seattle with his wife. The couple rushed to the hospital. "I kept driving 100 miles an hour and went right to the ER. The nurse said I probably had less than 10 minutes," he said.

A nurse administered an EpiPen to save Sig's life, but it ended up having an adverse effect. The Discovery star instantly experienced chest pain, and a blood level test confirmed that he was in the midst of cardiac arrest. "The allergic reaction brought on a heart attack, so I went through that baloney again," Sig explained.

This actually marks his second heart attack to date. The first one occurred on camera back in 2016-while filming for Deadliest Catch aboard the Northwestern.

Fans of the show were shocked to discover Sig's heart attack repeat, three years later. Some even voiced concerned opinions, begging him to retire from the Northwestern.

To that note, Sig's mentality has seemingly changed drastically in the wake of his health. "I’m still afraid to go on the boat," he admitted. "I don’t like it anymore. I don’t even remember this king crab season. I’m still trying to get over this last winter. I can’t get it out of my mind. Its scary. It’s been rally hard. I don’t know how much more I’ve got left in me."

His on-screen sea-faring days sound far from over, though. Sig's daughter, Mandy, has since taken over the Northwestern, but he revealed to TV Insider that the longstanding series has practically become second nature. "I feel like the show is a part of our life now and as long as the show is going, I’m probably still going to participate," he said.

However, this has been a wakeup call for Sig's wellbeing. "At the same time, I gotta be cautious here and put my health first," he added. "I think about it every single morning and night. Even last night: Oh my God, am I going to get another one? It's harder and harder to get on that boat."

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