Thank you to the team at Arcadia Content for all your incredible creative work!
This is the script for Episode Four of Lords of the Ocean is a reality TV show that follows Matt and Robin, two brothers who’ve inherited Dominion Diving, a family salvage, diving and marine service business.
The Lohnes brothers have also maintained a family legacy; their father’s love of uncertainty, the unknown, the undiscovered, and the unworkable.
| 00:01:03:00 | NARRATOR: A devastating hurricane |
| 00:01:04:08 | is heading straight for Dominion’s home port. |
| 00:01:06:16 | HERBIE: Right there, right there. |
| 00:01:07:24 | NARRATOR: Their scrambling to secure their own boats, |
| 00:01:10:24 | protect a luxury yacht… |
| 00:01:12:20 | SHAWN: It’s a mad dash everywhere. |
| 00:01:13:21 | NARRATOR: …and finish a tricky job |
| 00:01:16:01 | before the storm arrives. |
| 00:01:17:21 | MATT: There’s a huge potential for a lot of destruction. |
| 00:01:22:04 | NARRATOR: And there’s big money to be made |
| 00:01:24:00 | after the hurricane |
| 00:01:25:09 | hauling up sunken treasures |
| 00:01:27:10 | sent to Davy Jones’ locker |
| 00:01:29:04 | by the killer storm. |
| 00:01:31:07 | For 50 years, |
| 00:01:32:21 | this family’s built a business |
| 00:01:34:16 | where nobody else dares. |
| 00:01:36:11 | Recovering, |
| 00:01:37:14 | repairing, |
| 00:01:38:20 | resurrecting anything |
| 00:01:40:08 | in the world’s most dangerous waters. |
| 00:01:43:01 | This is their world. |
| 00:01:45:01 | Saltwater in their blood, |
| 00:01:47:20 | come hell and high water. |
| 00:01:49:15 | MATT: It’s go time. |
| 00:01:50:22 | Do or die. |
| 00:01:52:00 | º THEME MUSIC º |
| 00:02:21:04 | º MUSIC º |
| 00:02:24:01 | NARRATOR: Hurricane Dorian. |
| 00:02:25:18 | The biggest and baddest hurricane |
| 00:02:27:14 | that ever hit the Caribbean. |
| 00:02:29:11 | A Category 5 hurricane |
| 00:02:32:00 | smashing everything in its path, |
| 00:02:34:11 | killing dozens of people. |
| 00:02:36:13 | Now it’s tearing its way |
| 00:02:37:20 | up the East Coast of North America |
| 00:02:40:10 | heading straight for Halifax, |
| 00:02:42:05 | the home port of Dominion Diving. |
| 00:02:45:00 | MATT: We just got word that there’s a hurricane |
| 00:02:47:07 | making its way up the coast to Nova Scotia. |
| 00:02:49:19 | They just got flattened down in the Bahamas. |
| 00:02:52:01 | They had 300 kilometer an hour winds. |
| 00:02:54:22 | Category 5. |
| 00:02:56:09 | One of the strongest hurricanes |
| 00:02:57:17 | in recorded history in that area, |
| 00:02:59:23 | and it’s on its way right now towards us. |
| 00:03:04:09 | NARRATOR: In less than 48 hours, |
| 00:03:06:00 | Dominion Diving will be hit with the triple whammy |
| 00:03:09:04 | of hurricane force winds, |
| 00:03:10:18 | heavy rain and massive storm surges. |
| 00:03:15:00 | SHAWN: The hurricane has just left the Abacos |
| 00:03:17:05 | and it’s just off the coast of Florida. |
| 00:03:19:17 | It looks like it may come up |
| 00:03:21:00 | in between Nova Scotia and Sable Island, |
| 00:03:23:16 | so we’re going to be watching the storm really closely. |
| 00:03:26:01 | We’ve got a couple days of prep to do just in case. |
| 00:03:30:03 | We’re not going to downplay it at all. |
| 00:03:34:02 | HERBIE: We’re going to pull this one back. |
| 00:03:35:24 | Right there. Right there. |
| 00:03:38:00 | MATT: With boats and barges and equipment |
| 00:03:41:03 | on the boats and barges and stuff, |
| 00:03:42:18 | that’s a lot of risk for us to try to mitigate |
| 00:03:45:02 | and minimize our exposure to this. |
| 00:03:47:18 | So on top of all our projects |
| 00:03:50:05 | from day to day stuff, |
| 00:03:51:22 | we’ve got to now start hunkering down. |
| 00:03:55:15 | SHAWN: It’s our busy season. |
| 00:03:57:12 | We have a couple of large jobs on the go. |
| 00:04:00:21 | GARY: This is Dominion Diving, |
| 00:04:02:01 | we are heading for Bedford Basin |
| 00:04:03:23 | north of the old China Town dock. |
| 00:04:05:18 | HALIFAX TRAFFIC: Bearcat, Halifax Traffic, roger. |
| 00:04:08:06 | NARRATOR: Dominion Diving’s been hired |
| 00:04:09:13 | to do some heavy lifting |
| 00:04:10:24 | helping a fisheries biologist restore life |
| 00:04:13:13 | to the harbour floor. |
| 00:04:16:15 | SERENA: There is 80 reef balls here… |
| 00:04:18:05 | OLIVER: Okay. |
| 00:04:19:02 | SERENA: …and I’m going to get you to do |
| 00:04:20:15 | three measurements for me. |
| 00:04:22:15 | The first is the biodiversity. |
| 00:04:26:11 | SERENA: Dominion Diving and I met back in 2012 |
| 00:04:29:22 | when I came down to the dockyard and kind of |
| 00:04:33:18 | proposed this idea of a reef ball project, |
| 00:04:36:15 | and I really needed someone that had the capabilities |
| 00:04:39:16 | of making them with me, |
| 00:04:41:19 | deploying them with me, |
| 00:04:42:22 | and monitoring them with me. |
| 00:04:44:09 | MATT: Smooth these edges a little bit. |
| 00:04:45:19 | SHAWN: The reef ball project is a real interesting project, |
| 00:04:48:17 | and the basis of that |
| 00:04:50:04 | is just making habitat for marine life. |
| 00:04:53:10 | It’s simplistic and it works. |
| 00:04:57:06 | A piece of concrete, hollow in the middle, |
| 00:04:59:04 | all kinds of holes and nooks and crannies |
| 00:05:01:06 | and everything attracts everything in the ocean. |
| 00:05:03:16 | So if you have some kelp there, |
| 00:05:05:05 | that’s gonna attract some fish or sea anemones, |
| 00:05:08:01 | lobster, crabs. |
| 00:05:10:14 | So as people build wharfs |
| 00:05:12:11 | and take up more of the marine environment, |
| 00:05:15:07 | the seafloor, the waterfront, |
| 00:05:17:10 | fish need habitat. |
| 00:05:21:01 | NARRATOR: Halifax Harbour |
| 00:05:22:02 | is one of the busiest harbours in the world. |
| 00:05:27:06 | It’s also home to wildlife |
| 00:05:28:24 | like seals and minke whales |
| 00:05:31:08 | and on the ocean floor, |
| 00:05:32:15 | starfish, scallops and lobsters. |
| 00:05:37:10 | But nearly 300 years of shipping, cruise boats, |
| 00:05:41:00 | pleasure craft and pollution |
| 00:05:42:16 | have had a devastating effect |
| 00:05:44:00 | on the harbour’s eco-system. |
| 00:05:49:01 | Over the past six years, |
| 00:05:50:13 | the reef balls project created artificial habitats |
| 00:05:53:19 | in five locations around the harbour, |
| 00:05:56:02 | and deployed nearly 500 reef balls to date. |
| 00:06:05:20 | GARY: We’re currently diving |
| 00:06:07:08 | on the Bedford reef ball location. |
| 00:06:09:00 | Go ahead, Oliver. |
| 00:06:12:01 | NARRATOR: Today, Serena’s checking on one of the sites |
| 00:06:14:13 | that’s most hostile to underwater growth. |
| 00:06:19:10 | Serena and Dominion installed these reef balls |
| 00:06:21:24 | 18 months ago. |
| 00:06:25:00 | GARY: So what was that again? |
| 00:06:26:17 | SERENA: I would say I’m not hopeful |
| 00:06:28:12 | to see a lot of life in this site. |
| 00:06:31:03 | This is in a contaminated site and it’s very silty |
| 00:06:34:11 | so not a lot of light gets penetrated, |
| 00:06:36:05 | so there’s not a lot of growth. |
| 00:06:38:06 | But I can always hope. |
| 00:06:40:12 | OLIVER: And I’m working my way north again, |
| 00:06:41:17 | and I’ve just find my first reef ball on the line. |
| 00:06:43:21 | This one looks like it has |
| 00:06:46:24 | around 95 percent coverage. |
| 00:06:49:11 | Definitely all the sea life is starting to take hold. |
| 00:06:51:10 | There’s a nice big starfish right there |
| 00:06:53:04 | making this one home. |
| 00:06:54:10 | SERENA: I’m so excited. |
| 00:06:55:14 | We did not see this here last year. |
| 00:06:57:06 | This is very good news. |
| 00:06:58:20 | OLIVER: Next one in line, |
| 00:07:00:16 | as you can see, this one is about… |
| 00:07:02:07 | SERENA: That’s kelp! |
| 00:07:03:14 | OLIVER: …75, maybe closer to 80, 85 percent. |
| 00:07:06:20 | GARY: It’s good to see that it’s spreading. |
| 00:07:08:00 | SERENA: It’s good, yeah. |
| 00:07:08:18 | GARY: It’s got the grass on it as well, |
| 00:07:10:21 | with the kelp, which is… |
| 00:07:12:09 | and before they didn’t have that grass at all. |
| 00:07:14:05 | SERENA: No, they had nothing but silt last year. |
| 00:07:16:14 | GARY: So that might just be the start of… |
| 00:07:17:21 | SERENA: Starting a colony, yeah. |
| 00:07:20:09 | GARY: That one’s got a lot of marine growth on it. |
| 00:07:22:17 | OLIVER: We’ve got a crab hanging out there, |
| 00:07:24:00 | lots of kelp. |
| 00:07:25:06 | SERENA: It’s better than I anticipated |
| 00:07:27:02 | and it’s actually proving me wrong. |
| 00:07:30:13 | OLIVER: This one here’s about 80 percent coverage. |
| 00:07:32:21 | GARY: Oh boy, there you go. |
| 00:07:35:16 | SERENA: I’m so excited. |
| 00:07:37:00 | It means that plants are starting to colonize |
| 00:07:39:02 | in this area, |
| 00:07:40:09 | in this area that has always been very silty. |
| 00:07:43:15 | The harbour is recovering. |
| 00:07:47:03 | It’s happening. Yeah. |
| 00:07:52:09 | OLIVER: This one’s got 85 percent as well. |
| 00:07:59:06 | NARRATOR: Back at the shop, |
| 00:08:00:05 | Serena needs to manufacture |
| 00:08:01:19 | the last of 50 new reef balls |
| 00:08:04:03 | with some extra muscle from LaRae. |
| 00:08:06:23 | SERENA: So what we’re going to do is |
| 00:08:07:23 | we’re probably just going to poke it first, |
| 00:08:09:24 | and then we’ll see how much we need. |
| 00:08:11:10 | NARRATOR: They need to get them out |
| 00:08:12:19 | before the hurricane hits. |
| 00:08:17:10 | SERENA: The next location for these reef balls |
| 00:08:19:10 | will be out at Point Pleasant Park. |
| 00:08:21:00 | It’s basically like a coral reef, |
| 00:08:23:15 | is what we’re trying to mimic. |
| 00:08:27:19 | So this is a reef ball mold. |
| 00:08:29:14 | This is a mold that has been set up already. |
| 00:08:32:00 | So we have the buoy balls at the bottom |
| 00:08:34:01 | which create the larger holes |
| 00:08:35:16 | on the base of the reef ball, |
| 00:08:37:05 | and then in the center we have the bladder |
| 00:08:39:05 | which creates the hollow center of the reef ball. |
| 00:08:41:21 | NARRATOR: They’re repurposing old fishing buoys |
| 00:08:44:10 | to make the reef balls, |
| 00:08:46:00 | recycling trash to create wildlife habitats. |
| 00:08:52:23 | SERENA: All right, you’re good. |
| 00:08:55:02 | The concrete’s a marine grade |
| 00:08:56:11 | and it has special micro-filaments in it. |
| 00:09:00:17 | There’s a certain texture of the concrete |
| 00:09:02:01 | that it has to be. |
| 00:09:03:10 | It can’t be too dry, it can’t be too watery. |
| 00:09:05:17 | SERENA: Can you shake it a little more? |
| 00:09:10:00 | I don’t even think it needs this. |
| 00:09:11:15 | Because that side is so empty. |
| 00:09:15:23 | SERENA: If it’s too dry what will happen |
| 00:09:18:08 | is it won’t actually make it to the bottom, |
| 00:09:20:04 | so the holes will be open, |
| 00:09:21:20 | versus like closed circles all the way around |
| 00:09:24:15 | because of the buoy balls. |
| 00:09:26:05 | LARAE: That’s weird. |
| 00:09:27:05 | SERENA: What? |
| 00:09:30:00 | I think it’s because it’s a little watery. |
| 00:09:32:08 | LARAE: Yeah. |
| 00:09:36:20 | SERENA: We need to fill the back side, |
| 00:09:37:23 | because that side is still empty. |
| 00:09:41:03 | What was that? |
| 00:09:42:17 | Did you pop a ball?! |
| 00:09:44:12 | LARAE: No, I didn’t pop a ball. |
| 00:09:48:10 | SERENA: This is going to be a messed up one, I think. |
| 00:09:51:03 | Is it raining? |
| 00:09:52:05 | LARAE: Yup. Pour concrete day. |
| 00:09:54:00 | [LAUGHTER] |
| 00:09:56:02 | NARRATOR: The first hint of the approaching hurricane |
| 00:09:58:06 | throws a wrench in the mix. |
| 00:10:03:00 | The reef balls can’t be deployed yet. |
| 00:10:05:07 | They need a day to cure before they can be exposed |
| 00:10:07:09 | to the harsh North Atlantic. |
| 00:10:11:00 | Meanwhile, out in the harbour, |
| 00:10:12:21 | the biggest boats are gettin’ out |
| 00:10:15:02 | while the gettin’s good. |
| 00:10:16:18 | SHAWN: It sounds a bit backwards |
| 00:10:19:00 | but the last thing you want to be |
| 00:10:20:19 | is stuck in a harbour if you have a large vessel |
| 00:10:23:00 | when a hurricane hits. |
| 00:10:24:08 | You want to be out in the open ocean. |
| 00:10:26:07 | Smaller vessels, you know, you have the mentality |
| 00:10:28:11 | I have to run and hide. |
| 00:10:29:17 | Well, the bigger ones, these vessels are so high, |
| 00:10:31:22 | when that wind comes, |
| 00:10:33:01 | it starts pushing them up on the dock, |
| 00:10:34:12 | causing a lot of damage, |
| 00:10:36:01 | it’s just a real mess. |
| 00:10:37:21 | NARRATOR: In the open ocean, |
| 00:10:39:10 | big boats can ride out the massive swells |
| 00:10:42:00 | without crashing into anything. |
| 00:10:44:12 | While many ships are leaving Halifax Harbour, |
| 00:10:46:22 | Dominion needs to head back in. |
| 00:10:56:00 | NARRATOR: The batch of reef balls are dried |
| 00:10:58:10 | and ready to be dropped in place. |
| 00:11:02:00 | CREW: These, they’re all nice here, |
| 00:11:05:03 | and this one, the concrete didn’t sink down enough, |
| 00:11:07:16 | there’s a big void in it, right here. |
| 00:11:10:00 | NARRATOR: Perfect or not, |
| 00:11:11:00 | these reef balls have to be mounted on the barge |
| 00:11:14:02 | and then submerged underwater, |
| 00:11:15:21 | all before the beast of a storm |
| 00:11:17:19 | tears into the harbour. |
| 00:11:19:09 | º MUSIC º |
| 00:11:36:15 | NARRATOR: There’s one day left |
| 00:11:37:24 | until the hurricane slams into their home port. |
| 00:11:41:04 | Dominion Diving is a storm of activity. |
| 00:11:45:20 | ROBIN: There’s nothing that we can leave |
| 00:11:49:00 | to chance. |
| 00:11:50:10 | We’re going to do everything we can |
| 00:11:52:00 | to get everything ready, |
| 00:11:53:11 | to have it so that we can do what we’ve got to do. |
| 00:11:56:20 | SHAWN: Today will be busy, a mad dash everywhere. |
| 00:11:59:12 | The hurricane is coming up the coast now. |
| 00:12:01:05 | Looking like almost a direct hit in Halifax. |
| 00:12:04:10 | So you gotta lock everything in |
| 00:12:06:01 | and just hunker down, |
| 00:12:07:21 | make sure you’ve got everything fuelled up. |
| 00:12:08:23 | All the boats are ready to go. |
| 00:12:11:10 | We could be going off on a job |
| 00:12:13:03 | in the middle of the night, saving a sinking vessel. |
| 00:12:16:00 | So we’re super busy today. |
| 00:12:17:12 | We’ve got the reef balls on the go. |
| 00:12:19:00 | That’s kind of a priority. We’ve got to get them in. |
| 00:12:22:00 | And then also this afternoon, |
| 00:12:23:04 | we’ve had an emergency dry dock in Lunenburg. |
| 00:12:27:11 | NARRATOR: To make matters worse, |
| 00:12:28:23 | the next job means a two hour drive to Lunenburg, |
| 00:12:32:23 | an historic town famous for shipbuilding. |
| 00:12:35:14 | They’ve gotta secure a luxury yacht |
| 00:12:37:06 | worth tens of millions of dollars. |
| 00:12:40:05 | ROBIN: That is a boat that |
| 00:12:41:09 | cannot go to sea in a hurricane, |
| 00:12:44:05 | cannot stay tied to the dock in a hurricane. |
| 00:12:47:00 | SHAWN: And they want to get it out of the water |
| 00:12:48:11 | before the wind comes, |
| 00:12:50:14 | so we’re gonna head down there, |
| 00:12:52:08 | myself and the owner, Robin. |
| 00:12:54:08 | We’ll fix their problem, we’ll get the vessel docked. |
| 00:13:08:12 | NARRATOR: The yacht needs to be secured in this cradle |
| 00:13:10:18 | before it can be hauled out. |
| 00:13:13:07 | SHAWN: So that cradle, they’re going to |
| 00:13:14:15 | lower that down in the water on chains, |
| 00:13:17:00 | and that’s gonna go out in the harbour. |
| 00:13:18:22 | And then we’re gonna put the vessel in. |
| 00:13:22:10 | NARRATOR: Shawn and Robin’s job |
| 00:13:24:06 | is to wedge the yacht in place |
| 00:13:26:03 | so it doesn’t tip over. |
| 00:13:30:00 | SHAWN: All that weight has to be distributed |
| 00:13:31:20 | equally and evenly, and it’s quite a complex machine. |
| 00:13:35:10 | There’s rollers underwater that roll on steel tracks. |
| 00:13:39:00 | So we gotta make sure that there’s no debris there, |
| 00:13:42:03 | ’cause if there’s any debris in the way, |
| 00:13:43:11 | the rollers could get stuck somewhere |
| 00:13:45:07 | and then the cradle will actually |
| 00:13:48:07 | roll off the rollers, |
| 00:13:50:00 | and then we have what we call a train wreck underwater, |
| 00:13:52:10 | which we don’t want today, especially with a storm coming. |
| 00:13:57:20 | NARRATOR: Over on the barge with the reef balls, |
| 00:14:00:20 | they gotta get the job done |
| 00:14:02:13 | so they can get the barge back, |
| 00:14:03:23 | and tied up before the storm comes. |
| 00:14:07:04 | Each reef ball weighs as much as a grand piano, |
| 00:14:10:20 | and all that mass will make the barge harder to secure |
| 00:14:13:15 | and more dangerous during a hurricane. |
| 00:14:20:10 | LARAE: A lot of these balls didn’t really turn out |
| 00:14:22:04 | like we expected them to, |
| 00:14:23:24 | and they’re heavier on the bottom |
| 00:14:25:13 | and really thin on the top. |
| 00:14:26:18 | So that’s a lifting hazard and we gotta be careful |
| 00:14:30:00 | of the divers in the water right, |
| 00:14:31:02 | if something was to let go and break. |
| 00:14:33:21 | I don’t know, the concrete was either too wet or too dry. |
| 00:14:36:18 | It’s like really thin right here. |
| 00:14:38:12 | Pretty crumbly. |
| 00:14:40:08 | And if you look in, it’s really thick, |
| 00:14:42:21 | it’s about that thick in the bottom, |
| 00:14:44:19 | so that does pose a hazard to lifting it. |
| 00:14:47:22 | If you were to put a strap around that there, |
| 00:14:49:08 | that would definitely break, |
| 00:14:51:14 | so we’ve gotta strap it from |
| 00:14:52:20 | as close to the bottom as we can, |
| 00:14:55:00 | and try to get it evenly strapped, |
| 00:14:57:16 | and be very careful when we lift this one. |
| 00:15:04:06 | GARY: Donnie, how close roughly, |
| 00:15:05:20 | do you want to get to these buoys? |
| 00:15:07:15 | Thirty feet off? |
| 00:15:08:16 | NARRATOR: Twenty-four hours before the storm, |
| 00:15:10:23 | Dorian has pushed a mass of warm air |
| 00:15:13:04 | up from down south. |
| 00:15:14:23 | It’s great for working, but it’s also a warning |
| 00:15:17:16 | of what’s to come. |
| 00:15:20:04 | GARY: So we stopped the barge, so we’re just waiting, |
| 00:15:22:00 | we’re gonna get the crane barge in, tie it up, |
| 00:15:23:18 | and then we’ll start setting some anchors. |
| 00:15:27:21 | It’s definitely the calm before the storm. |
| 00:15:29:10 | Yesterday morning it was blowing hard, |
| 00:15:32:14 | ’cause the wind was getting sucked out of the north |
| 00:15:34:12 | from this storm, and then right now, |
| 00:15:36:22 | we’re in the… not the eye, |
| 00:15:39:17 | but the outer rim of the storm where you get that |
| 00:15:41:23 | calm right before the storm. |
| 00:15:44:15 | Which is the perfect time to do this kind of work, |
| 00:15:46:20 | but you just have limited time |
| 00:15:47:23 | before the wind starts coming up. |
| 00:15:50:00 | GARY: So, did you let Kevin know |
| 00:15:51:12 | to come in there, Donnie? |
| 00:15:53:18 | DONNIE: Yeah, I was just talking to him. |
| 00:15:57:00 | GARY: Okay, roger. We’re standing by. |
| 00:16:02:16 | NARRATOR: The crane took longer than expected to arrive. |
| 00:16:05:14 | The clock is counting down. |
| 00:16:09:00 | Serena, the biologist in charge of the project, |
| 00:16:11:21 | is anxious to get to work. |
| 00:16:14:00 | SERENA: So we’re at Point Pleasant Park, |
| 00:16:15:19 | just off Black Rock Beach. |
| 00:16:17:09 | There is already 60 reef balls here at this site. |
| 00:16:20:23 | We’re adding on the 50 reef balls to the site. |
| 00:16:23:16 | We’re gonna hopefully have them |
| 00:16:25:08 | attached to the reef that’s already there. |
| 00:16:28:06 | NARRATOR: Gary’s having a hard time |
| 00:16:29:15 | getting the barge in exactly the right spot |
| 00:16:31:22 | to drop the reef balls. |
| 00:16:34:00 | GARY: You see my problem is this anchor |
| 00:16:36:04 | is not that way, so I can’t pull myself in, |
| 00:16:38:06 | I can only pull myself sideways. |
| 00:16:40:13 | SERENA: And we can’t move this barge? |
| 00:16:43:00 | GARY: Well we can’t do anything unless we… |
| 00:16:45:05 | oh yeah, I guess we can move that barge forward, |
| 00:16:46:21 | but then we’re over our anchor lines. |
| 00:16:48:15 | It might be all right. |
| 00:16:51:10 | SERENA: Gary, why don’t we try that? |
| 00:16:53:05 | Try swinging it around. |
| 00:17:02:00 | LARAE: It’s noon. |
| 00:17:03:03 | SERENA: It’s noon, and we haven’t started yet. |
| 00:17:05:08 | LARAE: Nothing like working under pressure. |
| 00:17:07:10 | SERENA: I can feel the crunch today, |
| 00:17:09:01 | and I think it’s also because of Dorian coming. |
| 00:17:11:20 | But this is also a job that needs to be done. |
| 00:17:15:18 | Once I put these in, I need measurements |
| 00:17:18:01 | for the Coast Guard, for Transport Canada, |
| 00:17:20:03 | for navigational waters. I need the measurement |
| 00:17:22:08 | of the reef ball to the surface of the water, |
| 00:17:24:12 | the GPS coordinates, that’s for boaters. |
| 00:17:27:13 | That’s something you need right away |
| 00:17:29:11 | once you put any structure down in the ocean. |
| 00:17:33:00 | NARRATOR: Two hours behind schedule |
| 00:17:34:16 | and they’re still doing last minute preparations. |
| 00:17:37:18 | The crane and barge are finally in position |
| 00:17:40:23 | to begin offloading the reef balls, |
| 00:17:43:08 | and the clock is ticking down. |
| 00:17:48:01 | How are they going to get all this done |
| 00:17:49:18 | before Hurricane Dorian |
| 00:17:51:06 | hits them straight in the reef balls. |
| 00:17:58:01 | NARRATOR: After tearing up the Carolinas, |
| 00:18:00:00 | Hurricane Dorian will slam into Atlantic Canada |
| 00:18:03:07 | in less than 24 hours. |
| 00:18:06:08 | SHAWN: Currently they’re expecting 22 meter seas. |
| 00:18:09:20 | We’ve got to get the reef balls done, |
| 00:18:11:06 | get the barges back here |
| 00:18:12:10 | and then tie everything, |
| 00:18:13:15 | secure all our barges, |
| 00:18:14:11 | the crane barge, the flat deck barge. |
| 00:18:17:01 | We have some stuff on the mooring |
| 00:18:18:17 | we’re gonna take in, lock it all together, |
| 00:18:19:24 | tie it all together on the wharf. |
| 00:18:25:22 | NARRATOR: Meanwhile, after several hours of work, |
| 00:18:29:02 | Dominion hasn’t even installed |
| 00:18:31:05 | half of the reef balls. |
| 00:18:33:19 | SERENA: There they are. Those are the new ones. |
| 00:18:37:15 | GARY: Gavin, do you want to lower it down a little closer, |
| 00:18:39:08 | then that way once it’s… we’re gonna spring back. |
| 00:18:42:19 | SERENA: Alongside each other with at least |
| 00:18:43:20 | two meters space in between, |
| 00:18:45:05 | because we’re trying to create |
| 00:18:46:11 | a perimeter around each reef ball to create habitat. |
| 00:18:51:10 | GARY: Look at that spacing, Boots! |
| 00:18:53:02 | That’s like perfect. |
| 00:18:54:16 | LARAE: That one, that one, that one and that one. |
| 00:18:57:23 | NARRATOR: Time is running out. |
| 00:19:00:00 | The deformed reef balls are slowing things down |
| 00:19:03:11 | and making the operation dangerous. |
| 00:19:06:00 | LARAE: I don’t want to get underneath it. |
| 00:19:18:14 | LARAE: Come down. |
| 00:19:21:12 | We’ll have to re-sling this one. |
| 00:19:23:00 | NARRATOR: They’ve got to be careful |
| 00:19:24:06 | rigging up for the lift. |
| 00:19:25:23 | If the deformed concrete gives way, |
| 00:19:28:03 | a reef ball weighing as much as a horse |
| 00:19:30:03 | could come crashing down onto the deck |
| 00:19:32:19 | and anyone working on it. |
| 00:19:36:00 | It’s dangerous underwater too. |
| 00:19:39:10 | DIVER: Okay, up on the wire. |
| 00:19:41:01 | GARY: Roger, coming up on the wire. |
| 00:19:50:07 | NARRATOR: Things are going smoothly underwater, |
| 00:19:52:20 | but up in the sky, dark clouds are gathering. |
| 00:19:56:15 | The storm is getting closer. |
| 00:19:58:09 | SERENA: The storm just started. |
| 00:20:00:06 | LARAE: Yeah, that is… that’s happening. |
| 00:20:02:07 | SERENA: I can feel it. |
| 00:20:03:22 | There’s more waves, it’s not flat, it’s not calm any more. |
| 00:20:06:06 | LARAE: A lot more wind. |
| 00:20:07:10 | SERENA: Yeah, definitely. |
| 00:20:09:10 | SERENA: It could be very serious. |
| 00:20:14:07 | LARAE: Yeah. It’s here. |
| 00:20:17:01 | Donnie said all the Navy ships |
| 00:20:18:13 | are coming out of the harbour, |
| 00:20:19:16 | seeking shelter. |
| 00:20:21:10 | SERENA: We’ve got two more drops to go, |
| 00:20:23:23 | with two little ones, and then we should be set. |
| 00:20:28:15 | SERENA: Careful of that one, LaRae! |
| 00:20:31:20 | SERENA: Oooo! |
| 00:20:34:00 | SERENA: Okay! |
| 00:20:34:15 | LARAE: I’ll get ‘er up on this side. |
| 00:20:36:10 | SERENA: Here we go! |
| 00:20:38:06 | NARRATOR: In spite of all their setbacks, |
| 00:20:40:07 | they’re able to safely finish |
| 00:20:41:19 | before the weather takes a dangerous turn. |
| 00:20:49:10 | NARRATOR: Two hours away in Lunenburg… |
| 00:20:51:23 | SHAWN: All right. We have to get started here. |
| 00:20:54:04 | NARRATOR: …Robin and Shawn are impatient |
| 00:20:55:12 | to begin their part of the job. |
| 00:20:58:06 | The preparations for the yacht’s dry dock |
| 00:21:01:01 | have been going slower than expected. |
| 00:21:04:05 | ROBIN: Right on time. |
| 00:21:10:00 | NARRATOR: Finally, the cradle is ready |
| 00:21:11:19 | to be rolled out into the ocean |
| 00:21:13:16 | and secured under the yacht. |
| 00:21:16:00 | SHAWN: So were going out, we’re a few hours late, |
| 00:21:17:19 | we’re about three hours later than what we wanted to. |
| 00:21:21:07 | We still have some light, some sunshine, |
| 00:21:23:06 | but we’re gonna lose that around seven o’clock. |
| 00:21:24:20 | It’s starting to get dark in the water already. |
| 00:21:28:05 | NARRATOR: They need to get in the water |
| 00:21:29:21 | before it gets too dark to see what they’re doing. |
| 00:21:33:12 | If they make a mistake wedging the yacht in place, |
| 00:21:35:21 | they could damage the multi million dollar dream boat. |
| 00:21:40:06 | SHAWN: So what’s happening now, is the cradle’s going out |
| 00:21:42:24 | probably to where the boat is |
| 00:21:44:09 | to get enough water depth over the keel blocks, |
| 00:21:46:16 | and the guys up on the footboards |
| 00:21:48:22 | at the top of the cradle, |
| 00:21:50:10 | they’ll grab the lines fairly quick and tie them off |
| 00:21:54:14 | so he doesn’t blow into the side of the cradle. |
| 00:22:00:24 | NARRATOR: After hours of delay, |
| 00:22:03:00 | the yacht is safely in its cradle, |
| 00:22:04:21 | and it’s time for Shawn and Robin to get wet. |
| 00:22:09:10 | They’ve gotta dive down to make the final adjustments |
| 00:22:12:05 | moving blocks and wedging the yacht into place. |
| 00:22:17:15 | SHAWN: Normally we use hat and hose, the diver’s |
| 00:22:19:16 | attached to an umbilical leading to the surface. |
| 00:22:22:17 | This time we’re gonna use scuba. |
| 00:22:24:11 | Scuba is actually the safer approach, |
| 00:22:27:01 | because the biggest part is getting trapped |
| 00:22:30:15 | or caught up in moving chains |
| 00:22:32:15 | that will just catch your umbilical |
| 00:22:35:06 | and cut it. |
| 00:22:37:13 | NARRATOR: With so many moving parts, |
| 00:22:39:12 | it’s a dangerous job. |
| 00:22:41:18 | Only for the most experienced divers. |
| 00:22:45:15 | WORKER: Okay, we have two divers in the water approaching |
| 00:22:50:06 | º MUSIC º |
| 00:23:01:14 | NARRATOR: It’s taken all day to get this far. |
| 00:23:05:00 | It’s almost nine o’clock. |
| 00:23:06:20 | They’re running out of daylight. |
| 00:23:09:09 | Visibility under the water is dwindling. |
| 00:23:15:14 | Shawn and Robin finally make it out. |
| 00:23:18:10 | SHAWN: Man, that water is some friggin’ warm. |
| 00:23:21:01 | ROBIN: Too warm. Oh, it’s too warm. |
| 00:23:23:11 | NARRATOR: A sign of bad things to come, |
| 00:23:25:07 | the water is unusually warm, |
| 00:23:27:19 | which means the hurricane could increase in power |
| 00:23:30:09 | as it approaches the shore. |
| 00:23:33:19 | ROBIN: I lost a little bit of fuckin’ sweat, |
| 00:23:36:06 | I’ll tell you that. Man, that water’s warm. |
| 00:23:38:15 | SHAWN: That’s what we were saying. |
| 00:23:40:00 | ROBIN: Like really warm. |
| 00:23:49:11 | ROBIN: That went really good. |
| 00:23:50:20 | It’s a complicated hull. |
| 00:23:51:10 | It’s got all kinds of appendages |
| 00:23:53:16 | and different contours and things like that. |
| 00:23:56:14 | SHAWN: Yeah it was good. All those blocks fit and it was… |
| 00:24:00:08 | I was surprised actually because of the geometry. |
| 00:24:04:10 | ROBIN: We got full bearing on everything, |
| 00:24:07:00 | and there you go. |
| 00:24:08:06 | She’s up there safe and sound, ready for the hurricane. |
| 00:24:11:06 | [CHUCKLES] |
| 00:24:15:01 | ROBIN: Oh red sky at night. |
| 00:24:16:15 | Except it’s wrong. |
| 00:24:18:17 | SHAWN: It’s supposed to be sailor’s delight. |
| 00:24:20:14 | ROBIN: Red sky at night |
| 00:24:21:20 | and we’ve got a hurricane tomorrow. |
| 00:24:27:03 | º MUSIC º |
| 00:24:38:10 | NARRATOR: The biggest storm in decades |
| 00:24:40:07 | is about to smash |
| 00:24:42:04 | Dominion Diving’s home harbour. |
| 00:24:46:20 | MATT: Hurricane Dorian hammered the hell out of the Bahamas, |
| 00:24:50:05 | and now it’s gonna hit Nova Scotia. |
| 00:24:52:19 | Right now, the winds, |
| 00:24:54:19 | they’re predicting anywhere between |
| 00:24:56:13 | 110 to 160 kilometers an hour. |
| 00:24:59:17 | Last report I heard, it’s actually gonna |
| 00:25:01:09 | bounce around 180 or more. |
| 00:25:04:20 | You’ve got such a massive storm surge, |
| 00:25:07:00 | it’s gonna push the elevation of the water |
| 00:25:09:00 | really high. |
| 00:25:11:06 | NARRATOR: Even before the storm hits, |
| 00:25:13:00 | those winds push so much water, |
| 00:25:15:13 | the sea level can swell |
| 00:25:17:00 | by the height of a two storey building. |
| 00:25:20:04 | MATT: This is usually like way, way up. |
| 00:25:25:00 | So now, the storm surge keeps coming, |
| 00:25:28:00 | it could go right off it. |
| 00:25:30:00 | Looks like we got about five feet left |
| 00:25:34:00 | and we’re just getting started with the hurricane |
| 00:25:35:05 | at this moment. |
| 00:25:36:10 | They say it’s supposed to hit around |
| 00:25:37:14 | four or five o’clock tonight. |
| 00:25:39:22 | Right now it’s noontime, a little after noon. |
| 00:25:42:21 | So we’ve still got five more hours for this thing |
| 00:25:45:08 | to start working its way up towards us. |
| 00:25:53:00 | MATT: The city right now is going to get a hammering |
| 00:25:55:05 | ’cause right now, this time of year |
| 00:25:56:18 | is a bad time for a hurricane to hit us, |
| 00:25:58:17 | ’cause all the trees and plants are in full bloom. |
| 00:26:01:13 | So all those leaves are acting like |
| 00:26:02:21 | a huge sail of a vessel, |
| 00:26:04:22 | a huge fetch for all that energy, |
| 00:26:06:23 | all that force to be pushing against it |
| 00:26:08:21 | and that can topple trees. |
| 00:26:10:10 | That can rip things apart. |
| 00:26:15:20 | MATT: There’s a huge potential for a lot of destruction. |
| 00:26:19:04 | Our boats are ready to go. |
| 00:26:21:01 | They’re fuelled up, they’re plugged in. |
| 00:26:23:11 | Our team are on standby. |
| 00:26:25:04 | We’ve gotta be able to perform at any point in time. |
| 00:26:27:13 | Like right now, if someone called us in distress, |
| 00:26:29:18 | we’d mitigate the risk, but for the most part, |
| 00:26:33:19 | we’re able to launch our vessels with a proper team, |
| 00:26:36:20 | to make sure that we can go out there |
| 00:26:38:09 | and safely activate a rescue procedure to help somebody. |
| 00:26:43:13 | Now, if there’s a ship that’s sunk, |
| 00:26:45:18 | they’re gonna have to wait until after the hurricane. |
| 00:26:47:17 | But if there’s a life at risk, |
| 00:26:49:12 | we’re there. We’re gonna go for it. |
| 00:26:53:10 | But right now, |
| 00:26:54:19 | we’re gonna let the storm do its thing |
| 00:26:57:10 | and see what destruction comes for us tomorrow. |
| 00:27:01:21 | º MUSIC º |
| 00:27:14:17 | NARRATOR: All their vessels and gear |
| 00:27:15:22 | roped and secured, the Dominion dive team |
| 00:27:18:19 | hunkers down to wait out the hurricane. |
| 00:27:23:03 | Matt decides to brave the storm |
| 00:27:24:20 | onboard his personal boat “The Mattador”. |
| 00:27:29:01 | MATT: We got the storm surge happening now. |
| 00:27:30:19 | About a seven, eight foot storm surge. |
| 00:27:33:11 | The reason why I’m on the boat |
| 00:27:34:10 | is if things go to hell, the docks start tearing apart, |
| 00:27:37:15 | I can just engage the engines |
| 00:27:40:00 | and drive over stuff and get out of here. |
| 00:27:42:24 | I’ll go out into the harbour. I have no problem with that. |
| 00:27:48:00 | NARRATOR: Here comes Hurricane Dorian. |
| 00:27:52:01 | 155 kilometer an hour winds |
| 00:27:55:15 | push water up onshore. |
| 00:28:01:20 | A storm surge 15 meters high. |
| 00:28:16:16 | [SIRENS] |
| 00:28:22:00 | NARRATOR: The winds crumple a construction crane |
| 00:28:24:05 | shutting down city streets for blocks. |
| 00:28:35:10 | NARRATOR: The next morning, the cold light of day |
| 00:28:37:23 | reveals the true toll of Dorian’s destruction. |
| 00:28:42:24 | The City of Halifax is devastated. |
| 00:28:46:05 | Half a million people without electricity |
| 00:28:48:18 | from power lines ripped apart by falling trees, |
| 00:28:52:01 | but miraculously, no lives were lost. |
| 00:28:56:09 | SHAWN: We made it through the hurricane. |
| 00:28:59:00 | The eye went right over top of us in Halifax/Dartmouth. |
| 00:29:02:00 | Halifax had some damage. |
| 00:29:04:00 | Dartmouth got off not too bad. |
| 00:29:07:05 | We do have power here this morning. |
| 00:29:09:03 | A lot of places don’t have power. |
| 00:29:11:02 | Most of the city actually doesn’t have power, |
| 00:29:13:10 | so we’re lucky we’re up and running. |
| 00:29:16:00 | All our assets are fine, safe and sound. |
| 00:29:18:05 | That’s not the case with everybody. |
| 00:29:19:17 | Cell phone service was down for 12 hours, |
| 00:29:22:11 | so we’re just expecting here in the next couple of days |
| 00:29:25:04 | what will happen now that the storm has passed. |
| 00:29:27:11 | People will get in contact with their insurance |
| 00:29:29:10 | agents and brokers, |
| 00:29:31:10 | and then they’ll be calling for pricing |
| 00:29:33:12 | to salvage this boat or that boat |
| 00:29:36:16 | or whatever may have sunk. |
| 00:29:39:08 | Several vessels did sink. |
| 00:29:41:05 | Some marinas let go and all the dock systems. |
| 00:29:46:00 | NARRATOR: One man’s crisis is another man’s opportunity. |
| 00:29:49:14 | Thanks to Dorian’s destruction, |
| 00:29:51:24 | Dominion Diving is in high demand. |
| 00:29:57:03 | They’ve got the divers, the hauling power, |
| 00:29:59:17 | all the equipment to help rebuild Halifax Harbour. |
| 00:30:04:04 | GARY: It’s being pulled out of the ground. |
| 00:30:07:06 | NARRATOR: The biggest job is hauling up a barge |
| 00:30:09:13 | that Hurricane Dorian smashed and sunk. |
| 00:30:13:20 | ROBIN: It was a barge tied up in Halifax, |
| 00:30:16:20 | and the storm surge beat the barge against the dock, |
| 00:30:20:01 | despite all the fendering and ropes and everything |
| 00:30:22:02 | that they had put in place to counteract that, |
| 00:30:25:04 | and it damaged the barge somehow |
| 00:30:27:04 | to where water came in and it sunk. |
| 00:30:33:22 | DAVE: And you’re gonna pull it nice and tight. |
| 00:30:36:05 | I’ll let you know when it’s good. |
| 00:30:37:18 | ROBIN: We don’t show up here prepared to not win, |
| 00:30:41:15 | so we’ll run down through all of our protocols |
| 00:30:44:17 | and procedures that we set up, |
| 00:30:46:06 | until the barge is floating on the surface of the water. |
| 00:30:48:24 | DIVER: Yeah, I see another crack right there. |
| 00:30:50:18 | DAVE: Did you find your crack? |
| 00:30:52:05 | DIVER: It’s not the crack, but it’s a crack. |
| 00:30:54:04 | DAVE: Yeah, copy that. |
| 00:30:58:12 | SHAWN: The barge, it’s kinda hanging |
| 00:31:00:18 | on a 30 degree angle from one single line, |
| 00:31:04:18 | so the guys have to be really careful |
| 00:31:05:20 | when they go around the barge |
| 00:31:07:04 | that line doesn’t let go. |
| 00:31:09:00 | Obviously, there’s some issues if the barge moves |
| 00:31:11:05 | while the divers are down there. |
| 00:31:16:10 | DAVE: Beauty, bud. |
| 00:31:18:24 | Basically when we were swimming around |
| 00:31:21:07 | we could see that there was about an inch by an inch hole |
| 00:31:23:20 | in one end of the barge, |
| 00:31:25:18 | so we basically made up this small patch |
| 00:31:31:20 | with some washers, a piece of bent threaded rod, |
| 00:31:34:10 | for something that can hold it in place, |
| 00:31:36:10 | and then the neoprene should just seal up the hole. |
| 00:31:40:16 | NARRATOR: With the hole temporarily patched, |
| 00:31:42:18 | the barge can now be lifted to the water’s surface. |
| 00:31:47:02 | The Dominion crew needs to pump out |
| 00:31:48:19 | 30 tonnes of excess water. |
| 00:31:51:22 | That will take all night. |
| 00:31:57:17 | Then somehow, they’ve got to get it |
| 00:31:59:16 | across the harbour to a metal shop for inspection. |
| 00:32:03:00 | DAVE: She’s going the right way. |
| 00:32:05:20 | ROBIN: Oh yes, boy! |
| 00:32:08:10 | DAVE: She’s floating. |
| 00:32:12:10 | NARRATOR: There are two possible routes |
| 00:32:14:05 | to the metal shop. |
| 00:32:16:00 | One by road, the other by water. |
| 00:32:19:05 | ROBIN: The problem with |
| 00:32:20:07 | a lot of things that float, |
| 00:32:21:13 | especially barges, is they’re big. |
| 00:32:23:11 | This thing is 60 feet long |
| 00:32:25:18 | and 30 feet wide. |
| 00:32:27:13 | So road transport is not an option |
| 00:32:31:14 | in any way, shape or form, |
| 00:32:33:13 | so this is the only way this is gonna happen, |
| 00:32:36:18 | is by movement across the water. |
| 00:32:39:24 | There is an element of risk |
| 00:32:41:03 | to take it across the shipping lanes |
| 00:32:42:13 | and water reaches depths of almost a hundred feet. |
| 00:32:45:05 | If the barge were to sink |
| 00:32:47:03 | in transit across the harbour, |
| 00:32:50:00 | that would be a complete disaster. |
| 00:32:53:18 | NARRATOR: How are they gonna tow the massive leaky barge |
| 00:32:56:00 | across a busy harbour |
| 00:32:57:12 | without the whole thing going down |
| 00:33:00:06 | like a ton of bricks? |
| 00:33:05:00 | NARRATOR: This 90-tonne barge took a beat down |
| 00:33:07:24 | from Hurricane Dorian. |
| 00:33:09:20 | Dominion Diving spent the whole night |
| 00:33:11:19 | raising it out of the water. |
| 00:33:13:17 | Now they’ve gotta tow it to a metal shop for repairs. |
| 00:33:21:11 | It’s a two boat operation, |
| 00:33:23:14 | one tug to push, the other to keep a watchful eye |
| 00:33:26:17 | in case something goes dangerously wrong. |
| 00:33:30:00 | GARY: I’m just here as a support vessel now, |
| 00:33:33:16 | and also a dive vessel if worst comes to worst |
| 00:33:38:00 | and we need to do a dive on this. |
| 00:33:46:09 | And we’re just hoping that our patches hold, |
| 00:33:50:01 | ’cause the barge is pretty rusty and crusty. |
| 00:34:04:15 | GARY: That list is a bad thing |
| 00:34:06:10 | because it looks like it might be taking on |
| 00:34:08:01 | a little more water as we’re heading over. |
| 00:34:10:14 | So we’re just keeping an eye on it, |
| 00:34:11:16 | make sure she doesn’t go down on us. |
| 00:34:20:00 | NARRATOR: If the patches don’t hold, |
| 00:34:21:22 | the barge goes back down to the bottom. |
| 00:34:27:18 | GARY: We gotta use caution ’cause anything can happen |
| 00:34:30:07 | and usually when it does in the marine environment, |
| 00:34:31:22 | it happens really quick. |
| 00:34:39:10 | GARY: We’re just at the mouth of the harbour here now, |
| 00:34:41:07 | where there’s a swell |
| 00:34:42:07 | which isn’t helping us at all either. |
| 00:34:43:19 | It just starts rocking the barge back and forth, |
| 00:34:46:09 | and then that starts shifting stuff inside. |
| 00:34:48:20 | It could poke potential other holes. |
| 00:34:51:08 | So right now if it was to go down, |
| 00:34:53:23 | this is like the absolute worst spot. |
| 00:34:56:00 | This is right through the main shipping lanes |
| 00:34:59:00 | of Halifax Harbour. |
| 00:35:00:12 | So if it went down here, we wouldn’t be able |
| 00:35:02:10 | to recover it very easily |
| 00:35:04:20 | and it would just be… it’s just all bad. |
| 00:35:09:05 | NARRATOR: It’s slow going. |
| 00:35:11:07 | What should be a 15 minute journey, |
| 00:35:13:07 | takes more than an hour. |
| 00:35:21:12 | Finally, the barge makes it to the other side. |
| 00:35:24:23 | Now Dominion’s gotta get it out of the water |
| 00:35:27:15 | and up onto blocks. |
| 00:35:30:04 | Robin’s here to coordinate the effort. |
| 00:35:33:10 | ROBIN: There’s two cables that come up from each side. |
| 00:35:35:00 | CREW: Yeah. |
| 00:35:35:23 | ROBIN: They have to pass through a block this way. |
| 00:35:37:12 | CREW: Right. |
| 00:35:38:04 | ROBIN: If you hook it up the other way, |
| 00:35:39:05 | the barge will flip over. |
| 00:35:40:14 | CREW: Okay, got it. |
| 00:35:41:12 | ROBIN: That’s really important. |
| 00:35:44:01 | I think the total weight here is 90 tonnes. |
| 00:35:46:00 | CREW: Okay. |
| 00:35:47:19 | ROBIN: Everything’s critical here. |
| 00:35:49:01 | The rigging’s gotta be done the exact way |
| 00:35:51:16 | that it was planned, and it’s all engineered. |
| 00:35:53:20 | These things can go different ways. |
| 00:35:57:07 | There’s a lot of weight here. |
| 00:35:58:23 | There’s a lot of equipment. |
| 00:36:00:21 | There’s a lot of elevated levels of risk. |
| 00:36:05:20 | ROBIN: Watch your foot, Christian. |
| 00:36:08:00 | Hey Guillaume, watch your foot under the hook. |
| 00:36:14:23 | ROBIN: That’s not going to work. |
| 00:36:29:00 | ROBIN: Everything you do, everything is big, heavy, |
| 00:36:32:11 | things are unpredictable. |
| 00:36:35:20 | ROBIN: Just watch out, |
| 00:36:36:19 | because these slings are going to travel. |
| 00:36:40:00 | ROBIN: You can plan it all out, |
| 00:36:41:19 | and then the curveballs start coming at ya |
| 00:36:43:24 | and you gotta throw them back. |
| 00:36:45:17 | And make sure you don’t put assets, cranes, |
| 00:36:49:11 | people or anything at risk, right? |
| 00:36:51:04 | You gotta keep that as a priority. |
| 00:37:05:20 | NARRATOR: Now that the barge is level, |
| 00:37:07:06 | the Dominion team can pump out the remaining residual water |
| 00:37:11:02 | to lighten up the load for the cranes, |
| 00:37:13:21 | clear the deck and make way for the barge’s final lift. |
| 00:37:19:05 | ROBIN: With the two cranes, it’s called a tandem lift, |
| 00:37:21:17 | because they have to make |
| 00:37:23:02 | multiple simultaneous movements. |
| 00:37:24:11 | They’re lifting it up, |
| 00:37:26:01 | then they’re coming in towards one another, |
| 00:37:27:05 | so to do that they have to change boom angles |
| 00:37:30:04 | and articulate everything the whole time, |
| 00:37:32:00 | so that the slings stay exactly parallel. |
| 00:37:34:02 | It’s a pretty articulated movement. |
| 00:37:35:20 | NARRATOR: The most crucial part of the whole operation |
| 00:37:38:13 | is about to begin. |
| 00:37:42:11 | ROBIN: While we’re doing this heavy lift, |
| 00:37:43:20 | just stay out of the line of fire. |
| 00:37:46:07 | Just don’t stand under crane booms |
| 00:37:48:01 | and different things like that. |
| 00:37:50:03 | So you look at where a boom is going to fall if it falls, |
| 00:37:52:19 | and you don’t hang out there, that’s all. |
| 00:37:56:18 | It’s all bad when this stuff happens. |
| 00:37:59:00 | It’s not good. |
| 00:38:02:20 | ROBIN: They got her now. It’s out of the water. |
| 00:38:04:22 | It’s about two feet clear of the water, |
| 00:38:06:10 | so they’ve got the full weight of it. |
| 00:38:10:18 | ROBIN: Try to keep it as level as you can. |
| 00:38:12:10 | There we go. |
| 00:38:15:04 | º MUSIC º |
| 00:38:29:20 | ROBIN: Quite often with the hurricanes, |
| 00:38:31:15 | there’s wave action, but it’s the storm surge |
| 00:38:34:13 | that causes all the trouble. |
| 00:38:36:13 | Wind direction is what got this. |
| 00:38:38:15 | It came out of the east and it blew right in, |
| 00:38:40:17 | right where this barge was docked, |
| 00:38:42:19 | so unfortunately it was just in the wrong place |
| 00:38:44:16 | during the storm |
| 00:38:46:06 | and it got beat up against the wharf |
| 00:38:47:21 | and it ended up sunk. |
| 00:38:51:15 | NARRATOR: It’ll be up to the barges owners |
| 00:38:53:07 | to decide whether it’ll be fixed |
| 00:38:55:14 | or sold for scrap. |
| 00:38:57:19 | Once the barge is up on blocks, |
| 00:38:59:16 | Dominion’s work is done. |
| 00:39:02:19 | ROBIN: This is our business, right? |
| 00:39:03:23 | Like hurricanes are just one part of it. |
| 00:39:05:23 | You don’t have to have a hurricane |
| 00:39:08:06 | to have wind damage or things sink. |
| 00:39:11:09 | Sooner or later, you’re gonna run into an issue |
| 00:39:14:17 | with water coming in when you don’t want it to, |
| 00:39:17:12 | and if you’re not there to catch it, |
| 00:39:19:07 | then you end up like this. |
| 00:39:21:10 | º MUSIC º |
| 00:39:32:20 | ROBIN: We’re touched down on the blocks here so, |
| 00:39:35:09 | all the risk, all the mitigations, |
| 00:39:37:11 | everything we put in place, everything worked, |
| 00:39:39:13 | everything went according to plan, |
| 00:39:41:17 | and here we are. |
| 00:39:44:04 | This is the trophy. [CHUCKLES] |
| 00:39:49:15 | NARRATOR: It’s been a week since Hurricane Dorian |
| 00:39:51:19 | blew into town, |
| 00:39:53:13 | kicked everyone’s ass, |
| 00:39:55:06 | and left Dominion to clean up the mess. |
| 00:39:58:03 | They’ve been busy ever since. |
| 00:40:05:08 | SERENA: This is what it looks like right now. |
| 00:40:07:04 | So this is the existing reef ball formation, |
| 00:40:09:18 | and then we just added onto it. |
| 00:40:11:10 | NARRATOR: It’s eight weeks before they get a chance |
| 00:40:13:21 | to check in on Serena’s artificial reef. |
| 00:40:17:15 | GARY: We’re gonna go to Point Pleasant Park, |
| 00:40:19:09 | where we just installed the reef balls |
| 00:40:22:22 | just before the hurricane, |
| 00:40:24:05 | so we’ll head over there and see how they made out. |
| 00:40:36:05 | SERENA: Because it’s an open site, |
| 00:40:38:00 | so there’s not a lot of shelter. |
| 00:40:38:22 | There is a potential for movement |
| 00:40:40:23 | due to the recent hurricane that we had. |
| 00:40:42:21 | So fingers crossed that nothing’s moved. |
| 00:40:47:00 | NARRATOR: Before they inspect the 50 reef balls |
| 00:40:49:05 | installed before the hurricane, |
| 00:40:51:03 | they want to check on 60 older ones. |
| 00:40:54:00 | to see how the marine life living on them |
| 00:40:56:10 | weathered the storm. |
| 00:40:58:20 | SERENA: Yeah, if I could get a total scan |
| 00:41:00:05 | of the layer cake, and if you could zoom in |
| 00:41:02:06 | to see if there’s any life in the layers. |
| 00:41:05:11 | CHRISTIAN: Yeah, so a couple of starfish, |
| 00:41:07:13 | those little fish, |
| 00:41:08:14 | you’ve got some kelp growing in there, |
| 00:41:10:06 | but other than that, I’m not seeing |
| 00:41:11:20 | a whole lot of marine life. |
| 00:41:16:24 | GARY: These almost look just the same as the ones at… |
| 00:41:19:08 | SERENA: I know. |
| 00:41:20:23 | GARY: …like they don’t even look that great. |
| 00:41:22:03 | SERENA: No. I know. |
| 00:41:23:15 | GARY: We’ve seen this before |
| 00:41:24:21 | where there’s quite a bit more kelp. |
| 00:41:27:09 | SERENA: Compared to previous years, yes. |
| 00:41:29:03 | In June, when I was diving this formation, |
| 00:41:32:00 | they were connected. |
| 00:41:33:18 | You couldn’t see where one began and one finished. |
| 00:41:36:22 | It was beautiful. |
| 00:41:38:18 | GARY: But this is also an area |
| 00:41:40:10 | that would have been getting hit hard by the hurricane, |
| 00:41:42:12 | so it maybe it may have pulled some of the kelp off. |
| 00:41:45:17 | SERENA: This site should be better |
| 00:41:48:10 | than the sites in the Basin, |
| 00:41:50:15 | due to the fact that it’s in the mouth of the harbour |
| 00:41:53:21 | therefore, there’s not a lot of contaminants here |
| 00:41:56:22 | versus the other sites. |
| 00:41:58:11 | GARY: Like here there was |
| 00:41:59:16 | 10 to 15 foot swells, so I mean, |
| 00:42:03:03 | at some points these were probably totally exposed, |
| 00:42:05:14 | and so then you just have a wall of water |
| 00:42:07:12 | just pulling all that kelp, right? |
| 00:42:10:10 | It would have took a beating. |
| 00:42:12:02 | SERENA: I mean, they’re still productive. |
| 00:42:13:15 | But there should still be a lot more kelp on them |
| 00:42:15:16 | than there is now. |
| 00:42:16:20 | GARY: We’ve seen better. |
| 00:42:20:10 | CHRISTIAN: It looks like I’m coming up |
| 00:42:21:15 | to the new ones here. |
| 00:42:23:08 | GARY: Yeah, they definitely are looking like a new one. |
| 00:42:26:20 | DIVER: Looks like it’s sitting nice and good |
| 00:42:28:15 | on the top there. It doesn’t look like it’s moved at all. |
| 00:42:31:05 | SERENA: They didn’t move. GARY: Yeah. |
| 00:42:32:13 | SERENA: And that’s what I was worried about actually. |
| 00:42:35:10 | SERENA: These were designed to withstand |
| 00:42:37:20 | hurricane-style weather conditions, |
| 00:42:41:09 | and so they have not moved, |
| 00:42:43:04 | which is a really good sign. |
| 00:42:45:00 | CHRISTIAN: It still looks pretty dead, |
| 00:42:46:18 | and we have a starfish hanging out on this one here. |
| 00:42:49:00 | SERENA: Oh, there’s more crabs. |
| 00:42:50:08 | CHRISTIAN: Yeah, we’ve got a crab moving in there |
| 00:42:51:14 | to hopefully make a home. |
| 00:42:53:13 | GARY: Golf ball? |
| 00:42:55:05 | CHRISTIAN: Somebody got a hole in one. |
| 00:42:56:14 | [LAUGHTER] |
| 00:42:58:15 | GARY: Oh, can you look at that little fishy? |
| 00:43:02:13 | CHRISTIAN: Yeah, we’ve got a little fish hanging out here. |
| 00:43:04:09 | GARY: Yeah, it’s probably a baby sculpin. |
| 00:43:06:14 | CHRISTIAN: Yeah, I’d say it’s a sculpin. |
| 00:43:13:21 | SERENA: My view on that site is |
| 00:43:15:12 | it’s not as good as it could have been |
| 00:43:17:09 | due to the hurricane. |
| 00:43:19:00 | A little disappointed with the lack of plant life |
| 00:43:21:13 | on the offshore ends of some of the formations. |
| 00:43:24:11 | But the new reef balls that are there, |
| 00:43:26:17 | the 50 that we deployed in September, |
| 00:43:28:21 | are looking actually amazing |
| 00:43:31:09 | for the amount of time that they’re down there for. |
| 00:43:33:16 | They have algae growth on there already. |
| 00:43:35:13 | They have crabs, they have starfish, |
| 00:43:39:16 | we even saw some sculpins. |
| 00:43:41:18 | So it balanced my reaction |
| 00:43:46:04 | because of the new growth that is on the new reef balls. |
| 00:43:51:05 | To me, it proves that it’s doing what it’s supposed to do. |
| 00:43:54:10 | I’m trying to recreate fish habitat in areas that |
| 00:43:57:16 | not necessarily were thought to even have any |
| 00:44:00:21 | to begin with. |
| 00:44:02:17 | A hundred percent success. |
| 00:44:08:18 | ROBIN: This is the largest storm we’ve had in 15 years. |
| 00:44:11:09 | It was a Category 2 hurricane, |
| 00:44:13:00 | with winds up to 155 kilometers an hour. |
| 00:44:16:10 | There was a lot of boats sunk, wharfs damaged, |
| 00:44:19:11 | we had waves that were up to 50 feet in height. |
| 00:44:24:05 | Dominion Diving is 50 years old. |
| 00:44:26:09 | We didn’t sustain any damage |
| 00:44:27:24 | to any of our equipment during this storm. |
| 00:44:30:05 | That’s because everyday we get a little smarter, |
| 00:44:32:15 | every single day. |
| 00:44:33:18 | º MUSIC º |
| 00:44:39:10 | SHAWN: We weathered the storm. |
| 00:44:40:22 | Prevention on the front end was good. |
| 00:44:43:07 | We were able to get the reef balls all deployed. |
| 00:44:45:23 | Successfully run down to Lunenburg, |
| 00:44:48:12 | dock the mega yacht. |
| 00:44:49:20 | She weathered the storm fine, no damage at all. |
| 00:44:52:15 | And then we’ve just wrapped up the final phase |
| 00:44:54:21 | of a barge salvage. |
| 00:44:58:15 | We were successful on all three fronts. |
| 00:45:01:15 | Now it’s time just to take a little bit of time, |
| 00:45:03:20 | a couple of hours, |
| 00:45:05:10 | and phew, good, all right, |
| 00:45:08:10 | rested and ready to go onto the next. |
| 00:45:13:08 | ROBIN: These type of events, they just elevate |
| 00:45:14:21 | the amount of work that we’re doing all at once. |
| 00:45:16:19 | So we’re inundated, |
| 00:45:18:22 | slammed, all hands on deck. |
| 00:45:21:00 | This is what you signed up for, |
| 00:45:22:11 | and this is part of the deal. |
| 00:45:24:21 | And a hurricane’s not gonna slow us down. |