After decades of battling brutal conditions in the Bering Sea, Hansen, 59, is now facing something even more formidable than icy waves \u2014 his own mortality.<\/p>\n
The veteran fisherman, known for his grit and leadership aboard the F\/V Northwestern, told Fox News Digital that a string of personal health scares at sea has fundamentally changed the way he views both fishing and family.<\/p>\n
\u2018DEADLIEST CATCH\u2019 STAR SIG HANSEN BLAMES EGO AND GREED FOR RECKLESS CALLS AT SEA<\/a><\/p>\n Sig Hansen reveals how a near-fatal infection and heart attack transformed his approach to life, family relationships and his dangerous career. (Discovery Channel)<\/p>\n “Honestly, with family, it actually opened my eyes,” Hansen candidly said. “I mean, I want to spend more time with them, and it’s like you do have more of an appreciation\u2026 you do see things differently with age and all that.”<\/p>\n “Honestly, with family, it actually opened my eyes. I mean, I want to spend more time with them, and it’s like you do have more of an appreciation\u2026 you do see things differently with age and all that.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Captain Sig Hansen<\/p>\n As for his mortality, the sea captain said the clock\u2019s ticking, and he wants to be a better father, grandfather and husband to his family.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hansen \u2014 who\u2019s spoken in the past about surviving a heart attack and enduring medical setbacks while at sea \u2014 said the close calls have made him want to become a better man, especially at home.<\/p>\n When it comes to deep-sea fishing, Hansen admitted the fear has deepened. (Discovery Channel)<\/p>\n WATCH: \u2018DEADLIEST CATCH’ STAR REFLECTS ON AGING, FAMILY AND FEAR AT SEA<\/p>\n “If you’re a terrible father, you want to be a better father,” he reflected. “And then if you can’t be a better father, then now you’re a good grandfather. So, you’re trying to make up for all this lost time.”<\/p>\n But when it comes to deep-sea fishing \u2014 the career that made him famous \u2014 Hansen admitted the fear has deepened.<\/p>\n Northwestern deckhand Clark Pederson sorting crab on a table. “Deadliest Catch” airs Fridays on Discovery Channel. (Discovery Channel)<\/p>\n “I’m much more fearful,” he confessed. “You do have the Coast Guard<\/a> \u2014 and they’re just amazing\u2026 guys and gals out there that are out looking over everybody, but at the end of the day\u2026 there’s no doctor. It’s scary.”<\/p>\n He recalled one terrifying moment that nearly cost him his life \u2014 not on deck, but shortly after returning from sea.<\/p>\n WATCH: \u2018DEADLIEST CATCH\u2019 STAR SIG HANSEN REVEALS HIS BIGGEST REGRETS, MISTAKES FROM DANGEROUS CAREER<\/p>\n “I was going to take the boat to Seattle\u2026 it\u2019s about a seven-day trip,” Hansen recalled. But his brother offered to handle the voyage, so Hansen could fly home early \u2014 a decision that may have saved his life.<\/p>\n Before leaving, Hansen took a hard fall on the ice and hit his nose. He brushed it off and flew home. He waited a day in Dutch Harbor before continuing his journey. But once he got back, Hansen explained how things took a scary turn.<\/p>\n “I woke up and\u2026 I had an infection and my face looked just like it was swollen,” he said. “It was like a golf ball out of my nostril.”<\/p>\n An alarmed Hansen shouted to his wife, “Did you poison me?” She replied, “No, we got to get you to the hospital.”<\/p>\n WATCH: \u2018DEADLIEST CATCH\u2019 STAR SIG HANSEN SHARES THE DANGERS HE’S FACED AT SEA THIS SEASON<\/p>\n Doctors didn\u2019t waste time. He was injected with antibiotics immediately. “She said basically, you know, another few hours, you\u2019d be gone.”<\/p>\n As Hansen looked back, he was certain of one thing: If he\u2019d been at sea when the infection hit, the results could\u2019ve been fatal.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n “Had I been on that boat, I don\u2019t think the Coast Guard would have been there soon enough\u2026 That\u2019s all it would\u2019ve took. One little slip in the ice \u2014 and then you got the infection \u2014 and that\u2019s how quick things can happen.”<\/p>\n The Norwegian American has weathered countless storms and personal health scares during his time on “Deadliest Catch,” including a heart attack<\/a> in 2016.<\/p>\n Captain Sig Hansen’s boat, Northwestern, at dock with a full stack of pots. (Discovery Channel)<\/p>\n While Hansen isn\u2019t quite ready to hang up his captain\u2019s hat<\/a>, he explained that his priorities may have shifted, as the call of home is growing louder than the call of the sea.<\/p>\n Since he suffered a heart attack on the job, he’s been more cautious and more aware of what’s at stake, as he told Fox News Digital what retirement may look like for him in the future.<\/p>\n LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n Hansen has been married to his wife June for more than 20 years.\u00a0 (Brian To\/WireImage)<\/p>\n “I\u2019ve been thinking about it ever since\u2026 more fearful when you put pots on the boat, more fearful for everybody else,” he said. “And then you start thinking, ‘My wife has spent decades waiting for me. Why not\u2026 give the last whatever I got to her?’ That’s what I’m doing.”<\/p>\n The veteran sea captain has been married to his wife June for more than 20 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Throughout their decades-long marriage, Sig adopted June\u2019s two daughters \u2014 Mandy and Nina Hansen<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n While Hansen isn\u2019t quite ready to hang up his captain\u2019s hat, he explained that his priorities may have shifted. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n Fans of “Deadliest Catch” would recognize Mandy, who\u2019s stepped into the spotlight alongside her father aboard the F\/V Northwestern.<\/p>\n She welcomed a daughter named Sailor Marie in November 2021 with her husband, Clark Pederson.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Captain](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/deadliest-catch-captain-sig.jpg\")
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