Capt. Keith Colburn of Discovery Channel’s Emmy-nominated “Deadliest Catch” series set sail as part of the guest-enrichment program on the June 18 Alaskan Explorer Voyage aboard Holland America Line’s MS Zaandam.
During his cruise, Colburn shared his expertise on how to select, crack and clean fresh crab, while Holland America Line’s executive chef demonstrated different ways to prepare and serve this Alaska seafood favorite.
Colburn started as a true greenhorn on an Alaskan crabber in 1985. The fishing lifestyle and camaraderie of being part of a crew, along with working in and against the elements, captured him immediately. While initially looking only for adventure in Alaska’s unknown waters, Colburn found something unexpected: a career. In 1988, he became a full-share deck hand on the Wizard, and in 1992 he received his master’s license and has since remained as captain of the vessel that he eventually purchased.
As captain, Colburn has garnered numerous accolades, including the No. 1 combined catch history from 1999 to 2005 in a fleet of more than 250 vessels for king crab and snow crab; No. 1 catcher vessel allocation in the Bering Sea for combined king crab and snow crab from 1995 to present; and No. 1 snow crab vessel in the Bering Sea crab fleet in 2002 and 2004.
Colburn is an avid outdoorsman and adventurer. He is an expert skier and enjoys bicycling, skydiving, sailing, rock climbing, scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, fly fishing and river rafting. The crabbing expert has cycled over 3,000 miles in Europe and has traveled to more than 25 countries around the world.
Since its television debut in 2005, “Deadliest Catch” has been Discovery Channel’s No. 1 regular series. Viewers follow the captains and crew of crab-fishing vessels in the Bering Sea as they struggle against treacherous weather conditions to perform one of the deadliest — and most lucrative — jobs in the world.