"It's frustrating" — Gold Rush: White Water star Dustin contemplates his next move to find gold

Gold Rush: White Water returned with another episode on May 30, 2025. The segment, titled Grave Diggers, saw Dustin Hurt and his crew explore The Wall, a new dive site at Nugget Creek, in hopes of finding better and safer methods for searching for gold.

However, Dustin knew they had to hurry as the season was coming to a close and they were far from reaching their target.

"It's frustrating knowing that there's gold down there, for sure. We've proven that there's gold all the way up and down this creek. Just having a hell of a time getting to it," he said.

The Gold Rush: White Water star sat down with his crew to figure out a different way of finding gold to prevent ending the season with no gold at all. He reiterated that they had to put their best foot forward if they needed their paychecks. However, at the same time, Dustin was aware of the dangerous terrain.

Consequently, he wondered if they could continue exploring even after not recouping anything after two or three dives.

After some contemplation, Dustin instructed his crew to widen the diving hole and make a "big old swimming pool." Carlos agreed with the plan, noting it would be safer to resurface if they had more room to swim.

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Gold Rush: White Water star James Hamm decides to take a plunge into the creek

Gold Rush: White Water alum Dustin decided to send a single diver instead of two to ensure he had more space to swim. James volunteered for the task, however, Dustin worried since the temperatures had risen, which meant the water levels would increase.

While speaking to the cameras, James said he felt like an "underwater jackhammer," motivated to dive into the creek. Meanwhile, Dustin's partner of 12 years, Danielle, learned the ropes of white water mining and lent a helping hand to Dustin's crew, overlooking James's dive into The Wall.

Soon after, James submerged into the water and started widening the hole by removing the rocks.

"I'm just digging like crazy. Trying to be patient," James remarked.

The Gold Rush: White Water alum continued widening the dive hole for the next four hours, moving nearly a ton of river rock. In the meantime, Dustin decided to pull James out, worried about his safety. After James returned to the surface, Dustin praised him for performing his job well.

"He made it wide enough for two divers, so we can get back down to it. We gotta find some gold. We're getting desperate at this point. We'll see what happens with this day," Dustin remarked.

However, the following day, things took a turn for the worse, as the heat melted the snow and significantly impacted the water flow. Dustin and his crew returned to the site and noticed that their diving hole was covered with a surge of glacial water and additional rocks that had flowed down from the mountain.

It made the site dangerous, reducing their chances of being able to dive.

"This is unusual weather for Alaska," James noted.

Gold Rush: White Water star Dustin noted that they had to take a chance, despite the perils, certain that the rugged terrain would have gold. Carlos agreed, saying they had no choice but to "figure it out."

Soon after, Carlos and Paul plunged into the water, looking for gold. 15 feet below the surface level, Carlos and Paul tried to break through a layer of hard pack, which kept them from the bedrock gold. However, as the water levels rose, it got difficult for them to navigate underwater.

As large rocks flowed down, a boulder landed on Carlos's hand. With Paul's help, Carlos made it out. Soon after, Dustin asked his divers to return. As the episode continued, the divers made another attempt at reaching the bedrock gold, but to no avail.

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Gold Rush: White Water episodes are available to stream on Discovery+.