Deadliest Catch : Captain Keith Colburn Takes on Monster Swell in First Look at New Season

Deadliest Catch fans have witnessed Alaska's crab boats take on the harshest of conditions for years — but it never gets less terrifying.

In PEOPLE's exclusive sneak peek at Tuesday's season 17 premiere, Captain Keith Colburn and his crew are fishing the stormy seas aboard the F/V Wizard.

"If the crab doesn't hit, do I have a plan B, C or D?" Keith says. "No, but I'll make one."

Moments later, Keith spots something heading their way. "Whoa, what the f--- is that?" he says, frantically alerting his crew just as the boat is hit by a massive wave.

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Deadliest Catch, created by Thom Beers, first premiered on Discovery in 2005. The docuseries follows the challenges fishing crews face while trying to catch Alaskan crabs.

Ahead of Tuesday's season premiere, a sneak peek previewed how COVID-19 has impacted the crabbing fleet.

"Looking kind of empty," Captain Sig Hansen said to his crew as they struggled to do their jobs in Dutch Harbour, Alaska, amid the pandemic. "You know, I've been coming up here for 42 years, and I've never seen anything like this."

Season 17 of Deadliest Catch premieres Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery and is streaming on discovery+.