Years ago I was warned that having kids meant catching every cold, virus and ailment swirling around their classroom; and true to the warning the biggest gift I got over my daughter’s Christmas break from 2nd grade was the flu. With the heater cranked up to 75 degrees, and bundling up in flannel pajamas and a warm hoodie, I plopped down in front of the TV with a piping hot bowl of chicken-flavored ramen (it was the only thing that sounded appealing at the time) and cruised what was streaming.
On Amazon Prime I discovered the first six seasons of the (ill)famed PWC-centered adventure show, “Dangerous Waters.” Starting back in 2012, show host and concept creator, Steven Moll – joined by a long-time friend and watercraft novice Pat McGregor, and a ever-rotating support staff – sought to circumnavigate the globe aboard jet skis. Having failed to watch a single episode thus far, I thought I’d “give it a go” and see what all the fuss was about.
Companies such as Kawasaki, Otterbox and SBT, Inc. had played a major role in supporting the show’s run that has since wrapped an abbreviated final seventh season, which is expected to air shortly on MavTV before slipping into syndication on the aforementioned digital streaming service. The show was filmed mainly through the use of GoPros and the occasional DLSR, with the rare high resolution camera handled by professional cameramen, giving it an authentic, “reality” feel.
Here, I’ll break down each season, going off of several notes taken during my marathon session while curled up on the couch over several days’ time. I ran a pretty high temperature during a large portion of this, so take what you will for being the results of a debilitating fever or honest opinion. Oh yeah, and this is a SPOILER WARNING, so yeah, you’ve been warned.
Season 1 – Everything That Can Go Wrong Will
Host Steven Moll introduces himself as a “adventurist” from Folsom, CA. Originating from Southern California, Moll first met lifelong-yet-estranged buddy Patrick McGregor at a high school soccer camp before reuniting in college and then going their separate ways for years. After a one-time experience riding Sea-Doos in the San Francisco Bay, and a second journey up Chatham Strait and around the island chain edging British Columbia, Moll decided he was prepared to ride from Seattle, WA to the Bering Strait, separating Alaska from continental Russia.
Moll and McGregor were joined by Alaskans Charles Davis (who serves as team mechanic), Wesley Davis, and Andrew Mazzella (who is tasked as the expedition’s cameraman). The journey to the Bering Strait was plagued with failure: Moll’s almost non-existent navigational abilities persistently landed the team in shallow water, chewing up props, peeling off all gel coating and layers of fiberglass from the skis, etc. These massive errors sideline the team on wilderness shorelines or in remote fishing villages where food and supplies are scarce.
Ski preparation is almost nil: mismatched gas cans are held down by ratchet straps, navigation is by a single handheld Garmin and Moll’s cell phone, and the team ventures without spare replacement parts. Mazzella – the only team member with useful seafaring experience as an Alaskan crab fisherman – could be a resource to teach Moll how to read the water, but is so impetuous and brash, that his advice is little more than scolding, which is unacceptable to a brutally headstrong Moll. McGregor is positive and upbeat most of the time, but is so clumsy he borders on becoming a liability.
The season ends in dismal failure halfway through the Bering Sea as one ski is abandoned only days after a replacement Sea-Doo was sunk somewhere north of the Aleutian Islands (after the team punctured the rear battery access panels with an aluminum fuel rack). Strong editing helped mask a lot of the in-fighting, personality conflicts and outright misery that flashbacks during later seasons would reveal.
Season 2 – Worst Laid Plans of Mice and Moll
Robbed of his goal to reach Russian soil, Moll and team returned to the westernmost edge of Alaska to attempt crossing the Strait once again. With slightly more preparedness, the team was properly equipped to make the crossing, and do so successfully, reaching continental Asia. There, they are immediately detained by the Russian military and spend several episodes panicking that the rest of their days will be spent in a Stalin-era gulag (ain’t socialism grand?). After some political drama the team is sent back to Alaska packing, left to attempt the Northwest Passage instead of Moll’s previous less-than-half-cocked idea.
Venturing deeper into unknown space, the craft continue to be brutalized every time the team throttle their craft up a frozen, rocky shore, wearing down layer upon layer of precious fiberglass. Add to it additional beaching on sandbars, and the skis and Mazzella are at their breaking point. Moll, already sick from exposure and the cameraman’s constant bickering, decides to send Mazzella home. The expedition continues northward and eastbound, towards the last village in the United States, Kaktovik, Alaska, before entering into Canada.
Charles Davis proves invaluable during this season, as well as the heart of the expedition. His experience growing up in Alaska has taught him how to hunt, cook, camp and handle each and every situation with a levelheadedness rare in men these days. The show also begins to air Davis’ morning benedictions, something which clearly tested well with audiences as it became more and more regular throughout subsequent seasons. The team’s poor riding abilities has Davis perpetually working on the Sea-Doos, even having to reprogram a DESS key/lanyard when one is lost.
Most of the first two seasons is plagued by low funding, requiring the crew to even sell of one of its Sea-Doos to pay for the gas necessary to finish the leg of the expedition. While MavTV is supporting the expedition, it’s obvious that nobody is getting rich off of this. Hindsight could place some blame on Moll’s slapdash planning for a second route. Some of the show’s most dramatic imagery came from this season.
Season 3 – Yeah, Sure. Why Not? It’s Not Like We Could Die
This time, Kawasaki stepped in as a title sponsor, equipping the crew with a quartet of naturally-aspirated Ultra LX JetSkis. Smartly, Charles Davis has fabricated aluminum racks to hold six 6-gallon Tuff Jugs jerry cans, as well as racks for Pelican cases and – amazingly enough – the producers also sprang the extra cost for a fuel boat and crew. Manned by Jake Hammer and Casey Mays, the craft is so hunkered down with fuel it nearly sinks on two separate occasions requiring just as much service and care as the skis.
Speaking of which, Moll tears the hull of his JetSki completely open. Yeah, Charles continually patches it up again and again, but Moll keeps running the damned thing up every beach he can like a crazed Spanish conquistador. A professional cameraman joins the team and provides the show with some of its best footage from the back of the JetSkis and the fuel boat. The team journeys deep into the Arctic Circle and Moll’s complete and total navigational ineptitude nearly gets the team killed – and I legitimately mean that. The Canadian Coast Guard had to airlift the poor guys to safety.
Despite the absolute unwavering warnings given by a lifelong local fishing captain to turn back, Moll pushes his crew northward into an arctic squall that pins the team against a small atoll, icing them in. Huddled together on the support vessel, covered in snow and ice, the team has to convince Moll to issue the mayday. Help comes an agonizing day later. Amazingly, the Canadian Coast Guard concede to let the crew retrieve their equipment and even their skis before evacuating the area. Moll is scolded into humility by the captain like a child. It was great TV.
Season 3 proved to be probably the show’s high point. The footage of the landscape was phenomenal, the scenery was both bleak and beautiful, and the drama was actually on point and not solely personality-based. There were some legitimate stakes in this season, and like the seasons before it, the expedition fell short in spectacular fashion. In fact, their failure is almost a forgone conclusion; it’s now just witnessing the slow decent into madness that makes the show so appealing. Oh, and for whatever reason, nobody can figure out how to keep an auxiliary fuel pump or bilge working.
Season 4 – Remind Me Again What We’re Doing
Defeated by the thickening Arctic Circle (global warming! I mean cooling!), Moll inexplicably drives all the way from California to Maine to personally ship the four new JetSkis to Iceland. In another inexplicable move, Moll has jettisoned Charles Davis from the team, and replaced him with a human marshmallow Scott Somethingorother, who not only personally costs the expedition its one shot at crossing from Iceland to the Faroe Islands, but systematically drives the whole team down into a depression before finally packing up and going home, satisfied that being such a momentous drag has permanently wounded the show. (I suspect.)
With only one day of riding beneath their belts, the skis are boxed up again and shipped to Denmark. The rest of the riding is nearly catatonic; smooth water, plenty of places to stop for fuel, monotonous scenery broken up by the occasional bunker or cliff gun (remnant from Nazi-occupied WWII – yay, socialism!) before entering into Amsterdam and into Germany. Freed from last year’s support craft, Jake and Casey are welcomed additions to the team and earn their keep; although Casey does venture off to join some fraulines for a late night drink, which causes an episode’s worth of panic.
In fact, Casey’s single 3-hour infraction was later referenced as the causality for Moll’s dismissing of him from the team in a later season. The rest of the season is a 5-episode No Wake zone with some nice scenery and consistent bureaucratic haranguing by different EU nations – including a new law outlawing all PWC from the Rhine in Austria. A new new route is taken (by truck) into Croatia, which is just a political nightmare. Somehow nobody stops to think that jet skiing through former Soviet Eastern Block nations might prove to be problematic.
McGregor and Jake are easily the two most likeable people, and only because Casey is the cameraman, and mainly off-screen. Jake is immensely pleasant, effervescent and curious, soaking in local culture, food and people with aplomb. Moll is determined to reach Turkey, ’cause y’know, that’s where terrorists are, but the team remains stuck in Athens, Greece, which of course, is gorgeous and full of history, and that pisses Moll off to no end. It’s apparent that looking at the countries they’re traveling through drives him into fits of impatience.
Season 5 – Say Timmy, Y’ever Been In a Turkish Prison?
The fact that this season was aired on MavTV is all the evidence I need that cable television is a dying medium, and live streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon are the future. Season 5 of “Dangerous Waters” is a nightmare of monotony, and could easily be deemed as a hate letter to the country of India. Bypassing every inch of the Middle East, the team ships its skis to Mumbai, India, after journeying back to Kos, Greece to find out where the hell their stuff has been for the last year. Then, they wait for a whole month in India waiting for it to show up.
Either Moll suffered a stroke or some knucklehead at Kawasaki’s marketing department got it into the team’s collective skull that more than one JetSki should be pronounced in the singular, like moose and deer. So now, in addition to 5 episodes of Indian bureaucratic bullcrap, I have to listen to Moll drone, “We want to ride our four JetSki across the planet.” Dude, it’s JetSkis. Jet. Skeeez. Were I ever to be detained and tortured at Guantanamo Bay, I fully expect this season of “Dangerous Waters” to be played on a continual loop while I am strapped to a chair “Clockwork Orange” style.
The government of India apparently realizes that the crew is showing the world the fetid squalor that billions of people live in, and promptly kicks them out of the country. No really, they get kicked out. It’s actually pretty funny. So off they go (again by container ship) to Thailand. Jake and team go see the sights (as they did in India) while Moll dances with the Department of Immigration. Remembering that they’re a TV show about jet skiing, the decide to get back on the water before a monsoon chases them off the water. Without fuel or any idea where they are, a rescue is staged to save the team yet again.
By this time, the team has been reduced to Moll, McGregor, Jake and Casey. The later two quickly realize that Moll is chasing a fever dream like Quixote’s windmills. Even McGregor realizes that Moll is out of sorts. It’s a little entertaining to watch the whole thing collapse in on somebody so full of hubris. As a note, with Charles’ dismissal, Moll took it upon himself to hold the morning benedictions, which are always videoed and feel uncomfortably staged, as if prompted by MavTV’s marketing department. I’m not questioning anyone’s faith, but there’s an unsettling tone that just feels disingenuous and ultimately, inappropriate.
Season 6 – Please Lord, Let This End Already
The first episode of Season 6 let me know just who Steven Moll was: The first half of the episode was spent berating Jake Hammer, Casey Mays and pretty much everybody else who had ridden with the “Dangerous Waters” crew – that is, besides Patrick McGregor, who very clearly, is the only person to not outright challenge Moll’s ability to run this expedition. Anyone else who dared voice a protest was ousted in quick fashion. It was truly the most petty, distasteful thing I have ever seen…well, since this article.
Casey’s late-night tryst in Season 4 was enough to be tried for sedition; Jake’s constant adventuring to dive from a 30-foot cliff face, or stop to observe native monkeys at a remote shoreline was simply too detracting from the game at hand, and thusly needed to go. It was shocking, particularly as I had been binging this show over the week, and all of the efforts Jake and Casey had made to keep this s**tshow afloat were still very fresh in my mind. Hell, by this time, I’d rather watch a show with those two guys on a pair of JetSki(s).
Now with a completely new, untested crew consisting of yet another PWC novice, Australian Brett Carroll (serving as cameraman) and mechanic Karlin Nichols and “logistics manager” Troy Larson, the team left from Singapore with a support boat captained by a very clearly alcoholic Australian. Almost immediately, the crew gives up in moderately rough water, and chose to tow the skis overnight, as they enjoy the comforts of their support vessel. And true to “Dangerous Waters” fashion, one of the JetSkis sinks to the ocean’s floor.
A couple short episodes later, a second ski is broken, repaired, and sunk again, because of the ineptitude of its unproven mechanic. Karlin is sent home, and cameraman Brett is sent off to the islands ahead of the team to help prepare for their arrival. In the interim, Troy stupidly loses all of his vital paperwork and medication, ensuring that he’s a big ol’ liability, and needs to be sent home as well. Now, a team once consisting of four JetSkis, five crew members and a support craft, is now two Kawasakis and three dudes, led by a guy with an iPhone with the Google Maps app.
Season 7 – Jane! Get Me Off This Crazy Thing!
The final season of “Dangerous Waters” is soon to air on MavTV. The series ended with the team in the Philippines, venturing upwards into the South China Sea, some of the roughest, most unforgiving water in the world. It’s also chocked full of Muslim pirates who’d love to kill some Americans. The plan is to venture north to Japan, and back into Russian waters before returning across the Bering Strait and eventually return to Seattle, WA. For the sake of closure, I’m certain I’ll watch it once it is added to Amazon’s catalog of content, but not before that. The polish has faded and the veneer has begun to crack on a show that I wasn’t sold on to begin with.
“Dangerous Waters” has become a bit of a parody, and Moll himself has become the embodiment of The Dark Knights‘ caution: “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” And it’s worth noting that as the show has progressed, the focus has been purposely aimed towards Moll himself and therefore, the recipient of all praise, and target of all critiques. Much of the travel thus far, has been by container ship (much, not most), also detracting from the purity of Moll’s message. It’s also taken several years to complete, instead of say, one year after studious planning, sourcing the necessary funding and support, and a whole metric ton of other logistics.
Right now, as the show nears airing, Moll has leveraged his newfound fame into “Dangerous Waters Adventure Tours,” an all-inclusive guided PWC tour letting fans of the show recreate the first season’s journey up the Pacific Coast of British Columbia and into Alaska, nearing some glacial floes and spotting unusual wildlife. Hopefully, the venture is successful. For me, I’m certain I’ll watch the final episodes of Moll’s never-say-die adventure, but almost entirely out of morbid curiosity than anything. Whether this elongated review has deterred you or not, is entirely up to do – but if you so choose, it’s available on Amazon’s streaming service today.
I almost want to go watch it now. The way you describe it is like a super slow motion Train Wreck….
As a fan of “so bad it’s good” movies, I’d almost recommend it if you’re up for the challenge. I do suggest making a drinking game out of it though: for every bent prop, you take a shot. For every hull-destroying full throttle beaching, down a beer. I also suggest having a paramedic nearby.
This is brilliant. Not seen the show and I now understand why some people were jumping on the seadoo bashing wagon. “Seadoo are so unreliable, watch the show everyone ”
So this what all the fuss is about, a few inexperienced idiots riding skis badly most of the time and then they break or sink because of the abuse they receive. Can’t wait for the next person to say “Seadoo are so unreliable, have you seen Dangerous waters” Idiots !!!!
I just got a very irked PM from Steven Moll himself who screamed that he “had accomplished something great.” He and his show did in fact accomplish their goal, and that is worthy of acknowledgement. But the manner and method that it was accomplished is what I have questioned here.
He doesn’t seem like the type to accept ANY sort of criticism-constructive or otherwise…. If he can’t handle what people write about him on the interwebz, he’s in the wrong business.
I would like to see all of you people try to do what he does, instead of just sitting on your couch eating. Why would you go out of your way to watch all of the seasons???? To me it makes no sense. Kevin Shaw said “clearly no ones making millions off this” if you knew him you would know that he isn’t in it for the money, he is in it to teach his kids to follow their dreams. If you don’t like the show don’t watch it, but there are people out there who really enjoy the show and are inspired by it. Are you on the show? Do you know everything that happened? No i don’t think so. I’m sorry that there are better jet skis that seadoo .It must be your “high temperature” that caused you to be so disrespectful.
Respect is something earned, not freely given. Yes, respect for the accomplishment of circumnavigating the globe is well deserved and for that I give it to Steven. Yet, the disrespect and disregard shown his crew was an outlier for me. But ultimately, this was a show. A show paid for and produced for entertainment purposes. And the review – albeit overtly tongue-in-cheek – was done with that sole purpose in mind.
Kevin shaw. You are childish.
Possibly, yes.
Kevin Shaw, you are awesome!
I’m going through season 2.
You are dead on about the show.
Regarding Steve M. to be a good leader he doesn’t listen to his men. Charles, Wes, Patrick, and Andrew really made the show cool to watch. Charles should start a show called exotic adventures and explore islands and local foods or camping. It was cringeworthy when Steve yells at Andrew and Patrick.
I like how they (tv show) ask the others what they liked, they (Andrew and Charles) said they wish they could stay longer to look at those rock cliffs. It’s seems they were always rushing and not really exploring.
Kevin, I love your articles and I hope you create a show one day.
Best of wishes to your staff who make PWC news great and honest.
I’m sorry that you felt the need to spend so much of your time watching my husbands show. Since you felt it was so awful and when you clearly don’t know half of what went on. You do not have any idea of the things he kept from the public eye to protect the other riders. You obviously have no idea that Charles is a very dear friend of our family and has never been let go. He is actually working on another project with my husband (the supposed awful leader). If he is so bad why do these guys keep working with him. And as far as the rating doing better with the prayers and Steven not praying to your expectations…. Shame on you for judging! I see in your profile you are a Christian, even before a husband and a Dad. You have a platform to be a good example of what a Christian is , but with the lies you are telling I feel like maybe YOU need to pray a little. You really should get your facts straight before printing such things.
Sorry, I also felt the prayer meetings were a little disingenuous considering the expected deity to be praying to for as far as these trip goes was Poseidon
Supporting your husband’s dream is the sign of superior wife and no doubt Steven’s a handful even when at home.
Being in the trade and a bit of an adventurer myself I found the show entertaining, but perhaps not in a way that would please you all the time
Annette,
I recently heard about the shows on Amazon and was excited to see it. I think reading this article and not seeing all the episodes may have spoiled it for me a little, but I am quite surprised with season 2 (so far so good).
After, seeing seasons 2 episodes 1-9, I have so much respect for Steve and the crew. I can see how much different the team had grown compared to season 1. I know nothing about filming, but i’m sure there were difficult things to say and do behind the scenes. Almost impossible to capture everything.
Yes Steve M. Definitely has my respect, I think it is easy to forget who has done lots of the logistics and communications with folks in the town, companies and sponsors. Trying to keep everyone from fighting or losing their minds on the expeditions. All of them including people who leave episodes are legends in their own right. A big kudos to everyone involved including their wives, that these brave men crossed huge body of waters on a PwC, breaking records and being able film it while we get to sit in our warm homes watching the impossible unfold.
I look forward to the show. Although, the show is 7-8 years ago, my thoughts and prayers go out to the teams and their families. Keep inspiring and really promoting PWCs and showing God’s handiwork along the way.
I have totally enjoyed watching all of the seasons of the show so far! In fact, my husband and I made a pact that neither one of us would watch the episodes without the other. We are anxiously waiting for Season 7 to air. This show has inspired us to want to explore Alaska and many other places in our world. I am thankful for all of the sacrifices all of the crew members and Steven made in order to produce this show! Thank you to all of their families for letting them be away for a few months each season!
Anette, it is admirable that you stand up for your husband, but it is nonsense to expect eople notto critizea TV show ‘because they dont know half of what went on’. Obviously, if that is necessary to like a show, it shoud have been in the show.
It is also new to me that Christians are supposed to like any TV show they see, simply because they are christians.
I have only seen one episode (the one in which Troy lost his backpack) and I thought that at least they were a bunch of ill prepared travellers wih Troy being the supreme example of stupidity.
I now know I am not allowed to have that opinion ‘coz I dont know whats going on’
Bravo Annette! You are so right. Thank you for standing by your man. Hé is amazing and you too.
Greetings with respect
Yvonne
You are a Classy Lady! Your a Terrific Communicator. You Pick your Words Like A True Professional! Steve is a Lucky Fellow!God Bless You And Your Family! Keith
Oh my Dear… it was his opinion and a ‘review’ of what he saw and thought. Chillax a bit. Grab a cocktail, sit down and watch the show, well actually make that a tray of cocktails… you will need them. Its just that awful.
you’re absolutely ridiculous
I’d agree.
I would be embarrassed if i was you Kevin. To criticize something that has never been done before and for him to follow his dream, embarrassing for you.
Hey Joe, thanks for the comment. Unfortunately, you’re reading comprehension needs a little brushing up; at no point did I detract from Steven’s goal to circumnavigate the globe. In fact, the accomplishment is worth acknowledgement. What I commented on was the manner it was executed and the “entertainment value” of the show itself. Because after all, it was a TV show.
I like everyone else, watched these seasons in disbelief. I’ve been riding pwc’s for almost 30 years. My husband and I have taken, multi-day rides where planning is key to success both on rivers and off the coast. If someone had asked me to ride around the globe on a pwc, I would of laughed. I still would. At some point I wondered if this was all a publicity stunt. How could these guys make some of the dumbest decisions? I admire their determination but at what point do you scratch your head and stop to think after every single person, at every single stop thinks they’re “crazy”? Not researching laws for pwc’s in Europe was nuts. I have been thru locks myself. They’re time consuming and when Steven said, they saw a “6” with a circle around it in Germany but didn’t know what it was, I was telling myself, I bet that’s a speed limit. If I could figure that out, why couldn’t they? Ignorance of boating laws is no excuse. I know. I’ve been pulled over and given tickets in states and areas I was not familiar with. If anything, it was entertaining but the continuous re-hashing of their goal(s) after every break on every season, over and over, got annoying. Yes, I know you want to get here, you need to get that fixed, you need to get moving, you need fuel, you have no idea where you’re staying, or getting supplies. Think I’ll pass on seasons 5 on up.
Amy, they have problems in the countries when they don’t speak english and there is a miss communication. It does not happen 24/7. I would know, i am his son, and no one knows how hard it truely is. Would you like to be on the show, and do those things? because i promise you it would be extremely difficult for you.
Preston, I’ve been to plenty of countries where english is not spoken. I never criticized the team for not speaking another language. My point was, preparation is key and in my opinion, each trip doesn’t appear (and yes, I don’t know what went on behind the scenes) it was. If I’m producing a show for entertainment, especially a reality show, I would be certain to convey to the audience that every aspect of the trip had been planned accordingly and backup plans as well. As a team of ‘professional’ riders (which is stated in the opening credits) I would expect nothing less. We, as viewers see no segments where there is a plan put together other than an occasional map. This doesn’t mean there wasn’t one. Again, perception is reality. Secondly, TV shows are almost always criticized by one person or another. Just because someone has a differing opinion or view, doesn’t make it a personal attack. Right?
I agree with Preston, you don’t know how much preparation is put into the show. Steven a couple weeks after he’s done with the season he immediately starts preparing for the next season. How is it not personal attack?
Diane, I also do not know how much preparation was put in it………but obviously it was not enough
Thanks for the write up. When I watch the show, I’m reminded of the time I watched Napoleon Dynamite….. As I watched it, the only thing that kept me going was the faith… Faith that it would get better. I remember the very last scene ending and hoping that there was more (I was still in disbelief that people thought it was a good movie). Thank you for ending the suspense. I can now discontinue the investment of time and walk away without wondering “what could have been”…. Now that I know Moll continues to be a dictatorial prick (the one I had thus far suspected) and continues to send guys home, there’s no more reason to watch.
Wow…. I just read through all the comments. It seems a lot of people are getting pretty offended by others opinions. I think they should be grateful for ciewers’ opinions. Perception is reality; and if people perceive things a certain way, perhaps it’s worth consideration. After all, if there are ways to improve a show and make it more entertaining to viewers, isn’t that the whole idea??? My thoughts on the series (so far) is that it’s terribly portrayed and overly dramatized. Based on what I’ve seen, the majority of the riding has been hugging coast lines. Yet the narratives constantly mis-portray. Repeatedly saying things like “riding on the open ocean”. Sure, there were some crossings I guess but the Bearing was the only one I recall. To call it a “circumnavigation on jetski” (sorry Kevin; I just did that thing didn’t I?) is VERY MISLEADING. Not that what they did wasn’t intense by any means. But it’s not even close to a true circumnavigation. Of course, I realize it’s a show to entertain and that people like drama. And most people wouldn’t notice the inconsistencies that border on the line of truth. But as a pwc enthusiast it’s pretty easy to see through the crap. And the defensive and whiny comments above from family members of the show’s producers are the final nail in the coffin for me. You’d be way better off just letting it roll off your back than getting involved in a debate on viewers’ opinions in my opinion. I really thought what Steven and his crew was doing was cool, even though some things about the show bugged me. And I interpreted Shaw’s review likewise. Take that for what it’s worth.
Thanks Kevin for the review. I thought you did a good job in the critique. Your summaries have motivated me to watch the series. These guys are to be commended for taking on such an adventure.
I’m just starting season five now and I thank you Kevin for the write up
I was constantly amazed how Steve was a star one moment, and a crazed ego- maniac the next. With all respect Steve, people management and team solidarity has to take place over ego, which seemed to not be in short supply in the Dangerous Waters.
You’ve learned enough hard lessons to make your tour business a success. Good luck with that venture.
and by the way, reality tv or not, you are very fortunate to have survived the trips without so much as a laceration, which would have put McGregor to the test.
I’ve been running a ski shop for ten years and what little I have learned would let me equip a successful trip almost anywhere in the world. Unless your plan was staged drama you’ve managed to make your organization look like a bunch of amateurs. Even as far as season five where your lessons were obvious.
Nobody who has done any kind of business in India doesn’t go without a shopping bag full of Rupees for unexpected “administrative expenses”
Still….
Better or worse you have earned some respect from me.
It took big ones to run the Bearing Strait and then manage pitch that into a series.
good luck. You made me having to stay home with the flu for a couple of weeks a little more enjoyable then watching the entire rifleman series.
My wife kept asking me why I keep watching these shows on AWE channel. Because I would yell at the tv when they would get rocks stuck in the pump. Lol! Your review is right on and the way you explain it is hilarious!
I think the show is awesome and inspiring. Down the road of success you have to get rid of some people and i respect steven for that. Me and my kids love it and can’t wait to keep watching it!!!! Go Dangerous Waters!!!!
I have been considering and corresponding with Steve regarding the adventure. As anything else in life, I would hope for the best, but expect the worst. It certainly is on my Bucket List, as my passion for jet skiing exist, as well as my love for BC and it’s coastline. Focus on the positive folks…not the negative. I’m sure there were just as many “awesome moments”, as there were “non-awesome moments”.
The review by Kevin Shaw is spot on and captured my thoughts exactly! Thanks for the write up.
These guys skip huge tracts of ocean. How can you claim traveling around the world if you skip half of it. It’s like flying to Nepal hitting the market and claiming you climbed Everest. It a joke
Kevin, I agree with you.
I stated watch this unintended comedy, and am enthralled because of the rash brashness of “fearless leader”. I was angered by his flaunting of the speed laws in the rivers of Europe. He personified the “Ugly American” stereotype. I was hoping the police would end their expedition.
I often laugh at the narrator’s dialog (written my one of the Molls) of these endangered men in dangerous waters. The opening credits call them professional riders…does getting paid make you a professional, or does training and skill? Perhaps these amateurs (Steven and Patrick) learned enough to be considered professional after their six-year(seven?) apprenticeship.
Having started in Iceland rather than Canada (Did Canada forbid them from trying this expedition again? They should have billed them for the rescue!) Will Guinness give them the award for circumventing the globe? With the huge territorial jumps between season starting points of Iceland, (I started watching when they were traveling down the Danish coast), trucked from the Austrian border to Croatia, then starting at India, next Singapore; they didn’t, but Steven talks during the show as if they did. That is fraud, in my opinion. I heard or read where he had an advertising agency, but this is truly stretching it to unbelievably.
The repetition used to stretch a half-hour of material to an hour is boring, but yes, there is some interesting scenery probably never shown before. They also stress the danger of wildlife while they harass a wolf swimming in the water, and you can see a polar bear swim to the shore and run away from the noisy jet-skis.
The kindness of strangers is why they survived in several situations (Alaska, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, and Philippines), and sadly, it encouraged them to continue. I suspect the Molls are planning on getting wealthy from syndication fees for years to come.
I told my wife this show has helped me understand why women get so frustrated with their men! Having planned to travel from Russia, then changing plans to traverse the Northern Passage above Canada, (and apparently planning on the fly) appeared reckless with needlessly endangerment to the members. Charles was the greatest asset the expedition had that journey. With the personnel changes without explaining why, I thought the team buried a few at sea.
Now watching season six, I am cheering for the pirates, but being a long time Cub, White Sox, and Bear fan, I expect to be disappointed…again.
All you detractors are really missing several points. So what if they had to ‘portage’ their PWC’s so they werent needlessly murdered by Somalian pirates. Why should they have put their families in jeopardy for a TV show? A couple of the crew members he selected on short notice really were bad for the expedition. One was going to travel the oceans on PWC’s even though he was afraid of the ocean, the Loch Ness Monster and giant squid! For sure he should be fired. Andrew the first cameraman shouldnt have gone on the second season, he just jeapordized the mission with his immature attitude which Steven had to deal with. Yes, they were ‘filling’ the later seasons episodes with repetitive commentary, so what. I wondered why they didnt go around Australia since they had friends with a big boat helping them that were Australians. If they ever do make it back to Siberia–the Russians said they couldnt come back–it would be a real coup. Then if they manage to cross back over to Wales Alaska, Im satisfied that they circumnavigated the world–no matter how. Kevin Shaw–you take yourself far too seriously–an ersatz expert at reality TV shows, human relationships, and adventurous spirit. I dont think you could make it just from reading the way you present your commentary–like a real A-hole…Give the guy a break! Its only TV produced by someone trying to find a way to make it. Whats wrong with that stupid….
After watching the first four seasons. I was disappointed to see the Davis brothers leave the show. I think they were the best part of the crew. I hated watching scenes over and over again. It made it boring and then without the interesting crew it got really boring. I agree that some of what was shown to make Steven look like a great leader made him look erratic. He was good at a lot of things but his emotions got the better of him. It is hard to know from the footage that they show what really goes on. So anyone who expects a perfect commentary on a poorly edited show certainly gets what they deserve. If you want to portray strong and organized don’t show the crap. If you want to show how difficult everything is and that at every turn there is something unexpected but as a human being people can make things happen. This is what I tried to take from the show. I liked the idea of watching these guys overcome their mistakes. What I didn’t like is when they didn’t seem to learn from them. The constant stranding, the way they didn’t seem to think about the treatment of the jet skis. If I know that a compromised hull could lead to my death. I sure would be more careful to not constantly drag it on rocks or to strand it on sandbars. Mr. Shaw I appreciate your comments a lot of them are spot on and I get what you are doing. Mrs. Moll good job defending your husband. You shouldn’t take the comments as an attack on you husband but one on the show itself and how it was presented. Reality TV isn’t a medium for making people look good. It is to entertain and sometimes it is at the cost of what is really true. I think the crew had great accomplishments and Steven did circumnavigate the world just not always on a jet ski. Good luck to all of the crew past and present.
Good bad the show was entertainment. Me and my wife would watch every Episode together. We think the first crew was the best but that is our Opinion. Did Steve make some dumb decisions oh yes he did he also made some very good decisions. If it wouldn’t been for Charles and Wes they wouldn’t been able to get as far as I could on the Jet skis with the limited fuel that they had. Charles made that happen with the rack system that he built for them But your not going to cross the Alantic no matter how much Fuel you put on the back of them. So for going around the world on jet ski not going to happen but not a big deal. Riding in places that normally you wouldn’t Awesome. Like the show or don’t but don’t always go by what somebody else’s says. See it for yourself. We will watch the last season and have fun.
As a fan of “Dangerous Waters” I have to admit, u r % correct in your observations of the show, Moll is a adventurer without the knowledge of prepping, and that is his downfall and McGregor is the fan favorite by far, his easy going, comic relief attitude is what makes the show to me. On a side note though, who wouldn’t want to try and circumnavigate the whole world on a jetski!?(of course with preparation and funding and possibly a plan in place where we called ahead to many places we would be docking at for the night or whatever, so it’s not like we r just some random dude’s showing up in your country like we r in the right, but to sum it up, yes a lot of prepping before taking on this enormous adventure) but I would be up to the challenge of doing it but I would be a lot more prepared then Moll. And my final words, I’m not hating on Moll or anything, I just think he was I’ll prepared n never really grasped the concept of the task at hand in how much he shoulda prepared, it’s like he owned a seadoo and on Saturday night thought “I want to circumnavigate the world with seadoos and by Monday he was in the water!! You can’t do it like that. To all the adventurers that participated in this show, I don’t say this too often but God bless them n too yall, don’t be too hard on Moll, he’s got his embarrassment and lashings from authorities all around the world
an accurate synopsis – old saying ” God looks after fools and drunks” – think that’s what the prayer was about –
which one is Moll, never say him drunk.
Interested to know how you prepare for things that literally have never been done before.
Inept? To consider Steve inept because he screws up something LITERALLY nobody has ever done before is moronic.
Anything you have done or will do has almost certainly been done by thousands to millions of others. You can hike a trail like a boss buddy, but somebody blazed that trail for you.
You don’t like his personality, fine. I understand that. His voice is ever present, he always seems to be “on” and occasionally he turns straight up actor. The speeches, lawd the speeches. Pure cheese.
The guy wants to reach the masses and has to please and placate an army of people. He’s being a leader. He may not be great with criticism but he’s routinely and repeatedly humbled and lowered himself to keep his crew and mission on go.
Your real problem and issue seems to be that you can’t grasp this isn’t a sport show about PWC. This is about the journey, the expedition and showing the masses things about the world they flat out don’t know and almost certainly will never see.
Hiking the globe isn’t about the shoes, booking it isn’t about the bike. Riding the country on Horseback? Not about horses. They are important to the what the show is, but it’s about the trip not the vehicle.
If this was a show about PWC you’d be dead on, but it’s not. All you have done here is crapped on an explorer for doing something that has never been done.
It’s real easy to armchair warrior this. You’ve utterly discounted or ignored every single absurdly difficult factor that goes into this expedition. I won’t disagree he’s been inept at times, but he hasn’t denied that either. How do you plan for a corrupt disfunctional government giving you permission to be somewhere then jailing and robbing you blind when you go exactly where they said you could go?
There are some legitimate things you can fault the man for, damn shame you didn’t actually address any of them.
Just as an aside, I had hypothermia once. Nowhere near the level these guys basically live with for months. I can personally testify that cold borks your brain. Plan all you want, when your brain goes AWOL foul ups are inevitable, especially in situations and experiences that have never been tried.
You couldn’t figure out this wasn’t a show about Sea-Doos for crying out loud, don’t chuck stones at the guy freezing his nay nays off to show the masses all the wonders of the world you believe your God created. I haven’t been Christian in years but I was indoctrinated heavily enough to know that this guy is doing precisely what your Christ requested. He’s using everything he was given to make connections, expand knowledge and appreciate the world he was given.
Whatever his failures are they are well below his successes. How can you possibly find fault there unless that’s all you’re looking for. Fault. Like I said, been awhile, but don’t recall “go forth and snipe and naysay those who are doing what you cannot to help your brothers understand what they have been given”.
Be a crying shame if somebody passed on this because you didn’t like a guys personality. How petty.
A lot of you talks about Steven Moll…. not professional enough, not prepared enough, blah…blah…blah.. but I am not hearing that any of you ever dreamed, attempted or executed something like what Steven and his ever changing crew has done. As I see, the only thing you can do is comment. Just like what they say…..those who cannot, sits back and just finds everything that they can find to bi#%h about. Just finished watching the final season and the it shows a lot of wonderful places that they explored that and probably be shared the way they did on their PWC, people’s hospitality and camaraderie was so awesome to see. And these people they interact with doesn’t even know them personally. They have a lot more support in Japan I guess than from the country they came from. So unless you guys criticizing Steven and the show, has done something like what they’ve done, keep you critiques to yourself.
“DANGEROUS WATERS“
I am obsessed with this show mainly because it shows parts of the world that I will never see & parts that I now know I have no interest in trying to visit. I found it interesting that the whaling captain would go no further, turned around & went home. He was criticized for “having a feeling”. Even though the whalers hauled DW fuel, gave up their bunks to the DW crew one night, let them sleep on deck & even pulled a damaged ski on deck to work on with a blow torch next to the fuel cans! Guess what, this local captain’s “feeling” was correct! The winter & ice came in early but yet we never heard an apology or acknowledgement of that fact even while the DW crew was being rescued. It would beho0ve them to heed the advice of the seasoned locals. They were lucky to survive that hubris.
I watched the series carefully and I just cannot wrap my head around some of the math. For example… they are 15 miles from a destination, and they figure it would take several hours to get there. lf the PWC can do 30 MPH under those conditions, wouldn’t that be closer to half an hour? In season two they talked about taking 12 hours on calm seas to travel a record breaking 250 miles. Uh… they were moving at up to 50 MPH that day. I don’t understand why that would not take five hours. I totally get that they stop and smell the roses, but it just seems like a tortiose and hare race. They could have made it much faster by just putt-putting along the coast and not stopping so much. I just don’t see any explanation of the MPH discrepancy.
I hate it. I can’t stop watching it. Just like a train wreck…. I think I’m going to strike out and in-line skate around the world. Except I will constantly make dumb-ass decisions about routes, weather, supplies, and plan execution. I will also do my best to constantly ruin my equipment, over and over again. I will also be sure to berate my crew and be belligerent to pretty much every person I encounter who is different from me, because, ya know… I’m a god fearing ‘murican. Next, I will be sure to take huge liberties with the execution of the full task. Instead of actually in-line skating around the world, I will fly the vast majority of the way, touching down at a few remote locations and working hard at ruining my equipment again. Oh, and I will be sure to demand respect from every person involved or encountered, all the while droning on in endless, repetitious soliloquy.
Yup, its that awful. Just my opinion of course. No need for the whole Moll family to jump in and tell me how wrong I am.
Just finished watching all seven seasons and thoroughly enjoyed every episode! The adventure was truly incredible to watch unfold! Every member (well except for Brett Carroll) should be commended for their bravery, skill and determination! The footage, taken literally from around the world, was beautiful and really taught me a lot of true world geography. The unexpected hospitality the crew received from literally every stop and port was very uplifting. I was amazed how, no matter what nationality people were, they all very friendly and forthcoming in their assistance.
The editing certainly could have been a little cleaner (I particularly did not like how many previous scenes were repeated throughout an episode) but what could you expect from what the crew had to use to film. Certainly far from ideal to record meaningful footage from the back of a jet ski and from the hand held cameras. The men were not actors and no real ability for second takes. But it was clear that these men faced incredible dangers and did basically succeed in the end.
This show was more than just the adventure! It was just as much footage of their trip as it was educational as to what it takes to travel from country to country, all the maintenance needed to complete the different legs, all the fuel issues they had to contend with and the inner battles the team had to deal with. I found it amazing that Steve had the ability to keep the various teams together and motivated despite the constant various obstacles.
Kevin, and most recently JJ, you’re entitled to your opinions but it seems you only took away the negative aspects and ignored the beauty of their travels, the accomplishments of travelling literally around the world and the bravery these men showed. JJ you say they traveled “the majority of time via air” and that is just simply false! Yeah they skipped the North Atlantic and the Persian Gulf but that was out of necessity not because of their inability to do so. It would’ve been a death wish to travel in those waters! The reason why the team was successful was because of Steven’s ability to work with the locals and his navigational skills! How perfect can you expect a skipper to be in open waters! That was the appeal of the show….to do all that travelling with the limited navigational items they had. You also seem to berate Steve in the way he dealt with “every person he encountered.” While I’m sure some money was exchanged for their services, plenty of assistance was provided to the team from locals simply based on the appreciation they had with Steven, the crew and their appreciation of the incredible adventure they were undertaking. Easy to criticize while sitting on your couch popping bon bons JJ! Love to see what adventures you’d be willing to take. I’m not a Moll family member but you are WRONG!
Thank God for this last post by Ray A. on June 22, 2020. Too many “experts” get pleasure from ripping every aspect of the show apart & disrespecting Steve Moll’s efforts to keep the expedition alive. Initially I, too, was in utter disbelief at the idea of traveling uncharted waters by jet ski and yes, the team endlessly faces one disaster after another – many out of their control and too many that could’ve been avoided. With all that being said, Steve NEVER claimed to be an expert at navigating all the remote places they traveled (such as the Arctic Circle and coastline of Japan). He made it painfully clear to the crew that this was an adventure with no guarantee of how far they would make it. If I attempted to follow a dream and wound up facing countless dangers & complications such as possible hypothermia, lack of food and funds, detainment by Russian military, etc., I probably would’ve ditched the entire mission Very Early On. But Steve NEVER suggests bailing out until conditions were truly impossible and the crews were literally in danger of not making it out alive. Also, even the worst of the crews did not want to be let go/sent home (with the exception of Brett’s meltdown), regardless of all the complaining going on. Every one of them wanted to continue with Steve even with all the unknowns and dangers that were faced.
To Kevin Walsh I say Why don’t you put yourself out there and attempt a similar ‘bucket list’ trip with the unknown risks so high before you completely rip Steve apart, who somehow manages to keep his crews going and ultimately showing them – and All the viewers – the incredible gifts this planet offers, plus the amazing goodwill shown over & over at every stop they make. I give Steve all the credit he deserves for having the guts to attempt this at all, and commend every crew member that accompanied him. It is just my opinion, but he could’ve done a LOT worse, and even during the shows’ moments of complete disaster, it always remained entertaining & I couldn’t wait for the next episode. Kevin it is YOU who are completely petty dishing out criticism on such ridiculous points like not being happy with Steve leading a prayer (really??) and callomg the plural jet skis, ‘jet ski’ (I never noticed). If you sat through all 6 seasons – and BTW, season 7 was WILD – & that’s all you can dig up to throw at Steve Moll, you def do not get off your couch much.
Dangerous Waters is certainly not National Geographic, but that is part of what makes it so compelling. The catastrophes and astounding beauty that the team experiences have kept me continuously glued, and I have been watching the seasons repeatedly because I enjoy experiencing everything along with them. God Bless Steve & his family, and all of the crew/staff involved and their families – it’s an incredible sacrifice you all made to put this show together. YaY!!
For all you haters , why don’t you try something as huge as this adventure ? If you don’t think there was years of planning and visas gotten and permissions granted then you missed the entire premise of the trip . Sure there were mistakes but many entailed unforeseen circumstances . They may not be granted a World’s Record , but they surely did something no one else had accomplished . I don’t think permission will ever be given for another group to follow. I am looking for details on whether they were able to come back to Russia for the last leg. I appreciated the journey for what it was and give them all a thank you for taking me to parts of the world I will never see. You Go Steve!!!
He did not accomplish their goal. They spent a lot of time being rescued by other boats, trucks and planes. They did not circumnavigate the globe, they weren’t even close. It was a good show on how a bad leader can ruin a plan. I think Moll was just going after the glory for himself and to hell with the others. Moll has to be the laziest leader I have ever seen. He would very seldom help his crew, he would just bark his sometimes ridiculous orders. The lesson he taught his kids, is there are failures in life, and his adventure was a big FLOP!!!!
I am almost done watching the entirety of the journey. I was drawn to look at the web to see what the heck others thought of the show and what actually became of the adventure. I will likely finish watching the series, because of some foolish conscious I have to do so. Since the first season I was amazed at how uneducated the team, especially the fearless leader Steve, were about PWC, navigation and preparedness. Choosing Seadoo PWC was the first big “what are they thinking”, why wouldn’t they go Kawi or Yami. Then the foolishness of how they had attempted to strap all that fuel to the ski, with ratchet straps. The ongoing and absolutely foolish practice of running the craft up on the beach at high speed and sliding it on the sand(think 60 grit sandpaper aided by 500lbs of weight). The lack of any real performance/aftermarket parts that might aid them in fuel mileage/reliability/performance. Silly. And, the sheer number of times they pushed the craft into the water in soft sand/rocks and then were surprised and disappointed to find a something jammed in the impeller. Not smart. Then the video shots of the team launching a fully loaded ski with probably 100lbs of extra fuel on the back straight out of the water. Amazing. Depending almost solely on electronics for navigation, and showing remarkable fear at having to use a compass heading to navigate (the oldest and most reliable form of navigation in existence), even after a few seasons, just stupid. And, as a few other pointed out, the general lack of knowledge of the requirements, laws and regulations for all these ports they landed really had me shaking my head…. Finally, in the end, I have to ask, is this actually an expedition? I think the answer is clearly “no”. This is more like a guy with little overall adventure/motorsports skills trying to find a way to elevate himself and make a buck. Riding jetskis from one point to another and staying overnight is no expedition, especially when you are doing it 2 months at a time.
Carry on.
Cant thank u enough for ur review. I just started watching season two, and already couldn’t believe Moll’s arrogance since he so obviously has no idea what he’s doing. You saved me almost 6 seasons of crap!
No, no. Please continue watching. But turn the show into a drinking game. Every time the team does something idiotic, take a shot. You’ll die of alcohol poisoning by mid-way through the 4th season.
This is a GREAT review. It truly sums up the entire, multi-year catastrophe perfectly.
But I can’t stop watching.
I must admit, it makes me want to take my pwcs on longer, more exploratory trips. Anyone have the itch to do this right? Let’s do this…
So like the proverbial train wreck I’ve been mesmerized by the stupidity but angered at times by the willingness to put people not associated with the stunt in jeopardy. Living in Alaska we have watched years of idiots usually chechakos try crazy shit and then rely on the coast guard or some other first responder or passerby to save their bacon. And yet still I can’t look away. So, where the heck is season 7??
I believe Season 7 came and went. I just don’t have it in me to watch it or dare review it.
STEVE MOLL IS A FUCKING MORON!! THE GUYS SHOULD HAVE KICKED HIM IN THE HEAD BACK IN SEASON 1…. AND ESPECIALLY IN SEASON TWO WHILE IN RUSSIAN HOLDING….
NO CLUE WHY ANYBODY LISTENS TO MOLL….. I JUST WANT TO PUNCH HIM IN THE DICK !!
wow, that is a bit stiff of a comment.. I agree with Preston in an earlier post; at least he is following something he believes in and as it goes we cut corners to make things work when money was short.. This was our first time filming an adventure reality series, and I believe that every man that was on this crew had the time of there life. I know how easy it is to pass judgment when you watch tv, but if you don’t like it, go in your room shut the door and f^%(&^$%(&%&% your self ! I THANK YOU!
There needs to be a Steven Moll biopic on Netflix starring Bert Kreischer
LOL! “The Machine!”
Great work Kevin! Just think if a show like this can be considered a success what you could do. PS if you do use it as a drinking game you best be well stocked before you hit play. Cheers
Dangerous Waters or Dangerous Leader
I was very irritated that my BF was binging this show without even actually looking at the screen and just hearing the show I concluded I enjoyed the Narrator I felt he kept the story moving along. The main guy Steve continued to make poor choices most of the time common sense was all that was needed. At least when things went wrong he always said “we” could have prevented this or “we “ messed up. I was disappointed that Jake and Casey left the show. The worst person was that mechanic Katlin who cost them to lose two jet skis That was obviously all that guys fault. When Karlin said oh well my machine works great I screamed at the tv. Troy never should’ve been hiking in the back. Steve already went by land or sent the jet skis ahead 3/4 of the time why he didn’t call it after the second jet ski sank is beyond me. He could’ve just as easily suspended the trip and restarted at a later date once the machines were tuned up and in proper working order. Actually he never should’ve used the same jet skis in season 6 after they were beat up so badly in the South China Sea then sat for a year. Seriously wtf? I was actually hoping he would break down so he would learn his lesson. I personally would have had a handler in each country who was ready for my crew upon arrival one who could navigate local customs language refueling etc. without the kindness of the locals they would’ve perished at sea. Why they acted so surprised people offered to help them was ridiculous what would they do had the she been in the other foot? Ignored the strangers in watercraft? No of course you help in any wAy shape or form duh! Arrogance ignorance I’ll preparedness are the themes of the Dangerous Steve show its all about his addenda go go go it’s as if he was going to miss his flight 1/2 the time they were delayed regardless. What I don’t get is that anyone can read a map a Thomas guide google earth use a cell phone or talk to an expert why didn’t they utilize these services while traveling knowing they can only go so far before needing to refuel why would he continue to point out that they are limited on funds can’t afford a hotel room. Why wouldn’t he have a local expert awaiting g them in each country to work out the kinks and help them navigate he had no problem calling the coast guard to check indaily I. India only to get 86ed after wasting so much time?
I wish he really did go around the globe on a jet ski. The only way that could be possible was if they had a support ship and professional camera crew traveling with them that would have saved so much bullshit. They still would’ve had to refuel but not as frequently.
They act like they never watched nat geo or discovery or pbs. People are generally helpful everywhere you go stop acting so surprised you are clean cut white guts they are probably hoping for a tip dummies.
They lost me when they lost Charles…he was my favorite!
The show is unique, that’s for sure. Although their adventure is neat, I would not call it circumnavigating the earth ON JetSkis…in fact, they skipped large portions of the earth for reasons never explained. I’m not sure they traversed any of the N. Atlantic (which was probably the smart decision), and they skipped a huge swath of water and geography by starting in Mumbai after stopping in Kos. What they did is admirable, but don’t call it circumnavigating the earth on JetSkis or tell people in the EU you rode them from Seattle–that’s not true at all. The families had to sacrifice a lot for Steve and his friends to go play for months on end, and that’s worth noting. However, Steve seemed to think his “conquest” was as noteworthy as finding a cure for cancer when it’s not solving any of the world’s problems. Most ironic moment was when 4 gas-guzzling PWCs and fuel boat cross paths with a human-powered boat that’s trying to bring attention to global warming from use of fossil fuels. Most enlightening moments are when Steve has his passive aggressive moments throwing various people under the Moll bus (naming episodes “Steve, I’m scared” and “Quitters Quit” to snipe at Scott, and his sniping at Andrew who knew more than most of them about the northern waters)–you can’t call yourself a leader when you snipe at people like that. Overall, entertaining and keeps us coming back, but more from a morbid curiosity POV (and Planning 101 gaffes) than anything else.
Just saw some of Season 5 and the gap between Kos and Mumbai has been explained…that was probably a good call.
Currently, a few episodes into season 4 and disappointment is an understatement. I love this show and have been binge-watching for a while and Charles was by far the biggest asset and my favorite out of the crew. The lack of explanation as to why Charles is gone seems very odd and frustrating. With Charles being such an integral part of the crew, and personally responsible for a huge part of their success, why would they just completely disregard his leaving?? Continuing to watch but less interested now and disappointed. Does anyone know why he left or was kicked off the show?
I watched the whole series and I enjoyed the scenery, but I thought Steven Moll was a poor leader. I was in disbelief at his ignorance on how to properly treat jetskis; running them onto a beach and ruining impellers, running them onto ice shelfs and punching holes in the cooling plate. This shows he had a very low-level of jetski knowledge. I did think Moll was a hard worker on trying to coordinate the trip, but when he berated Scott for losing the keys I thought he lacked good leadership skills; berating someone who has made an honest mistake usually makes things worse. I don’t think I could do what Moll did, but then I would never try such foolish endeavor. If it were me I would try to obtain sponsors and do shorter jetski adventures along beautiful coastlines and demonstrate the ability of a jetski to see beautiful coastlines and explore. Jetskis are not designed for the open oceans and high seas.
Steven Moll was an exceptionally poor leader. The show had some very nice scenery which I enjoyed
These comments are almost as entertaining as the show!
I love it keep it up.
Dangerous Waters is an excellent case study in leadership. Steve Moll goes through a growth process through the seasons. I would love to see the off camera or cutting room floor stuff. As a Leadership instructor here is my take :
Season One – ENS Moll – He has this great idea that is going to change the world, but he really does not know how to do. He has not yet learned to count on his men. He takes on too much burden and does not delegate. He has not learned to let folks own their lanes and things he has to do everything. Steve is best when working the phones and it shows when he can get things done. It is amazing they lived through this season but it is like every young officers first tour. Somethings go wrong somethings go write…we learn and get better.
The crew at this point are also junior. Charles is kind of the wise E-5 who has more of clue than his years. Andrew the cocky E-3 who thinks he know it all. MacGregor that E-4 who just keeps wandering away.
Season Two – LTJG Moll – this year Steve starts to come into his own. He has done one season, so now he “knows” what to do. He excels at management on the fly. Not the greatest planner and it shows. But he can work the phones and get the crew out of jam. The sudden change of course is all done on the fly. Season One ENS Moll would not have had the confidence to do this LTJG does. Also is humble when he leads them astray. He still struggles with the crew, but is better at letting them do their thing. Cutting Andrew was the right call. He made it and should be praised for it.
This year Charles steps up more. He is the LPO. Andrew has knowledge but does not share well. He is his own worst enemy. The team is stronger w/o him. MacGregor starts to be less of a liability and more of an asset.
Season Three – LT Moll – Even though the expedition fails in this season Steve’s leadership is the best he. He uses is team well. He listens to them and outside sources (Coast Guard and locals). Like most LT’s he is in his stride. It is a strong unit everyone is much better at pulling their weight. Steve is more organized and willing to make the hard calls.
Charles is that great LPO who is in his last tour and works well on the crew. He is Steve’s right hand man this year. MacGregor also steps up and has real supportive role on the team. Jake is new and cautious about input he grows over the episodes.
Season Four – LCDR Moll – Steve has a plan and come hell or no water the team is going to follow the plan. He is at the in-between stage between a senior and junior leader. He is much more condiment that in pervious episode. But as the team has change sometimes a little too confident. He has a higher understanding of the goal. He understand Commanders intent. Although the course of action may be not as first though he make plans and branch plans to executes the intent. He shines in this episodes and thus get promoted to the next season.
With Charles gone, MacGregor is now the LPO. He is clearly second in Command. He clams the troops and smooths the waters to keep the crew going. He has come a long way for season one.
Season Five – CDR Moll. It is fitting he spend a lot of this episode with his Indian Coast Guard hat on with scramble eggs on it. As with most now Senior officers he is becoming a bit detached from his men. He still thinks he can solve all non-mechanical problems himself. He does not reach out for help till almost too late in the India problem. The fly-by-night logistical approach comes home to bite the team in the butt here. Lots of time is wasted that could have been solved in the off season. He needed local knowledge and is slow to hire a “fixer”. This season shows why most senior officers go to graduate school between 04-05. Steve should have taken the off season to go and get a degree in international relations.
MacGregor is now a Chief (E7). He keeps the team running when Steve is away trying to solve bigger issues. Jake and Casey are good teammates. Over all event though the season kind of crashes and burns a couple times there is no major leadership failures.
Season Six – CAPT Moll. He has been reading about himself a bit too much. Is a little more interested in what praise comes to him not the team or the show. This season breaks down quick because He forgets the “main thing is the main thing”. He needs guys riding jets ski to have a show. Seems to get distracted with the prize at the end vice the day to day. The fact that two jets skis sink and the support boat breaks in the first couple of shows is a wake-up call. He realizes he needs to go back to basics to make this work. And he does. He shows real leadership in this. CAPT Moll has come a long way from ENS Moll. Steve’s on water leadership is strong as it is his off water. He deals well with customs and locals. He takes risks and has success.
The crew at the end is just three with MacGregor being a jack of all trades. The Team with two jet skis is a well-oiled machine.
Overall I like the show. As other have said I got frustrated with both the lack of planning and logistics at times. But as an example leadership development it is outstanding case study.
I’ve watched “Dangerous waters” on AWE. The last episode you were 900 miles from completing your goal. Did you go back to Russia and finish crossing the Baring Straight to the US?