Shawn Pomrenke Has Been Gold Diving on TV for Nearly 12 Years — That Amounts to a Large Net Worth

When your profession involves hunting for gold, you're bound to earn quite the paycheck depending on your findings. However, there are a number of different methods for "gold prospecting." For those of us who paid attention in U.S. history class, you may remember learning about the California Gold Rush where folks would try to find gold by running pans along streams. However, gold prospecting has evolved considerably since those days. In fact, there's a reality show all about it.

Since 2012, the Discovery Channel has been airing a series called Bering Sea Gold. The series follows groups of dredgers and divers who search for gold throughout Norton Sound in Nome, Alaska.

One of those dredgers is Shawn Pomrenke, who has been featured in the series since its initial premiere. Considering he's worked in the profession of gold hunting for more than a decade, with many of his exploits being captured on reality TV, it's not surprising that his net worth is rather substantial.

According to his Twitter bio, Shawn Pomrenke aka Mr. Gold is the former owner of the self-named gold-mining company Pomrenke Mining. He is a professional dredger and once captain of the dredging ship Christine Rose.

Despite his company filing for bankruptcy in 2020, he seems to be doing OK. According to Reality Star Facts, Shawn Pomrenke's net worth stood at an impressive $5 million as of 2021. (Some recent reports estimate his net worth at around $3 million.) He reportedly earns more than $500,000 annually, which says a lot even for a profession like his.

In a report by Bering Sea Paydirt, professional gold diver Jeff Orzechowski states that divers in his line of work can earn upwards of $1,000 a day on average. His usual earnings can even add up to $10,000 to $15,000 a month, depending on his findings.

Being a gold diver or a dredger seems to pay out the big bucks on its own, but Shawn's enviable net worth is likely substantiated by his career on reality TV.

Shawn has been part of Bering Sea Gold for nearly 12 years as of this writing. This ongoing series is divided into two parts. The initial show follows gold diver crews during the summer dredging season. Meanwhile, its sister series — Bering Sea Gold: Under the Ice — follows these crews on their exploits during the spring dredging season. During the latter series, the dredgers are holed up in temporary shelters located near ice holes that serve as potential gold deposits.

Throughout the series, Shawn has been lucky enough to discover ridiculous amounts of gold, with one of his most prominent findings totaling nearly $500,000. However, he's also garnered a bit of infamy in recent seasons.

During Season 15, Episode 17, his ongoing tension with members of the Kelly family of dredgers led to a fistfight as well as subsequent police intervention.

Whether he's adding to his riches or starting fights, Shawn Pomrenke is no stranger to making headlines.

New episodes of Bering Sea Gold premiere Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on the Discovery Channel.