Sig Hansen Collapses at Sea Airlifted to Hospital 
 
 Sig Hansen Collapses at Sea ... Airlifted to Hospital 
 
 Exclusive Details 
 
 4:00 PM PT -- Reps for Sig confirm he suffered a heart attack ... and is currently resting up. Captain Sig Hansen narrowly dodged a true "Deadliest Catch" moment when he fell unconscious on the deck while fishing for crab. 
 
 Sources close to production tell TMZ ... Sig and the crew of the F/V Northwestern were at sea, with cameras rolling, when the captain briefly passed out. We're told Sig brushed it off when he came to, and wanted to keep fishing. 
 
 The production crew insisted he get medical attention, and he was airlifted to a nearby hospital. 
 
 His daughter posted a pic of him smiling in his hospital room. The family thinks he suffered a heart attack, but doctors are still running tests. 

 Sig Hansen attends Discovery's 30th Anniversary Celebration Credit: Mike Pont/WireImage 
 
 The Deadliest Catch's Sig Hansen has been hospitalized following an emergency at sea in which he suffered chest pains and had to be airlifted to safety. 
 
 Hansen, who has starred on Discovery Channel's hit reality show since 2006, was at sea on Wednesday, March 2, when he started feeling discomfort, a statement on the show's official twitter feed announced. And although the tough captain wanted to continue his journey, members of his crew insisted the emergency services were called. 
 
 
 
 "Hey Catch Crew, we know there have been a lot of questions about Sig today. But we wanted to make sure we had all the info for you," a statement released via Twitter read. "@northwesternsig experienced chest pain at sea. While he wanted to keep going, the crew insisted that they dock to get help. He was airlifted to Anchorage, Alaska, and immediately rushed to a medical facility. He is with his family and in good spirits. Please send him your love and prayers." 
 
 .@northwesternsig experienced chest pain at sea. While he wanted to keep going, the crew insisted that they dock to get help. (2 of 4) — Deadliest Catch (@DeadliestCatch) March 2, 2016 
 
 The 49-year-old skipper briefly appeared in an Instagram photograph posted later in the day by his daughter, Mandy Hansen, in which he was seen smiling in his hospital bed. 
 
 
 
 The post, which has since been deleted, suggested that Hansen had overcome his serious medical emergency. 
 
 
 
 It's not the first time that Hansen has experienced close calls at sea. He once suffered an ankle sprain on-board a fishing vessel, which meant he had to abandon his position as chef on the boat. The boat later went out to sea and never returned. 
 
 "Basically a sprained ankle saved my life," he said previously. "I'm lucky to be here." 
 
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– Deadliest Catch star Sig Hansen started having chest pain while filming at sea on Wednesday, and though he didn't want to stop working, his crew insisted on calling emergency services for the captain, Us reports. Turns out the 49-year-old had a heart attack, reps tell TMZ; the gossip site says he actually briefly fell unconscious. He was airlifted to a hospital in Anchorage, Alaska, and later Wednesday the reality show's account tweeted, "He is with his family and in good spirits. Please send him your love and prayers!"