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16 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | FEBRUARY 2024 By Annette Hillis, Resident ink of the TV show, e Deadliest Catch and you'll get a glimpse into the world of the former life of Solera Diamond Valley resident, Mike Hurlock. Hurlock was a longshoreman in the Port of Seattle from 1979 to July 2018. When he was in his early 20s, a friend of his asked if he was interested in going to Alaska. Hurlock, young and adventurous by nature, took him up on his offer. "It was the best thing that ever happened to me," he remembers. He got involved in the commercial fishing industry. He says that commercial fishing was extreme. "ere were no set hours – day or night. Sleeping time was difficult. ere was no time for messing around." Hurlock recounts his time fishing on the 144-foot-long vessel he was on. eir task was to go fishing for King Crab. "When I was fishing in the 1970s, the quotas were high – 130 million pounds of King Crab. e season was for three months." But he says things have changed in recent years. He shares that there hasn't been any King Crab fishing in two years and that the quotas nowadays are way down due to rising ocean temperatures where crabs have migrated to deeper, colder waters across the United States and Russia boundary. Hurlock says he was the most fulfilled the time when he transitioned from being a container crane operator on shore to being selected as the lead crane instructor. "I was proud of the work I did. I was a blue-collar working stiff." Nowadays, as a retired individual, he has other ways to fill his time. "I like to exercise and maintain a healthy diet. I love to cycle and play pickleball. I just finished up terms as our pickleball vice president and president. I like hiking and going to concerts, too." He also talks fondly of his wife, eresa Berg. eresa was from Portland, Oregon and met Mike at a marine shipping company where she worked. Aer coming across each other more than a few times, eresa asked if Mike was ever going to ask her out. Eventually, the two would marry and move here to Hemet, although eresa came here first as Mike finished up business where they had previously lived. ey both enjoy traveling internationally. "She is such a genuinely nice person. She has such a big heart. She's always remembering to send out cards to friends. She's immersed into the community." Hurlock says he is also glad to be living in Solera Diamond Valley. "Who doesn't like the year-round weather? ere are nice people in our community. People are so friendly. It's like one big happy family." The Catch of a Lifetime