This 15-Year-Old's First Words After 62 Hours at Sea Reveal a Heartbreaking Tragedy
Sep 17, 2026 by apost team
What began as a routine fishing trip off the coast of Alaska turned into a fight for survival that lasted nearly three days.
Fifteen-year-old Derek Parker Aghnaanga had gone halibut fishing with his older brother and cousin near St. Lawrence Island on Sept. 4 when their small skiff suddenly overturned, sending the three into the frigid waters of the Bering Sea. The accident left the vessel upside down, forcing the trio to cling to it as they drifted farther from shore.
The Bering Sea is known for its unforgiving conditions, with icy waters that can trigger hypothermia within minutes. Yet despite the cold, Aghnaanga managed to stay atop the overturned boat, enduring days without food or fresh water as rescuers searched for the missing family.
According to Alaska's News Source, Alaska State Troopers were alerted after the group failed to return home, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to begin searching the area. On the morning of Sept. 8, a Coast Guard aircraft spotted what appeared to be a person clinging to an overturned skiff and asked the nearby fishing vessel Northwest Explorer to respond.
As the vessel approached, Captain Adam White and his crew initially struggled to believe what they were seeing.
"We saw the unusual object on the horizon. We blasted our horn a couple times," White recalled.
When they got closer, it became clear that someone had survived against extraordinary odds. Crew members pulled the teenager aboard, wrapped him in blankets and immediately began treating him for hypothermia while heading toward Nome, where he would soon reunite with his family.
What Aghnaanga shared once he was safely aboard made the rescue even more heartbreaking.
Still shivering uncontrollably from the cold, Aghnaanga began telling rescuers what had happened during the 62 hours he spent stranded at sea.
"Through the teeth chattering, he had mentioned that his brother was still under the skiff," Captain Adam White told Alaska's News Source. "Then he said that in the previous night before our rescue that his cousin had slipped away off the top of the skiff."
The devastating account revealed that Aghnaanga had watched both of his relatives die while he remained alone on the overturned boat.
According to family members, his 35-year-old brother, Sidney Kulowiyi, who had been captaining the skiff, became trapped beneath the vessel after it overturned. His cousin, 34-year-old Barton Rookok, managed to stay with Aghnaanga for a time before eventually slipping into the sea during the final night before rescuers arrived.
Left completely alone, the teenager held on without food or water until help finally reached him.
"It’s unbelievable. It’s remarkable, and it’s cold. The water is 10 degrees Celsius," White said of the rescue.
"Saturday, all the way to Tuesday, that kid was on top of that skiff. I mean, that's one tough kid."
Aghnaanga is now recovering with his family after surviving an ordeal few could imagine. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help support the family and cover funeral expenses for his brother and cousin, whose lives were lost during the tragic accident.
The rescue has been hailed as extraordinary, but it was Aghnaanga's first heartbreaking words after reaching safety – that his brother was still beneath the boat and his cousin had slipped away the night before – that underscored the unimaginable loss behind his remarkable survival.
apost.com
What went through your mind after reading Derek Parker Aghnaanga's incredible story of survival? Share your thoughts in the comments, and join us in recognizing the courage it took to endure 62 hours alone at sea.