Alaskan Teen Survives Three Days at Sea After Boat Capsizes

Fifteen-year-old Derek Parker Aghnaanga survived an unimaginable ordeal after spending nearly three days stranded on top of an overturned fishing boat in the freezing waters off Alaska.

Derek had left the remote community of Savoonga on September 4 with his 35-year-old brother, Sidney Kulowiyi, and 34-year-old cousin, Barton Rookok, to fish for halibut. When they failed to return, authorities launched a search involving Coast Guard aircraft and helicopters.

Heavy fog delayed the search, but on Monday morning, rescuers finally spotted Derek clinging to the overturned skiff.

The crew of the Northwest Explorer approached and pulled him aboard. He was wrapped in blankets and given hot packs before being taken toward Nome.

Tragically, Derek was the only survivor.

He told rescuers that his brother had become trapped beneath the overturned boat. He also witnessed his cousin lose his grip during the night and disappear into the water. Both men’s bodies were later recovered.

For days, Derek had no food or drinking water, surviving on top of the overturned skiff in dangerously cold conditions.

His mother, Vina Kulowiyi, called her son a “survivor” and said he “lived on prayer with no food and water.”

Captain Adam White, who helped rescue him, called his survival “unbelievable” and “remarkable.”

After three terrifying days at sea, Derek was finally brought back to safety and reunited with his family.