A 15-year-old Alaska boy survived an extraordinary 62-hour ordeal in the freezing Bering Sea after the fishing skiff carrying him, his older brother and cousin overturned near remote St. Lawrence Island.
Derek Parker Aghnaanga was eventually discovered kneeling on the overturned hull, exhausted and suffering symptoms of hypothermia.
By the time rescuers reached him, his two relatives, Sidney Kulowiyi, 35, and Barton Rookok, 34, had drowned.
The teenager had spent more than two days without food or water, exposed to the elements as the small vessel drifted through open water toward the Russian border.
Family Reveals How Derek Tried to Hold On
Aghnaanga’s aunt, Colleen Walker, said the teenager desperately attempted to remain with his relatives even after they had died.
According to Walker, Derek tried to hold onto both Kulowiyi and Rookok for as long as possible before their bodies eventually slipped away.
“He tried to hang on as long as he could after they drowned,” Walker wrote on a fundraising page created to support the family.
His mother, Vina Kulowiyi, said her son relied heavily on his faith throughout the ordeal.
“4 days and 3 nights. He lived on prayer with no food and water,” she wrote on Facebook, adding that Derek told her he spent the ordeal sitting and praying.
Fishing Trip Turned Into a Fight for Survival
The three relatives had left Savoonga on September 4 to fish for halibut when the tragedy unfolded.
They were traveling in a small fishing skiff near St. Lawrence Island when the vessel suddenly overturned.
A family spokesman said a fishing line may have become tangled in the motor, potentially contributing to the accident.
Kulowiyi, who was operating the boat, became trapped underneath the overturned skiff and drowned, relatives said.
Rookok initially survived the capsize and remained with Derek for approximately another day.
Family members said he later became distressed, entered the water and drowned.
That left Derek alone on the overturned boat, surrounded by the vast and frigid Bering Sea.
Derek Had Lost a Brother Who Was Like a Father
The loss of Kulowiyi was particularly painful because of the close bond he shared with Derek.
The teenager’s father had died when Derek was younger, and relatives said his older brother subsequently became a father figure in his life.
Kulowiyi was a commercial fishing captain and was remembered by his aunt as a humble and loving man who provided for others in the community.
Fishing is deeply woven into life in Savoonga, a community of roughly 800 people where residents traditionally share their catches with relatives and neighbors.
“That’s how we do it in our community. We take care of one another,” Walker previously said.
“We still live a traditional way of life even if the world is changing.”
Search Begins After the Fishermen Fail to Return
The family expected the fishing party to return by early Sunday morning, but the three men never came home.
Alaska State Troopers eventually notified the US Coast Guard at approximately 8.30pm after the fishermen failed to return.
Aircraft were sent to search the remote stretch of ocean, but the vastness of the area made the operation extremely challenging.
Nearly two days later, at around 10.30am on September 7, a Coast Guard aircrew finally spotted something unusual in the water.
It was Derek.
The teenager was wearing a bright yellow jacket and was kneeling on top of the overturned skiff.
Fishing Crew Races to Bring Him to Safety
The Coast Guard dropped a life raft and emergency supplies before requesting assistance from the nearby Northwest Explorer, a fishing vessel carrying 13 crew members as well as scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Captain Adam White recalled seeing what appeared to be an unusual object on the horizon.
“We blasted our horn a couple times,” White said.
The vessel moved toward the stranded teenager while its crew worked to bring the overturned skiff alongside.
Crew members threw Derek a line and gradually pulled the small boat closer.
He was eventually placed in a rescue basket and lifted aboard the fishing vessel.
The exhausted teenager was suffering from hypothermia and was immediately wrapped in blankets.
Hot packs were placed around him while crew members kept him talking during the journey toward Nome.
Rescuers Learned the Tragedy Was Not Over
Even while Derek was being treated, he was trying to explain what had happened to his family members.
White said the teenager spoke through chattering teeth and told the crew that his brother was still beneath the overturned skiff.
“Through the teeth chattering, [Aghnaanga] had mentioned that his brother was still under the skiff,” White told KTUU.
He also told rescuers what had happened to his cousin.
White later described Derek as “one tough kid,” but the captain said the rescue was emotionally difficult because of the devastating circumstances surrounding it.
“When you look into a family member’s eyes… there’s gratitude, but sorrow at the same time,” White said.
“I know I became overwhelmed with it so I had to go hide in my room for a minute.”
Family Heard the News Over the Radio
While the rescue unfolded at sea, Derek’s relatives were anxiously waiting for news on shore.
Walker previously recalled the moment the family heard the announcement that a survivor had been located.
“We all cried and jumped for joy when the captain announced on the radio, ‘We found a kid, he’s alive, he’s alive,’” she said.
The relief quickly gave way to another painful question: where were the other two men?
The Northwest Explorer later recovered the bodies of Kulowiyi and Rookok, confirming the devastating outcome for Derek’s brother and cousin.
Savoonga Community Mourns Two Fishermen
Residents, friends and relatives gathered to remember Kulowiyi and Rookok after the rescue.
A tribute was held for the two men, with members of the community joining together to honor their lives and support their grieving families.
For Derek’s relatives, the rescue therefore brought two profoundly different emotions at once: immense relief that the teenager had survived and deep grief over the deaths of the two men who had accompanied him on the fishing trip.
Fundraiser Supports the Grieving Family
A GoFundMe campaign established for Derek and his family has raised approximately $48,000.
The funds are intended to help with funeral expenses for Kulowiyi and Rookok while also providing support to the family as Derek recovers from his ordeal.
After spending 62 hours stranded on the overturned skiff, the teenager was finally brought back to shore—but he returned carrying the painful memory of losing two close relatives in the same waters where he fought to survive.
