The 15-year-old survived on an overturned fishing skiff near St. Lawrence Island while two other boaters died.
JUNEAU, AK — A 15-year-old boy was rescued from an overturned fishing boat in the Bering Sea after surviving for days near Alaska’s remote St. Lawrence Island, where search crews also recovered two other boaters who had died, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The teenager was found Monday, Sept. 7, sitting on top of the capsized 18-foot skiff about 4 miles east of St. Lawrence Island. A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules crew from Air Station Kodiak spotted him at about 10:30 a.m., according to a corrected Coast Guard account. The crew dropped a life raft and survival equipment before coordinating with the nearby Northwest Explorer to bring him aboard. Officials said the teenager was showing symptoms of hypothermia.
The fishing boat had left Savoonga on Friday, Sept. 4, and was expected to return by about 3 a.m. Sunday. Alaska State Troopers said they were notified Sunday afternoon that the vessel was overdue and that a local search-and-rescue effort was already underway. The Coast Guard was notified later Sunday, but poor weather and limited visibility kept its aircraft from beginning the search until Monday morning.
The boat was carrying the teenager, his older brother and a cousin, according to family members who spoke with Alaska news organizations. The teen’s mother said the three had been fishing for halibut when the skiff overturned. Officials have not publicly released the boaters’ names, and the Coast Guard has not announced a cause for the capsizing.
Adam White, captain of the Northwest Explorer, said his vessel was directed toward the capsized skiff after the Coast Guard aircraft found the survivor. Before leaving the area to refuel, the aircraft crew dropped a line of flares to help guide White’s vessel to the scene. White said the teenager was eventually spotted on the overturned boat and brought aboard.
White told Alaska’s News Source that the boy was extremely cold and spoke through chattering teeth after the rescue. According to White, the teenager said his brother remained beneath the overturned skiff and that his cousin had slipped away from the boat the previous night. Family members said the teen had tried to hold onto his relatives after they drowned. Those details were described by the family and rescuers rather than in the Coast Guard’s official account.
The teenager’s mother said her son had remained on the overturned boat for days without food or water. White called the survival remarkable given the conditions. He said the water temperature was about 10 degrees Celsius, or 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The crew worked to warm the teenager after bringing him onto the Northwest Explorer.
The two other boaters were recovered from the water unresponsive, the Coast Guard said. Their bodies and the surviving teenager were taken aboard the Northwest Explorer and transported to Nome. The vessel arrived there Tuesday morning. The Nome Nugget reported that the teenager received medical attention, was released and later returned to Savoonga on a regularly scheduled flight.
The search brought together the Coast Guard Arctic District, Alaska State Troopers, local authorities in Savoonga, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center and Alaska Air National Guard units from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Coast Guard aircraft involved in the response included HC-130 Hercules planes and MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters. Air National Guard rescue personnel and aircraft also assisted.
Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard’s Arctic District, offered condolences to the families and community affected by the deaths. He also credited the Northwest Explorer and federal, state and village responders with helping save the teenager. The Coast Guard ended its search after the survivor and the two deceased boaters were located.
Savoonga is a Siberian Yupik community on the northern coast of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, more than 160 miles west of Nome. The rescue occurred after weather initially delayed the federal response, highlighting the challenges search crews can face in the remote waters around western Alaska. Authorities had not announced a confirmed cause of the capsizing as of Friday.
Author note: Last updated September 11, 2026.