Thirteen-year-old Juladi Khammoungkhoune found himself adrift alone in the cold Pacific Ocean, trapped inside a cooler that his father had desperately held onto before disappearing beneath the waves.

Jude, as he is commonly known, was not an experienced swimmer and had just witnessed a devastating capsizing incident that claimed the lives of three adults and two other children in the waters off northern California.

In a recent interview with YSL News, Jude shared the fear and chill he felt after losing sight of his father.

“I thought I was going to die,” Jude recounted. “I was unsure if I would ever come up from under the water again since I don’t really know how to swim.”

On November 2, Jude had gone crabbing with his father aboard a 21-foot white Bayliner boat. He, along with his father, his uncle, two younger cousins, and a family friend, was reported missing around 10:20 p.m. that evening when they failed to return to shore in Sonoma County, located north of San Francisco.

The next day, the body of Jude’s 17-year-old cousin, Johnny Phommathep II, was discovered on the shore. The remaining four individuals were still unaccounted for, and the U.S. Coast Guard concluded its 57-hour search around 6:30 p.m. on November 3.

The unthinkable happens, leaving only one survivor

Jude recalled going boating with his father, Prasong — or Song — every week in Bodega Bay. He remarked that the waves that day were unlike anything he had ever encountered.

While the exact events are somewhat fuzzy, Jude remembered seawater entering the boat through the windows and the hoop net snapping before the boat capsized.

Jude mentioned that his dad was initially clinging to the cooler but ultimately climbed inside.

“Most of my cousins remained on the boat, but some had already floated away. I just wanted to stay with my dad because he knew how to survive better than I did,” Jude expressed. “I wanted to be with him so we could face it together.”

Unfortunately, Song was unable to hold onto the cooler for long, leading Jude to drift alone for hours in the frigid dark.

“My dad was no longer with me, and it was becoming increasingly cold and windy,” he said.

Jude’s emergence onto a deserted beach at night

After several hours, Jude finally washed ashore and waited until dawn to climb a hill and locate a road. He managed to signal a passing driver who brought him to a campsite, where he received new clothes and hot chocolate.

Later, he was taken to a hospital where he reunited with his mother, Yathida, 42, and his younger siblings, Marissa, 8, and a 7-year-old brother. Fortunately, he did not suffer any serious health issues, according to Shanice Khammoungkhoune, Song’s sister.

Shanice explained that Jude is gradually adjusting to life without his father, having returned to school on Tuesday. He has taken on a more responsible role in helping his mother and two younger siblings, who are unaware of the full extent of the tragedy.

“The younger ones don’t really comprehend the situation. They know their dad is gone, but they don’t grasp it like he does,” she said.

Jude expressed that he is taking things one day at a time. He mentioned, “I’m trying to be a bit happier. I feel a little sad, but sometimes I can still find happiness.”

A memorial without a body

A vigil is scheduled for Saturday, November 16, at Westside Regional Park and Campground in Bodega Bay at 6 p.m. This ceremony will honor Prasong, his longtime friend Matthew Ong, 42, his cousin Johnny, 41, and Johnny’s two sons: Johnny Jr., 17, and Jake, 14, who had previously escaped a mass shooting in California in 2017.

“When there’s a body, there’s a funeral, a ceremony, and everything that comes with it. We don’t even know where to begin,” Shanice remarked.

Shanice mentioned that the family is inviting everyone who has experienced loss to join them.

A loved one is invited to join the ceremony.

By Friday afternoon, a GoFundMe campaign for Jude’s family had gathered over $61,000. Shanice indicated that these contributions will help support Song’s wife and their three children both in the immediate future and for the long haul.