Set Your DVR: Belmont's Own Mike Ng Featured Tonight on Biography Channel

After they were tossed from their sinking chartered fishing boat into the Sea of Cortez last July, Belmont resident Mike Ng, 43, and two others waited for a Coast Guard helicopter or boat to rescue them.

When no rescue came, they thought they could paddle their way to an island off Baja, California. But once they realized they were too far adrift to swim to shore, the trio clung to an ice cooler in the cold, churning waters.

One of the three, Leslie Yee, perished in the waters. Ng and and the third man, Jerry Garcia, remained in the water clinging to the cooler for 16 hours before being rescued by a Mexican fishing boat.

Mike Ng will tell about his ordeal on the television program "I Survived" on the Biography Channel Sunday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m.

"The show has scouts that look for major stories," explained Ng. "And we (Ng and two other survivors from the sinking ship) and I got a call from one of the producers.

Appearing on the show with Ng will be fellow fishing boat passenger Charles Gibson, who like Ng, survived the harrowing ordeal at sea. There are so many people who have survived way worse tragedies than ours, but Charles and I made the cut." 

Ng, who lives in Belmont with his wife, was one of 37 survivors. He says he is doing fine and that his life is back to normal.

"I am blessed. Thank God I am here today," he said. However, he still grieves for his relatives who were with him on the boat that fateful day and did not survive. The bodies of Don Lee and Albert Mein have never been found.

"I'm a Christian, and I've made my peace with God," said Ng. "They went doing what they love best, but my family members are still mourning. Don and Al are in a better place."

The boat, named the Erik, sank in the early morning hours of July 3. A storm hit the ship and filled the engine room and the boat's cabins with water.

"The entire crew survived. They never warned us that the ship was sinking, and there was no safety demonstration, just like on the Italian cruise ship," said Ng, referring to the Costa Concordia that ran aground in Italy last month.

Ng said they were never instructed to "batten down the hatches" and that open doors and windows allowed water to fill the boat, eventually weighing it down and sinking it. 

Although the captain of the Erik has since been arrested, Ng says, "There hasn't been any closure to what actually happened to the boat."

"We have told our story many times to the Coast Guard, the attorney general, and other government officials, but no charges have been brought against the fishing boat company," Ng said. 

Regarding the missing passengers, Ng explained, "The Mexican government sent up a delegation and we gave a deposition three months ago. The families of the missing have set up a website, www.findourfathers.com." 

Ng, an IT manager with Wells Fargo, says he has resumed his love of fishing. "I've been back out on fishing boats. I go to the Farallon Islands and other places," he said. "You have to face your fears head-on."

"If they ever do raise that ship from the floor of the Sea of Cortez, they'll find my video camera and some of my clothes," Ng said. "Thankfully I left my wedding ring at home."

Patch's Laura Dudnick interviewed Ng upon his return to Belmont last summer. Click here to read the full story.