He was the only Aborigine aboard the vessel, which fished off Taitung and Penghu. Despite his tender age, he would be at sea for three months at a time without any chance of seeing his family.
國中一年級還沒唸完，他就上船當廚師，是船上唯一的原住民，跟隨其他船員來往台東、澎湖之間捕魚，小小年紀，一趟出海就是 3 個月見不到家人。