Surrey resident Jeff Prepchuk wants to establish a fund to assist victims of the "Superferry 9" sinking that killed 10 people in the Philippines.

"I would like to do what I can," the 47-year-old married father of two told a Thursday news conference at the Bridgeview Community Hall, his first meeting with local reporters since the September 6 disaster.

Prepchuk said he is still working out the details with the VanCity credit union, but he hopes by Monday to have an account number that will allow local people to send donations to the Canadian consulate in the Philippines for distribution.

Prepchuk was among the hundreds of passengers who spent hours bobbing in the water after the 7,268-tonne vessel rolled over on its side early in the morning and sank 24 kilometres offshore.

It was like being in a bad movie, he said, right out of the Poseidon Adventure. But minus the Hollywood theatrics of screaming, panicking people.

Everyone remained calm, he recalled.

The real estate investor had gone to the Philippines on what he describes as a "spiritual quest" as a volunteer with a local church.

He was heading back to Manila by ferry to catch a plane back to Canada when the vessel started rolling over. He later heard that the ferry may have been carrying an unbalanced load that shifted even further to one side when a big wave hit.

The former volunteer firefighter helped lower people into the water before jumping in himself.

He described the massive vessel starting to roll over towards him and swimming as fast as he could to keep from getting crushed.

"I know what a mosquito feels like," he said.

"I didn't like it.

He'd thrown his duffle bag with his clothes and papers into the water, not sure if it would float. When the bag didn't sink a female passenger grabbed onto it. He remembers towing her away from the sinking ship until he ran out of steam and had to let go.

He isn't sure what happened to the woman.

"I did all that I could do," he said.

"That night, I said my prayers twice,"

He estimates he spent about an hour-and-a-half in the water before rescue crews got to him.

He thought he was all right until he was in a hospital and tried to sit down. His back went out. It turned out he had compressed a disc in his spine.

He spent three days in a hospital bed before he could get to a phone and call his worried wife. He apologized for being unable to phone her sooner, but insisted everything was okay.

"She was mad and she was happy at the same time," he recalled.

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