Conception disaster

The Conception was a jewel in fleet of live-aboard dive boats that took SCUBA divers for multi-day trips to the islands off Santa Barbara California.

An early morning fire aboard the boat caused what is feared to be the loss of the entire list of divers who were sleeping in the boat's bunk house below decks. 33 in all. Plus one crew member. Five crew members dove off the boat and into the water. Several were injured. One hospitalized due to a leg injury. Crew quarters were above deck. Passenger bunk area was below deck and none of the passengers got out.

I'm putting this out there for others who may have spent time on that boat to reminisce and give their own thoughts about what happened.

I've been on that boat and slept (or passed out) in that bunk house many times over the decades. The company, the boat, the crew and fellow passengers were for the most part, top notch. The diving was fabulous and the food and accommodations on the boat were good. I've seen some things on my dives from that boat that stay with me as the most memorable in my life. For that I'm eternally grateful.

Until more details become available, I'm not going to say much more than to wish the survivors and families of the victims well and hope that what comes from this disaster makes everybody safer.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/25-confirmed-dead-after-boat-catches-fire-near-santa-cruz-n1049016

Does a boat like that have emergency exits and fire extinguishers and fire alarms and fire sprinkler systems? If so then it must be foul play and the passengers below were trapped inside unable to escape. It’s absolutely horrific! My thoughts and prayers go out .....

Dr.Amber Trichome said:

Does a boat like that have emergency exits and fire extinguishers and fire alarms and fire sprinkler systems? If so then it must be foul play and the passengers below were trapped inside unable to escape. It’s absolutely horrific! My thoughts and prayers go out .....

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I'm not sure about fire sprinkler system or fire alarm although there is a ship-wide alarm that can be sounded. Yes, fire extinguishers.

Completely possible and likely that the fire was an accident. It could have been anything, from a passenger's battery to an electrical failure in the galley. With a fully occupied bunk area, it was hard to move around below decks even in good conditions. The stairs out of the sleeping quarters were steep and led up to the mid deck galley area and not outside. News articles say there was an escape hatch but I don't recall where. After a full day of diving, we partied pretty hard in the evenings. Waking at 3am in the confusion, I don't see how the passengers had a chance.

This from Truth Aquatics website: https://www.truthaquatics.com/conception/

Dr.Amber Trichome said:

Does a boat like that have emergency exits and fire extinguishers and fire alarms and fire sprinkler systems? If so then it must be foul play and the passengers below were trapped inside unable to escape. It’s absolutely horrific! My thoughts and prayers go out .....

Click to expand...

Fire fighting equipment - yes (it's the law), Escape Hatch, I believe is required. Auto-fire/smoke detector -unknown, fire-suppression system - very doubtful.

In an unfamiliar space that isn't big but is filled with thick black acerbic smoke and a whole bunch of panicking people, it'd be pretty hard to make it to the emergency hatch. Could be that all the exit points were ablaze.

Hopefully they all died before the fire got to them.

I think that I'll start traveling with my own personal smoke detector.

They pack em in like a can of sardines and make a ton of money off their customers and did not ensure there safety! . This boat has to be deemed safe by whom? The state of California? How often are inspections done? This tragedy is criminal.