# Scuba Charter Disaster in California: over 30 feared dead.\[Sept.2019\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 2, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592 "2019-09-02T16:57:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/1 "2019-09-02T16:57:20Z")
This will be ugly. The MV Conception caught fire early this morning while anchored off of Santa Cruz Island, one of California’s Channel Islands. Per Ventura County Fire Department, five crew members awake on the bridge or upper decks were able to flee the burning vessel, but were unable to assist some 30 passengers in the berthing space below. 34 people are missing at this time. [https://fox5sandiego.com/2019/09/02/34-dead-after-boat-fire-near-santa-cruz-island-according-to-officials/](https://fox5sandiego.com/2019/09/02/34-dead-after-boat-fire-near-santa-cruz-island-according-to-officials/) Diagram of the MV Conception berthing area: [https://www.truthaquatics.com/conception/](https://www.truthaquatics.com/conception/) click on berthing area. One narrow ladder in or out for some 30 people. Nightmare. I do not scuba dive, but I thought that many of you do. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/2 "2019-09-02T17:07:59Z")
Any thought on what could cause the fire? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/3 "2019-09-02T17:08:47Z")
Shit. I went on a day trip to Santa Cruz island on the Conception’s sister vessel, the Truth, about a month and a half ago. I’ve probably met some of the crew involved. They were mostly just kids. Really nice, really enthusiastic, super-excited to be doing what they do. This is so awful. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/4 "2019-09-02T17:16:17Z")
This is right off the the coast where I live. It’s just horrible. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/5 "2019-09-02T17:18:20Z")
Yes, it’s horrible even if you’re not a scuba fan. This is a terrible tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/6 "2019-09-02T17:21:15Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Any thought on what could cause the fire? My understanding is that the galley is nearly above the berthing spaces. I also understand that the fire was in the early morning, like 4 or so. Perhaps a cooking fire that got out of control? The Coast Guard will figure it out in their inquest. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/7 "2019-09-02T17:22:05Z")
Horrible way to go and so close to shore. Such a tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/8 "2019-09-02T17:24:42Z")
Local reporting says that the boat may have been chartered by a group from Santa Cruz (the city). ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/9 "2019-09-02T17:29:26Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > Shit. I went on a day trip to Santa Cruz island on the Conception’s sister vessel, the Truth, about a month and a half ago. I’ve probably met some of the crew involved. They were mostly just kids. Really nice, really enthusiastic, super-excited to be doing what they do. This is so awful. It is tragic. They were just trying to have a wonderful trip, and now this. Was the sister vessel as confined as it appears the Conception was from that berthing diagram? I recoiled when I first saw the diagram: “Thirty people are supposed to get in and out of that hole?” Reminded me of photos and diagrams of USS Fitzgerald’s berthing spaces. There, it’s a warship, which needs multiple watertight and blast resistant compartments. I don’t see the same need for a lack of hatch access on a civilian live-aboard dive vessel. I have friends who’ve worked on the Duck Boat drownings in Branson. Since reading about it, I’m perhaps paranoid about knowing where my exits are, and can I likely use them, when entering any confined space. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/10 "2019-09-02T18:07:20Z")
I’m not sure, since I didn’t go down to the bunk area at all. From the diagrams on the website, it looks like the layout is different but there’s still only a single way in and out. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/11 "2019-09-02T18:08:31Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > Was the sister vessel as confined as it appears the Conception was from that berthing diagram? I recoiled when I first saw the diagram: “Thirty people are supposed to get in and out of that hole?” “Thirty(-some) people are supposed to get in and out of that hole?” who were in all likelihood asleep when the fire started, given the time it started. I wonder if there were smoke detectors in the sleeping area? I would not be surprised if some of them never woke up. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/12 "2019-09-02T18:10:51Z")
When I was diving in SoCal 30 years ago, I dove off of _Conception_ once or twice. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/13 "2019-09-02T18:45:46Z")
What, if anything, could the crew have done for the passengers? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/14 "2019-09-02T19:00:42Z")
Woken them up, directed them to the ladder/exit, provided them with life vests, directed them to life rafts. A lot is the answer. Crew should also have access to fire suppression equipment. ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/15 "2019-09-02T19:13:56Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > What, if anything, could the crew have done for the passengers? Depends on how far along the fire was. If it was aggressive enough that no one from the berthing space even got on deck, it is questionable if they could have done anything. Horrible situation. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/16 "2019-09-02T19:15:44Z")
It was a massive explosion. There wasn’t anything the crew could have done once it started. As to why the explosion happened, it’s too soon to tell. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/17 "2019-09-02T19:20:43Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It was a massive explosion. How do you know this? I’ve read that the cause of the fire is not known. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/18 "2019-09-02T19:21:23Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Woken them up, directed them to the ladder/exit, provided them with life vests, directed them to life rafts. A lot is the answer. > > Crew should also have access to fire suppression equipment. This post is an embarrassment. So clueless. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/19 "2019-09-02T19:22:25Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > How do you know this? I’ve read that the cause of the fire is not known. The cause is unknown but not what happened. This is based on local reports. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/20 "2019-09-02T19:31:56Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > This post is an embarrassment. So clueless. That’s rather rude. Sunny’s comments were akin to what I first thought when reading the story. ‘Really crew, you didn’t try to get any of your pax off or suppress the fire? Or have a fire watch to stop any burning before stuff started exploding?’ Those passengers relied on the crew to keep them safe and watch over them while they slept, and that reliance was repaid by getting to watch each other choke to death in the dark. That said, there isn’t a lot of information available I’ve seen. It sounds like there was very little most of the crew could do with a fire that large, directly over the only egress from the berths. If you know more, please share. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592.md?page=2)