# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/101 "2019-09-06T22:50:51Z")
I just heard on NBC News that the boat’s owners have filed a lawsuit (the exact nature, I don’t know) and they said that this is common practice in maritime disasters, because their law system is much different from, if you will, land law. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/102 "2019-09-06T23:04:01Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I just read an article from USA Today that the victims are believed to have died due to smoke inhalation. So the limited points of egress wasn’t the reason for their deaths. I don’t see how that follows. > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I just heard on NBC News that the boat’s owners have filed a lawsuit (the exact nature, I don’t know) and they said that this is common practice in maritime disasters, because their law system is much different from, if you will, land law. Who was the lawsuit against? The operators? The company that chartered it? Their insurance company? ---
**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 6, 2019, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/103 "2019-09-06T23:39:01Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Who was the lawsuit against? The operators? The company that chartered it? Their insurance company? It’s something to do with limiting their liability. > **[California dive boat owner asks judge to limit payouts to victims' families](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-09-05/california-boat-fire-lawsuit-damages-court-filing)** > > The owner of Conception asks a federal judge to eliminate or reduce payouts to relatives of crew and passengers after boat fire. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/104 "2019-09-06T23:58:51Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > I just read an article from USA Today that the victims are believed to have died due to smoke inhalation. So the limited points of egress wasn’t the reason for their deaths. > > I don’t see how that follows. Perhaps I’m wrong to do so, but I _assumed_ they died in their sleep. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/105 "2019-09-07T11:56:33Z")
I’m seeing some early reports today that smoke inhalation was the cause of death. I’m also seeing reports that there were some serious safety violations and they are talking to the roving guard, who may have fallen asleep. Just a terrible 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 7, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/106 "2019-09-07T16:32:36Z")
Here is an excellent concise write up of what is known so far. > **[California boat fire: What we know about the Conception's escape routes](https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-boat-fire-conception-escape-routes/#nt=1col-7030col1-main)** > > A diving boat caught fire off the coast of South Barbara early Monday. As investigators try to find the cause, the ship's design is drawing scrutiny. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/107 "2019-09-07T16:43:42Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I just read an article from USA Today that the victims are believed to have died due to smoke inhalation. So the limited points of egress wasn’t the reason for their deaths. 😕:dubious: For typical smoke type/density during the incipient stages of a fire, it takes more than one lungful of it to kill you. Which means that, yes, if you’re hampered from getting out because both exits are blocked by fire, then the limited points of egress surely did contribute to their deaths by forcing them to breathe, for a prolonged period, smoke that may have become very dense as the fire progressed. Search YouTube for videos of the 2003 Station Nightclub fire, and you’ll see what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/108 "2019-09-07T19:41:42Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Here is an excellent concise write up of what is known so far. > > [California boat fire: What we know about the Conception’s escape routes - Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-boat-fire-conception-escape-routes/#nt=1col-7030col1-main) Whatever the cause of the fire, the sub-header that reads ‘a compliant fire-trap’ sums up my thoughts on the vessel’s design, based on having two exits (one of which was very small and located over a bunkbed) that led out into basically the same confined space. I guess, from the layout, they couldn’t have had the escape hatch open onto the weather deck because the engine room was directly aft of the berthing space and the galley/dining area (the confined space) covered the deck above the berthing space. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/109 "2019-09-09T12:29:46Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Could it be an electric BBQ? I suppose it could be… although, it would draw a lot of current so it could only be used when the engines or generator(s) were running. It seems more likely that a propane unit would be more efficient and utile in this type of setting. > [@hajario](#): > > Here is an excellent concise write up of what is known so far. > > [California boat fire: What we know about the Conception’s escape routes - Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-boat-fire-conception-escape-routes/#nt=1col-7030col1-main) This is the best diagram of the ship’s layout I have seen. I concur that the “escape” hatch was completely useless. There’s almost no way anyone could have found or used it (even if they knew where it was! ) while disoriented by sleep, oxygen deprivation, etc… in a cabin filling with smoke. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/110 "2019-09-09T13:27:32Z")
I think the expectation was that the escape hatch would be used in a sinking ship scenario rather than a fire, although I don’t know if it would be easier to get to when the ship is sinking and perhaps filling with water. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/111 "2019-09-09T13:45:22Z")
Well, a sinking ship would presumably not have opaque clouds of toxic smoke and extreme heat to contend with. That might help the evacuation process. ---
**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 9, 2019, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/112 "2019-09-09T14:06:11Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think the expectation was that the escape hatch would be used in a sinking ship scenario rather than a fire, although I don’t know if it would be easier to get to when the ship is sinking and perhaps filling with water. I think the purpose of the escape hatch is to provide an egress in case the main exit is unusable. While I _can_ imagine the stairs would be blocked in a sinking scenario, it doesn’t seem likely. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/113 "2019-09-09T22:14:52Z")
Criminal Probe under way. > **[Criminal probe underway in fiery California boat disaster](https://www.kcra.com/article/criminal-probe-california-dive-boat-fire/28970446?utm_campaign=KCRA&utm_content=5d76b66069312f000175594a&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=trueAnthem%3A%2BNew%2BContent%2B%28Feed%29)** > > U.S. authorities are conducting a criminal investigation into the fiery dive boat disaster that killed 34 people off the coast of California. “Criminal probe underway in fiery California boat disaster” ---
**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 12, 2019, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/114 "2019-09-12T04:38:00Z")
They have recovered the last of the 34 victims, although they haven’t completed identification (DNA testing on 7 victims): > **[The last missing victim from the California dive boat fire has been located |...](https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/11/us/california-boat-fire-investigation/index.html)** > > The last missing victim of the Conception dive boat fire in California was located Wednesday, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/115 "2019-09-12T14:01:07Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > They have recovered the last of the 34 victims, although they haven’t completed identification (DNA testing on 7 victims): > [https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/11/us/california-boat-fire-investigation/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/11/us/california-boat-fire-investigation/index.html) More than 7 have been identified, however. This per the kin of one of the victims. ---
**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 12, 2019, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/116 "2019-09-12T18:52:16Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > More than 7 have been identified, however. This per the kin of one of the victims. There were at the time the article was written, seven remaining who had not been positively identified. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/117 "2019-09-12T20:11:12Z")
I was on vacation when the indecent happened and wasn’t paying much attention to the news, so while I was vaguely aware that there was a fire on a boat in SoCal I didn’t know many details until I came back and read this thread. Now that I have… > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > When I was diving in SoCal 30 years ago, I dove off of _Conception_ once or twice. I took a trip to the Channel Islands with the Sierra Club a few years ago. I don’t remember the name of the boat we were on, but looking at the layout of Conception it looks _exactly_ like the one we were on. If it wasn’t Conception it was more than likely one of her sister ships. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/118 "2019-09-12T22:11:57Z")
Well, this isn’t good… looks like someone was asleep on the job… [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/all-conception-crew-members-were-sleeping-when-boat-fire-broke-out-ntsb-says/ar-AAHcBbr?ocid=spartanntp](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/all-conception-crew-members-were-sleeping-when-boat-fire-broke-out-ntsb-says/ar-AAHcBbr?ocid=spartanntp) ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/119 "2019-09-12T22:37:24Z")
They are now looking at Lithium Ion batteries in devices being charged as a possible source. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592/120 "2019-09-12T22:49:18Z")
They’ve been saying that the boat’s manufacturer\* has “suggested” lithium batteries as a possible cause for some time now. Which, while possibly true, sounds awfully convenient for them, since it would expose another party with deeper pockets to at least some portion of the liability for this. So I guess I’ll take a “wait and see” approach to likely causes. \*ETA: Designer. That should be the boat’s designer as the source of speculation that it may have been lithium batteries. Just the same, it remains purely speculative and awfully convenient for them to say. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scuba-charter-disaster-in-california-over-30-feared-dead-sept-2019/839592.md?page=7)