Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[Londy]

How many people would get on a similar boat next week with no changes made?

Is this a poll? If the price was right, I would. But I'd be sleeping on the top deck under the stars.

 

[pauldw]

In other words, not take the common sense approach and identify possibly causes and implement ways to prevent it from happening again.

You're not only beating a dead horse (and I'm beginning to wonder about the people who keep demanding over and over that other folks validate their opinions), but you're also putting words in my mouth, which I find concerning since the vast majority of us don't think that certain "common sense" additions to a live aboard dive boat are actually sensible at all.

 

[ibj40]

Who said cut a hole below the waterline?

Who said, at 3:00 in the morning, a half asleep passenger would know the difference?

Can we reach a consensus that this is a naive, misguided idea?

 

[Akimbo]

Timing Observations and Questions:

The Mayday call was about 0315. The Coast Guard arrived at 0330. It will be interesting to find out if the Coast Guard happened to be 15 minutes away and started heading for the Conception based on the radio call or saw a glow in the night sky and started heading in that direction before the call. It will also be interesting to see testimony from the crew and people on boats anchored nearby to get an idea when the fire got large enough to light up the area. I'm unsure if it was clear of foggy at the time.

Note that Santa Cruz Island is about 25 miles from the nearest Coast Guard station at Oxnard, just north of Port Hueneme. An hour transit from port would be pretty fast, depending on sea state. Santa Barbara is a few miles farther.

 

[Ron Lee]

Who said, at 3:00 in the morning, a half asleep passenger would know the difference?

Can we reach a consensus that this is a naive, misguided idea?

Are you unaware that the area to be cut can be clearly outlined with hazard areas near the waterline also marked.

If you want to claim that someone can't wake up quickly enough to determine that the primary and alternate escape paths are not usable and take actions to create a viable escape path, then in reality you are condemning people in the bunk area to certain death. Provide a solution that is acceptable to someone afraid of a power tool.

 

[Ron Lee]

What happens in a week? The initial NTSB report? If so and they are like preliminary aviation reports, expect a summary of the main points. Boat name. Number on board. Fatalities/injuries and comments about the fire, rescue efforts, etc.

Perhaps less than in the summary posted periodically.

 

[tursiops]

Are you unaware that the area to be cut can be clearly outlined with hazard areas near the waterline also marked.

If you want to claim that someone can't wake up quickly enough to determine that the primary and alternate escape paths are not usable and take actions to create a viable escape path, then in reality you are condemning people in the bunk area to certain death. Provide a solution that is acceptable to someone afraid of a power tool.

I understand why you are proposing this. I would suggest instead that a watertight window (one of those 2ft rectangular "portholes") would serve the same purpose, and could probably be opened faster than cutting a Ron Lee hole, without the disadvantages of a power saw in scared, untrained hands. All you need to do is convince the Coast Guard and the insurance company.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

In other words, not take the common sense approach and identify possibly causes and implement ways to prevent it from happening again.

How many people would get on a similar boat next week with no changes made?

Or if you expect changes that may prevent a recurrence, what would they be?

How about the chartering party hire their own person to stay up all night and keep watch with plenty of fire extinguishers very close by within easy reach. That’s something that could be done right now. Maybe give the person a free trip plus a little money (shared by the people chartering the trip). Whoever takes the assignment would basically sit watch on the main deck, watch videos, read, sketch, whatever, but their main job would be fire watch.
In the morning when other people are up they can go do a dive or two, eat lunch, then go below and crash out at 2 pm. They get up at 10 or 11 PM, grab some dinner that was saved for them and go to work.
This could be done right now with no waiting for mandates or new rules.
I’m sure the anchor watch hand would like it too; to have someone else awake to talk to.

 

[BRT]

How about the chartering party hire their own person to stay up all night and keep watch with plenty of fire extinguishers very close by within easy reach. That’s something that could be done right now. Maybe give the person a free trip plus a little money (shared by the people chartering the trip). Whoever takes the assignment would basically sit watch on the main deck, watch videos, read, sketch, whatever, but their main job would be fire watch.
In the morning when other people are up they can go do a dive or two, eat lunch, then go below and crash out at 2 pm. They get up at 10 or 11 PM, grab some dinner that was saved for them and go to work.
This could be done right now with no waiting for mandates or new rules.
I’m sure the anchor watch hand would like it too; to have someone else awake to talk to.

Can you imagine the liability?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Can you imagine the liability?

What liability?
One of the charter passengers couldn’t sleep so they sat in the salon all night reading.
So what?