Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[Lilespig]

I think people can choose if they want to dive in these style boats, pending a completion of NTSB investigation.

I've never been on a live aboard with this set up. For me personally, being from the east coast, I would not have been comfortable with this set up for lack of egress options, and being a light sleeper for the communal sleeping quarters, even before this incident. But, I understand this is very typical for SoCal diving.

What is critical for every diver or boater to understand is that damn near everything on a boat is highly flammable. Fire on a boat is a bigger hazard than sinking. But, if either of these emergencies happen, very best case scenario, we have seconds to react. There are so many ways fire can start on a boat. Not diving is not what anyone on that boat would want from the diving community. Like any incident or accident, I can only imagine that they would want their fellow divers to reduce their safety risk as much as possible.

Instead of speculating on what started this fire, or placing blame before an investigation is done people, that do still want to support the SoCal dive community should begin thinking of ways that they can double up on safety precautions to potentially help prevent a future incident like those.

 

[KevinNM]

The pictures taken of the fire don’t show fog. There was fog in the morning, but the 2 boats were 200 yards apart and the fire pictures are clear and the shore was 20 yards away from the boat per reports.

 

[scubadada]

From what I remember the early news reports were that it was very foggy. That might of made it difficult to see shore. This is based on early news reports, I am not presenting it as a fact.

60 feet off shore

 

[hammet]

 

[MaxBottomtime]

 

[Lilespig]

4 souls were recovered very early and their passing was described as "consistent with drowning". If they just escaped a almost engulfed compartment and had smoke inhalation etc. from the fire and were overcome in the water. Anyhow, I am not saying that that is what happened, I am saying that your assertions are not as clear to me at least as they are to you.

I've been in the after torp room in my rack that literally had a very powerful flare go off in it and watched (from under the noise makers I pulled over myself) as it bounced around and caught almost everything it touched on fire, including "flame proof materials" (they burn hot those darn SSE's) and then saw nothing but glow of stuff on fire in the smoke after it stopped bouncing and screeching as we grabbed extinguishers (we knew by feel where they were, it's what submariners do) and fought the fire.. then when the actual fire response team arrived got yelled at for not having gone on Bibbs before we fought the fire (he was right)

 

[CT-Rich]

I think like any major fire with loss of life, there will be some very good lessons learned. Every boat operator is going to look at what happened on this boat and ask “could it happen here?” This, from reports, was a well run operation and was in compliance with Coast Guard regulations. We do not yet know how human error played into this tragedy and I am sure everyone of the survivors is going to spend their days wondering what they could have done differently.

I think there will be significant changes to how boats are built and equipped in the future. For the people who are saying “l would never sail on a boat like that...”. Hind site is easy. The CG said the boat was good to go, hundreds of people sailed on her and had confidence in her crew. I grew up on boats and even though I knew they occasionally burned, I never once looked at my dad’s boat and worried about escape during a fire. Until this tragedy, you probably never worried about a galley fire or escape routes beyond the safety briefings.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

 

[Ron Lee]

I think there will be significant changes to how boats are built and equipped in the future. For the people who are saying “l would never sail on a boat like that...”. Hind site is easy. The CG said the boat was good to go, hundreds of people sailed on her and had confidence in her crew. I grew up on boats and even though I knew they occasionally burned, I never once looked at my dad’s boat and worried about escape during a fire. Until this tragedy, you probably never worried about a galley fire or escape routes beyond the safety briefings.

It is not that I would have said a week ago that I would not get on a similar boat, it is because the death trap that it was in this incident makes it an easy decision not to get on an overnight trip until suitable changes are made. Others can go if they wish.

 

[Lilespig]

.. For the people who are saying “l would never sail on a boat like that...”. Hind site is easy. The CG said the boat was good to go, hundreds of people sailed on her and had confidence in her crew. I grew up on boats and even though I knew they occasionally burned, I never once looked at my dad’s boat and worried about escape during a fire. Until this tragedy, you probably never worried about a galley fire or escape routes beyond the safety briefings.

I did, but honestly only because I'm overly cautious. When I was a kid, my parents boat caught fire in the middle of the night. They were sleeping, and were saved because they made a rare decision to dock for the night at the Annapolis city pier instead of anchoring out in the bay. Someone woke them and they ran across the street and got the firemen.
So for me, I can't sleep on a boat that doesn't have two legit, easy to access inside of 3 seconds, exits near my cabin