Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[Dryglove]

What we know about the victims of the Santa Cruz Island boat fire
The majority of the victims are believed to be from the Bay Area

What we know about the victims of the Santa Cruz Island boat fire – Press Enterprise

 

[NickB-LA]

I believe the crew had no idea either. Looking at the layout of the boat the bridge is connected with the main deck through the external stairs in the back. So there is no direct connection with the galley. The question is whether there were any smoke detectors in galley for obvious reasons (smoke from food preparation). So if there weren't it's not hard to imagine small fire (from said li-ion charging) spreading out and watch crew even if they haven't been asleep having absolutely no idea what's going on down below until too late.

Listen I am not bashing anyone and it's obvious that many people out there have strong connection to boat operator. But this scenario can repeat itself on any of remaining boats of this design and operation tomorrow.

True. And someone could win back to back Powerballs. But the odds are highly stacked against it. The point being this wasn't some run of the mill fire that occurs all the time. As has been said, countless of overnights have taken place on these boats going back over basically half a century.

Can something be learned from this? Of course.

Should there be steps taken from that lesson? Absolutely.

But there is nothing to be gained by acting as if a similar incident is remotely imminent.

 

[rjack321]

But this scenario can repeat itself on any of remaining boats of this design and operation tomorrow.

It could and probably will repeat - on almost any powered boat more than a kayak.

There are thousands of shipwrecks all over the globe due to fires throughout history. We can find fires, capsizes, sinkings, and major storm damage all occurring <annually> including the loss of ships and lives.

I am at a loss why divers of all people think that a catastrophic fatal fire aboard a ship should somehow be impossible. Or that somehow with "enough" fire suppression or building in hatches that will sink the boat in a storm, or whatever that this tragedy could have been avoided. Yes it might have. Yet there is always a bigger ignition source, or more unlikely starting point, or new more flammable thing, or place that the watchstander wasn't checking "often enough" because something else may have been a bigger priority at a given moment.

There have been catastrophic fires aboard boats since we first built boats. There will hopefully be some lessons learned from this accident but every vessel is inherently a compromise between a litany of factors - emergency access and fire suppression are just two of many. Like seaworthiness, being able to survive a collision or grounding, having a suitable GM (metacentric height - how ship stability is measured), space for divers, space to sleep, space to cook, a powerplant that works, etc.​

 

[KevinNM]

Additionally, a few posts have shown examples of an Li-ion battery blowing up; it's not a particularly small fire - more like having a Roman candle light off, with a blinding ignition.

And if it's like the boats I've been on, there are going to be several dozen more batteries on the table next to it that will likely cook off once one catches fire. If there was a significant amount of flammable material close to them then the fire will progress rapidly since apparently the windows were open due to the heat.

 

[AZNetEng]

Amazing how a tragedy jogs your memory, my trip was only at the end of May.

We did the Bel Amie mid June. That boat did the same drill.

 

[Celeus]

My husband and I were on the Nautilus Explorer several years ago on a trip to Guadalupe Island for a Great White Shark trip and I also remember and was impressed by the mandatory PFD/evacuation drill for passengers and the fire fighting drill completed during the trip by the crew. We were discussing this horrific Conception tragedy last night and we remembered that of all the liveaboards we have been on over the years, the ONLY time we were required to participate in a mandatory PFD/evacuation drill or see the crew practice a fire drill was onboard the Nautilus Explorer.

I was thinking the same thing, except it was on the Peter Hughes Belize liveaboard (Sun Dancer). I don't remember a safety drill, but I do recall attention to detail and the crew doing their weekly or monthly fire-fighting drill while we were underway.

 

[roakey]

To make your analogy working you need some evidence of an outside attack on Conception, like with an anti-ship missile.

Nope, don't need something similar to an external attack, just need a problem no one thought of and/or didn't think was a reasonable scenerio. THAT'S my point.

We need to know what happened,first, and it's probably gonna fall under one of two headings:

1. A fire developing in the dining area that propgated faster than anyone thought possible because of [unknown thing at this point]. Or
2. Crew was delilict in thier duty because the person on watch was doing [unknown thing at this point].

That's pretty much it, two options. We need to wait an see what comes out of the investigation. Could be that the hatch is totally suficcient to cover reasonable scenerios and the freal ix is elsewhere, depending on what happend.

O2

 

[DebbyDiver]

I've never been on these boats. But I'm growing weary of the speculation that the victims were locked in. They were not locked in. Please stop with the conspiracy theories.

Interview of boat's owner: "I want people to know that there [are] two entrances into the bunking area: a main entrance and an emergency escape hatch. I want people to know that the area, the salon that people enter into the boat to access the area, there were no doors. It's a wide open doorway and no doors. There were no locked doors anywhere ..."

 

[NickB-LA]

Listen I am not bashing anyone and it's obvious that many people out there have strong connection to boat operator. But this scenario can repeat itself on any of remaining boats of this design and operation tomorrow.

This was an extremely rare event that defies a decades old safety record. The chances that it could repeat itself tomorrow is an idea that is as remote as the event itself. While common sense dictates that there are things to be learned here, the approach to those lessons needs to be methodical, not reactionary.

 

[DebbyDiver]

This was an extremely rare event that defies a decades old safety record. The chances that it could repeat itself tomorrow is an idea that is as remote as the event itself. While common sense dictates that there are things to be learned here, the approach to those lessons needs to be methodical, not reactionary.

I've been thinking a LOT during the past 24 hours and to be honest, I'd get on one of their other boats tomorrow.