Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[Storker]

a watt is a unit of power, not energy. A watt per second is a unit of energy

Except that you're right that watt is a unit of power you've got it mixed up. Watt is joule per second, and joule is the SI unit of energy. So it's a watt times second which is a unit of energy, not a watt per second.

So watt per second is the unit for rate of power increase, not for energy.

BTUs (British thermal units) are more commonly used to quantify heat.

Perhaps in your part of the world. Most of the rest of the world is metric, and there the common unit for heat is J (joule). Or kJ, MJ, GJ etc. One BTU is rather close to one kJ (1.055 kJ, to be more precise).

EDIT: Dang, this thread is moving fast. Two other answers just during the time I used to type mine on the phone

 

[KevinNM]

4 dead, 29 missing in California dive boat fire; crew jumped

That story came out after 3 pm. Some time after the boat had sunk, as noted in the story. The boat was pretty obviously not very intact and sinking by the stern in the CG Jayhawk footage, which was date stamped about 13:45 Zulu. Which is something like 7:45 am local.

So I’m not exactly seeing convincing evidence that they made it out of the berthing and into the water under their own power. Not saying it didn’t happen, but I’m not seeing evidence it did.

 

[Kmart921]

Uhhhh. The United States Navy and all airlines have, as have the Coast Guard on their vessels. Vaping is not allowed because of the lithium batteries. I am jumping through my butt tying to find replacements for consumer type lithium batteries in standard consumer products because they don't meet the requirements the Navy has placed on them. Like the permanent batteries in radio equipment to hold items in memory.

I can see a prohibition on lithium batteries in seconds if they were determined to be the cause.

Lithium batteries are still allowed in carry-on luggage, correct? I'm mainly thinking of the ubiquitous 18650 Li-Ion cells that are used by many dive lights and the high capacity cells in video lights.

If they are determined to be the cause, I'm sure that they will be regulated somehow. But if these batteries are banned completely from dive boats, that would mean things like night diving and underwater photography / videography would no longer be possible. For that reason I just can't see a complete ban being enacted...

 

[Wookie]

Lithium batteries are still allowed in carry-on luggage, correct? I'm mainly thinking of the ubiquitous 18650 Li-Ion cells that are used by many dive lights and the high capacity cells in video lights.

If they are determined to be the cause, I'm sure that they will be regulated somehow. But if these batteries are banned completely from dive boats, that would mean things like night diving and underwater photography / videography would no longer be possible. For that reason I just can't see a complete ban being enacted...

Yes, allowed in carry-on so that when they catch fire, someone can do something about it.

I am old enough to remember when it was all Ni-CAD.

 

[cerich]

That story came out after 3 pm. Some time after the boat had sunk, as noted in the story. The boat was pretty obviously not very intact and sinking by the stern in the CG Jayhawk footage, which was date stamped about 13:45 Zulu. Which is something like 7:45 am local.

So I’m not exactly seeing convincing evidence that they made it out of the berthing and into the water under their own power. Not saying it didn’t happen, but I’m not seeing evidence it did.

prior to the boat sinking there were reports on the 4 recovered. I agree that there is no evidence that they escaped from the berthing compartment, but they did come from somewhere and they did get recovered in the water with "consistent with drowning".

 

[LetsJet]

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.

Respectfully, while I understand wanting to give support to the dive company, I think it's important to review the investigation when it's complete and see where change might need to be made.

As a diver and a vessel owner, I understand the world of diving and the dangers of boating. Meaning, sometimes, even when precautions are made the worst happens. With that said, I wouldn't sleep in quarters similar to this vessels setup. I'm not singling this vessel out, nor am I grandstanding. I simply have spent enough time on vessels to always assess the egress below decks. While I agree it's unlikely to ever happen again, I do think you plan for it. I hope all operators review their vessels and consider hatchways to the bow. While I'm trying to be sensitive to the situation and all involved, I know this community includes other operators and I want something positive to come out of all this.

 

[gypsyjim]

That story came out after 3 pm. Some time after the boat had sunk, as noted in the story. The boat was pretty obviously not very intact and sinking by the stern in the CG Jayhawk footage, which was date stamped about 13:45 Zulu. Which is something like 7:45 am local.

So I’m not exactly seeing convincing evidence that they made it out of the berthing and into the water under their own power. Not saying it didn’t happen, but I’m not seeing evidence it did.

Knowing my own sleep patterns and those of my brother who I often travel with, which does not always involve sleeping, it is entirely possible that some of the passengers were not below deck when the fire started and the crew might not have been aware of this.
Just a random thought as I'm reading through the posts.

 

[nycjOHN170]

There are airlines where non removable rechargeable lithium batteries are not allowed. EVA is one and I think I saw it on American as well. I don't fly with my Sola anymore.

 

[ijdod]

The reports of bodies with signs consistent with drowning came hours before the sinking, while the fire was still very active.

It's good to note the general timeline of events here. Conception sank around the time this SB thread was started, at around 7am (Sheriff's press conference stated 0720, a FD/USCG timeline in the media states 0658). Sunrise is 0630-ish, for reference. Most of what we learned so far came well after sinking. Including those reports.

Reported timeline by AP (and others)

SEPT. 2

— 3:15 a.m.: Mayday call from the Conception reporting fire

— 3:42 a.m.: Coast Guard deploys

— 4 a.m.: Ventura County Fire Department deploys

— 5:08 a.m.: Fire extinguished

— 6:58 a.m.: Conception sinks

SEPT. 3

— 9:20 a.m.: Search for survivors suspended

___

Sources: Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Coast Guard

 

[cs4160]

Me three.

Same here, but I do pause a bit on wether I would bring my 14 year old daughter....