Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[BDSC]

Just read where they have recovered 33 of the 34 bodies.

 

[ChrisM]

I just found out that one of the deceased couples were crewmembers on the Fling. A sad day just got sadder, for me anyway.

I am sorry.

I had a non-diving friend text me yesterday to ask if I knew anyone on the boat. Having seen the facebook page of one of the local victims, and seeing her list of mutual friends, I replied "no but you did." He had not known.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

We dived with a MaryBeth from Santa Monica at God's Pocket last year. I don't know if it is the same woman listed.

 

[roakey]

I remember years back with the “drifting dan” incident off the Sundiver...

Interesting you should bring this up. One thing that I thought exceptional about Truth Aquatics commitment to safety is that they identifed everyone BY NAME before they moved the boat. They didn't count noses, nor did they just do a roll call with their head down in a clipboard. They made eye contact with every single diver before the boat moved (and you got chastised if you answered for someone else "because you knew they were in the head" or whatever). More than once they woke me up in my bunk to assure I was there - something I didn't mind at all, since the alternative was far, far worse.

Roak

 

[shoredivr]

Probability and severity are not correlated. A hand grenade rarely goes off unintended, but when it does, there's a significant impact. A Genesis 1200 scooter has a 1350Wh Li-ion battery. An UWLD tall can is 160Wh. I've never heard of either catching on fire, but I can tell you I don't want to be around if one did. A sealed can light battery could turn into a literal grenade of the can doesn't yield to heat before pressure.

Do I think this will lead to a banning of battery types? Probably not. But it might lead to a safe storage and charging requirement, maybe a way to dump them overboard in the even of a fire.

Exactly this. The thread is extremely useful for this consideration alone.

 

[Joneill]

Exactly. What happened to the smoke alarms? There should have been multiple alarms...and they should have been hooked up such that when one went off, they all went off. Either that, or make them so loud they could be heard everywhere. It appears that when the crew woke up/noticed the smoke....all they could do is jump overboard. What? No one had time to get out of the dorm room below decks because they didn't know the boat was on fire??? I'm sorry, but that is a problem.

That is what is hardest to come to grips with in this trajedy! Hopefully, the inverstigation will uncover exactly what happened to cause a fire to engulf a boat so quickly without any warning systems sounding and also essentially immediately trap the passengers below decks with no way out through the fire? It's critical to determine the root cause here so this type of accident does not ever happen again!

 

[roakey]

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

That new-fangled technology? I still have my SLA cannister cave light.

O2

 

[Scuba-74]

Lack of escape routes in California boat fire becomes focus as investigation intensifies

 

[Akimbo]

Hopefully, the inverstigation will uncover exactly what happened to cause a fire to engulf a boat so quickly without any warning systems sounding and also essentially immediately trap the passengers below decks with no way out through the fire?

"Hopefully" is the operative word. Doubtful is more likely unless the crew can provide some insight. The extent of the fire and the fact that she capsized, dumping what forensic evidence might have survived, make me very skeptical. IMO, we will be lucky to get a few well-founded probable causes -- not to diminish their value or the skill of the investigators.

 

[markmud]

I just found out that one of the deceased couples were crewmembers on the Fling. A sad day just got sadder, for me anyway.

Hi Wookie,

While I did not know this person as a friend or face-to-face, we had communicated several times regarding joining one of her trips (a while back). I followed their scheduling, and this year, the scheduling would not work for me at all as I was transitioning to a new job. It has been one of those, "Oh well, maybe next year!" things.



m

Removed the link to article as it is SB policy not to release or link to names until official notification and release has occurred- MOD POST

Thanks MOD for your quick action,
markm