Post-Conception Disaster: what you learned & will change

[Johnoly]

On several LoB's I've slept with my 6ft Pony tank & a pen flashlight.. Now I'll be adding a tiny battery powered smoke detector.
YMMV.

 

[lostsheep]

Truth Aquatics would be the last outfit I would dive with just out of principle.

Supporting a company that has such a record is incomprehensible to me.

You all can do whatever you want; I’m going to support them.

See that I’m from Nor Cal, these people were not just random divers for us.

 

[Marie13]

You all can do whatever you want; I’m going to support them.

See that I’m from Nor Cal, these people were not just random divers for us.

They blatantly disregarded safety regs and that disregard ended up killing 34 people. Does that mean nothing to you?

 

[BoltSnap]

What they did (or didn't do) is criminal in my book.

 

[Darnold9999]

Most of my diving is liveaboard- I also own a boat. Two ways out that I look at before leaving dock is now on my checklist. We have a front hatch and a rear door. Fire on a wood boat carrying 90+ gallons of fuel and another 5+ gallons of propane is always a concern.

 

[Ayisha]

Will assume most everyone knows I'm talking about the Truth Aquatic's boat Conception that suffered a fire resulting in the deaths of all 33 passengers and 1 crewman. Other threads have gone into specifics of what happened, what's suspected to've happened, what should be done in response to what happened, etc... My aim for this thread is different.

I'd like to know first what you personally learned new from this situation, and secondly what, if anything, you will do differently in planning and accepting future trips, particularly live-aboard trips but not just those. I'll start.

What I Learned​

1.) I learned that in U.S. waters boats in that class are legally supposed to have a 'roving watch' at all times when even one passenger might be in a berth, which practically tends to be 24/7 while underway. It's an issue in quickly detecting fires before escalation, or when boats come loose from moorings (even in benign conditions, a mooring could come loose and a boat drift over and hit a reef).

2.) That is often not practiced. Also be mindset vessels outside U.S. waters might be under so such mandate (or if so, do they follow it)?

3.) When the bunk/stateroom area is 'confined,' as it was in a large room below deck on the Conception, it is preferred there be 2 really useable paths of egress from it, ideally leading to different points, ideally to open deck (e.g.: not both to an enclosed salon).

4.) Sometimes the 2nd method may be an overhead hatch that's hard to reach and wouldn't accommodate some obese people, or a bunch of people needing rapid evacuation. Due to practical consideration in boat construction and regulations, it is not practical to just 'cut a big hole and install stairs' to add a great 2nd path to a pre-existing boat.

5.) Once inflamed, boat fires can escalate much faster than I knew, creating such intense heat as to be impassable. I'd thought if smoke inhalation didn't get you while asleep, surely you could run through (albeit burned). Not necessarily so.

6.) Rechargeable lithium batteries on chargers can be a fire hazard and generate intense heat...but I still don't know just what the risk is. Ideally a charging station would be in some fireproof metal container...but this isn't common practice.

7.) Smoke alarm systems vary in quality and not every boat setup is as reliable as one might hope.

8.) Boats vary in safety briefings, including whether they mention a 2nd means of egress.

9.) A change in boating requirements could effectively shut down some boats, or lead to substantial increases in trip costs (specifics unclear).

What I Will Do Differently​

1.) I look for that 2nd exit path. In one case, at the end of a hall I saw an overhead item I think was a hatch. Couldn't have reached it. Didn't ask crew. I look around, but I'm not confrontational.

2.) Look for more safety-preparedness specifics in trip reviews, though I doubt it'll change why willingness to dive with otherwise reputable op.s for now.

In summary, I learned several things, but doubt it'll change my trip booking habits for now. I'm more aware of the risks, but not sure how the risk of serious injury or death compares to other risks I take (e.g.: of drowning on a dive, immersion pulmonary edema, serious fall getting in or out in a shore dive, fall with injury onboard). The Conception disaster was horrible...much like the accounts I've read of great white shark attacks, and the pain of loved ones after a diver dies (e.g.: likely from confusion related to narcosis and wandering off at depth, or simply never coming back).

What about the rest of you? Is the absence of a reliable roving watch now a deal-breaker? What about a good 2nd means of exit from bunks/staterooms? One diver mentioned he and wife paid extra for a stateroom that's not below deck; what are you willing to pay extra for that?

Great list.
In regard to charging, also not overloading circuits and having multiple devices charging on piggy backed multiple extension cords. Not charging in cabins, even unattended as once was done on some liveaboards.
Having charging station times. This will make it more challenging for everyone to have their turn after night dives. I suspect some will be charging first thing in the morning also.
I bought a large LiPo bag like many others after the 2 fires.
I will definitely be researching and paying attention to cabin/bunk location, egress points, roving watch, emergency lighting and signs, smoke detectors hard wired to the wheelhouse, testing of the smoke detectors during orientation, and strategically placed and unobstructed fire fighting and life saving equipment.
A diver I know who is a firefighter said he is going to bring a smoke detector from now on.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

What I learned is that I’ll probably stick to day boats for now.


I learned that I dislike the concept of glass-ply construction even more than I previously disliked it and think that all those plywood boats built in the 70’s - 80’s are obsolete and should be condemned. The designs do not allow for retrofit, and beyond that many of them I suspect have problems way worse than meets the eye - based on a lot of personal experience with marine repair working on those types of boats.

From reading the other Conception threads, I learned just how selfish and entitled photographers can be and anyone else who feels that plugging in and charging lithium ion batteries on a live aboard type boat is a god given inalienable right.

It’s actually not so important what I learned, but what the live aboard industry learned. I hope they don’t just wait for this whole thing to blow over and maybe using Covid as a distractor being that Covid is the big story now and not the Conception disaster. People are chomping at the bit to be able to get back to diving so my fear is that nothing will change because people have a very short memory.
I really hope there’s hell to pay.
I would rather see all questionable liveaboards in CA shut down rather than see something like that happen again.

I’m leaning towards the side of not having anything to do with Truth Aquatics. This one was just too big for me and completely inexcusable.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

For me it's not so much what I'd do differently but a confirmation of my current limitations. I don't do liveaboards. This just confirms for me that decision. I've never done a lifeaboard and don't plan to. That's just a personal line in the sand. My wife isn't a diver but she's always expressed openness to letting me do one with friends. I have no interest honestly. Safety is one of many reasons and this just reinforces that decision for me personally.

I was on the Peace for a couple of day trips to Anacapa a number of years ago. I remember going down to the bunks, dropping my stuff off and thinking to myself "I'm not comfortable staying down here. It feels like I'm trapped." I would hang out on deck or in the upper cabin area. I was much more comfortable there.

 

[O-ring]

Still pondering this one and figuring out my personal strategy. I'm booked on a LOB for June (rescheduled from this June but cancelled due to covid). Right now I'm waffling between bringing a sack of First Alert wireless linked smoke detectors and sprinkling them around the boat or a bivy sack and sleeping on top of the wheelhouse. Maybe the whole thing is too fresh in my mind, but my previous plan of flashlight and battery powered smoke detector in my cabin just doesn't seem adequate.

 

[Scared Silly]

I think the biggest take-a-way for me personally is where/what/how are our escape routes in case of fire and where do they lead? Further, it will not only be where/what/how but also personally testing each one of them, which I have done for the most part, emphasis on the most part.

I have been on the S. Cal dive boats in the past and have gone through the bunk hatch as test. I am a pretty agile person but at this point these style of boats need to be have a major reconfiguration for escape. The stairs need to have an exit to the outside rather than into the galley/salon. The hatch exit can not be via a bunk but via an open ladder.

At the end of the day we are responsible for our own personal safety, it is easy to forget that when we are on vacation.