Dive Boat Catches Fire, 25 Dead, Only Crew Members Escaped

W

WhatInThe

SF VIP
A dive boat with over 30 passengers caught fire while anchored only 20 yards off shore in California. Only 5 crew members escaped. Happened around 3 in the morning while most were asleep. Tragic, divers who take trips like this love the sport/hobby.

https://ktla.com/2019/09/03/at-least-25-confirmed-dead-in-boat-fire-off-santa-cruz-island/
A boat that big with that many passengers doesn't maintain a watch or guard even if anchored 20 yards off shore?

RIP to those who perished.
 

WhatInThe said:
A boat that big with that many passengers doesn't maintain a watch or guard even if anchored 20 yards off shore?
Click to expand...

Having someone on watch duty does seem like a reasonable thing to do.

Not only that, all of the crew escapes, but none of the passengers?

That doesn't have a good look to it at all.
 

Trade said:
Having someone on watch duty does seem like a reasonable thing to do.

Not only that, all of the crew escapes, but none of the passengers?

That doesn't have a good look to it at all.
Click to expand...

Yeh, only the crew escapes???

Keep on thinking about the skuttled liner and captain off the coast of Italy a few years ago.
 
According to local divers, boats of this sort typically have all sleeping quarters downstairs and only one staircase to topside. This occurred at roughly 3:00 in the morning, when the passengers would have been in their bunks below deck.

The crew survived because they were upstairs.

A truly tragic situation.
 
how come no one shouted to the people asleep seems like they looked after number one ' or
raised some sort of alarm -doesnt seem fesable on a dive boat certainly lacked care for sure
of their passengers …..
 
This is really sad. Sounds like they didn't have a plan for fires or catastrophies. They should have. The crew can't feel good about this.
 
It is curious for one the company has a stellar reputation and the fire is now thought to have started on the top side. Also the two exits were on fire preventing anyone's escape. Very suspicious.
 
Aunt Bea said:
The thing that I still don't understand was the talk of a second exit and comments about an exit being locked/blocked.

I don't know if that was just confusion at the time or if it is something that contributed to the death toll.
Click to expand...

It's been reported but not confirmed there was a second exit behind the bunk area. Also it's been reported that there was gas cooking in the galley which could've help propel/intensify a fire.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...ts-need-secondary-emergency-exits/2191195001/
I too don't think the reports of locked or blocked are clear yet.
 
There's no clear information yet on how this happened and there may never be. People who've been on that specific boat as well as others like it have reported that there is a single narrow stairway only. The dive company itself is well known to local divers; its boats and crew are held in high regard for safety and boat conditions.

I haven't heard that investigators imagine this to be anything other than a tragic accident. No discussion of locked or blocked stairs, someone cooking, or anyone with evil intent. All that is speculation on the part of an uninformed public.

As a result of this incident, perhaps commercial dive boats will be required retrofitting to provide a second exit from below decks.
 
fmdog44 said:
It is curious for one the company has a stellar reputation and the fire is now thought to have started on the top side. Also the two exits were on fire preventing anyone's escape. Very suspicious.
Click to expand...


What possible motive would the company have for setting its own boat afire and killing all the passengers? Said stellar reputation is now in tatters and I'm sure the company won't be getting many more dive bookings. It doesn't make sense to me that the company would do this for some nefarious purpose.

If they wanted to scuttle the boat for the insurance, it doesn't make any sense at all to do it with passengers aboard. Now they'll be facing litigation up to their eyeballs from families of the passengers, as well as whatever investigation and penalties from authorities.
 
Boat owners move to limit or block payouts citing maritime law

https://www.businessinsider.com/cal...eption-owner-maritime-law-limit-payout-2019-9
On one hand I expect a lot of legal maneuvers to stop or limit payouts especially with all the waivers that were probably signed ahead of time. But with a catastrophe like this perhaps it's better to pay and move on. Because the victims and families will drag them through court for ever. 34 families and just a few appeal that decision they could lose anyway. It will take years but in the end they'll have lost their reputation especially after fighting the victims families.
 
Hope the passengers families get what they can. Hope the vessel owners are done for good. Does not sound right about who got out and who did not!
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top