Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to Greater LA

Greater LA

Diving community reacts to boat fire off Santa Barbara coast

The diving vessel, Conception, caught fire off Santa Cruz Island early Monday morning, trapping 33 passengers and one crew member in the sleeping quarters below deck. All but one of the 34 bodies have been recovered from the fire.

  • rss
  • Share
KCRW placeholderBy Jarrett Hill • Sep 4, 2019 • 1 min read

The diving vessel, Conception, caught fire off Santa Cruz Island early Monday morning, trapping 33 passengers and one crew member in the sleeping quarters below deck. All but one of the 34 bodies have been recovered from the fire. Five crew members escaped and were rescued by a nearby boat.

The National Transportation Safety Board started an investigation on Tuesday, saying it’s 100% confident it’ll determine the cause of the fire.

Adrienne Hall is a diver from Ventura and a documentary filmmaker. "It’s about the most unthinkable tragedy that could happen in the dive community...and to any group of divers anywhere," she says.

Hall says there's a sense of connection with everyone onboard Conception because of "a shared experience, and a shared love of diving, and a shared love of islands off of our coast.”

In the aftermath of the fire, she remains optimistic about the diving community in Southern California, which she describes as tightly knit. "Hopefully this will only bring us together, and make us stronger, and help keep everyone safer moving forward."

  • KCRW placeholder

    Jarrett Hill

    journalist

  • KCRW placeholder

    Christian Bordal

    Managing Producer, Greater LA

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Kathryn Barnes

    Producer, Reporter

  • KCRW placeholder

    Jenna Kagel

    Radio producer

  • KCRW placeholder

    Adrienne Hall

    Filmmaker

    NewsLos AngelesCentral Coast
Back to Greater LA