Remembering the M/V Conception

“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.” Psalm 107:23-24

On Labor Day, September 2, 2019, I awakened to news of the tragedy that was still unfolding in the waters off Santa Cruz Island.  The NPR news report mentioned that a dive vessel had caught fire off the Southern California coast and that 34 passengers were missing and feared lost.  Accessing on-line news accounts, I discovered that it was one of the Truth Aquatics vessels, Conception.  My disbelief gave way to shock and sorrow as details emerged throughout the day.  I wondered if I knew anyone who might be on board the vessel that day.  You see, my connection with vessel conjures fond memories of adventures and friends in the not-to-distant past.

I started diving thirty-five years ago with a certification trip to Anacapa Island on July 20, 1984.  Thereafter, my buddies and I frequented beach dive spots along the Santa Barbara coastline, exploring remote entries to see what was out there and then reporting back what we found.  Some of us worked in dive shops, others as instructors or divemasters, a few as deckhands, and a couple as research divers.  We served in these apprenticeships mastering our skills and forging lifelong friendships.  We hung out at Santa Barbara Aquatics, the SBCC Marine Technology building, and the UCSB Marine Science Institute.  We loved the UCSB Scuba Club’s underwater pumpkin carving contest, Easter egg hunt, and start of school shrimp boil. We would not miss Ed Stetson’s Catalina Island trip.

Yondering to the islands on the horizon usually took us to Anacapa or Santa Cruz Island on vessels out of Port Hueneme, Oxnard, or Ventura--Sea Ventures, Barbara Marie, Bold Contender, Liberty and Specter.  These vessels, with the exception of Specter, have long ceased operation.  My memory of the hundreds of dives, the places, and the vessels recedes a bit more each year, recalled only by deciphering the fading ink on the pages of long-neglected dive logs. However, I fondly remember the people I met along the way, many of whom that I still count among friends today, decades later. 

Rare visits to the beyond the horizon islands of Santa Rosa or San Miguel meant a trip on the “Cadillac”  of Socal dive boats operated by Truth Aquatics—Conception, Truth, or Vision. The lineup of the three vessels side-by-side at Santa Barbara Harbor’s Sea Landing, a kind of trinity of excellence, was emblematic of a golden era of Southern California diving.  We savored the prospect of such passage--a special treat on our limited budgets.  Fortune smiled on some of our crowd who worked on these boats.  They were the “high men” of our diving coterie. 

The “Truth boats” offered long range passage to fabulous diving, spacious decks, and exceptionally great service.  Still, in our persona as hearty California divers, we revealed in the reputation of the boats’ amenities as somewhat Spartan compared to “luxury” tropical liveaboards profiled in the likes of Undercurrent and Scuba Diver magazine.  Let the crew carry your gear to the boat and assemble it for you?  Nope. No self-respecting California diver would allow such coddling. No way.  We hauled our own stuff to and from the boat. Besides, no one touches my gear but me.  O-dark-hundred departures? So what. The diving begins at soon after a crack of dawn breakfast wolfed down before striding off the high front bow gate! We dived self-defined profiles within our abilities with the crew always available for a quick consult or an assist.  The mystique of this way of diving persists with me to this day.

I recall one particular night dive on Wycoff Ledge on San Miguel Island in May of 1991 with my friend, Brandon Cole.  Only he and I wanted to do a night dive; everyone else wanted to enjoy the after dinner warmth and camaraderie of the salon.   The crew accommodated us without question or complaint.  The picture of taken of Brandon and I that evening by the late Dennis Divins, the Diving Safety Officer at UCSB, is one of my most cherished possessions.  We call it our “big friend, little friend” photo.

My last trip aboard the Conception took place about a decade ago.  Brandon and I travelled to San Clemente Island to collaborate on a story for Alert Diver on diving the southern Channel Islands.  I recall the trip went off with the usual attention to detail and understated efficiency and exceptional attention that distinguished Truth Aquatics boats from all others.  Even for the first time diver, these boats offered a comfortable familiarity. Did you need to gain experience diving?  Truth Aquatics offered a mid-week, one-day trip designed to introduce new divers to the wonders of the Channel Islands.

Yesterday, I saw a picture of two vessels and realized that the third would never return.  Never again would I see Conception bookended by the Vision and Truth.  Memorials have sprung up at the harbor.  

Many people are hurting, hearts are heavy, spirits devastated.  My thoughts are with you.  I only hope that when you have time to reflect that memories will comfort you.  I am grateful for the friends that I made along the way and all the adventures we made.  Conception is part of those memories. They are the finest kind of memories and they sustain me as do the words 

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4