No escape from dive boat inferno: The bunk beds where 34 died after being trapped below deck by fire as captain frantically told rescuers 'they can't get out' and 'there's no escape hatch'

At least 8 people confirmed dead while 26 are still missing and feared dead after a dive boat burst into flames

• At least 25 people aboard the vessel Conception have been confirmed dead after Monday's tragic boat fire 
• Nine others are missing as search and rescue efforts were transitioned into a recovery mission on Tuesday 
• Among those feared dead are crew cook Micheal 'Mikey' Kohls and expedition leader Kristy Finstad
• Conception was on a three-day diving trip when it caught fire in the middle of the night near Santa Cruz Island
• 30 passengers sleeping in tight quarters below deck are feared to have been trapped by the blaze 
• Five crew members, who had separate sleeping quarters, escaped the inferno and took a dinghy to safety
  

An idyllic three-day diving expedition off the coast of Southern California ended in unimaginable tragedy when the vessel Conception caught fire, killing at least 25 people.  

Nine others are still missing and feared dead after the dive boat, which was anchored off of Santa Cruz Island overnight Monday, became fully engulfed in flames as 30 passengers on a recreational scuba diving trip slept in tight quarters below deck.

At least five crew members, who had separate sleeping quarters, survived.

The search and rescue effort continued for over 24 hours before being transitioned into a recovery mission on Tuesday morning.  

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• At least four people are dead and 29 are missing after 75ft dive boat catches fire off Southern California coast 
• Lt Cmdr Matthew Kroll said the bodies recovered on Monday morning had injuries consistent with drowning
• Rescue crews are searching for 29 people still missing after the fire overnight on the vessel Conception 
• The boat was anchored 20 yards off Platts Harbor on the north side of Santa Cruz Island 
• Fire broke out and USGS Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach received a mayday call just before 3.30am
• In chilling audio the person who made the call can be heard telling a dispatcher: 'I can't breathe' 
• Crews from the Coast Guard, Santa Barbara Fire Department, Ventura County Fire Department and Vessel Assist responded to the scene, along with multiple personal watercraft in the area
• Five crew members who were awake and on deck when the fire broke out jumped into the water
• They were rescued by a Good Samaritan boat called the Grape Escape 
• The Conception sank as crews worked to extinguish the flames but the bow is still above water
• Search and rescue efforts are ongoing as officials are hopeful that someone may have swam to shore   
• The boat was based at Santa Barbara Harbor and operated by tour company Truth Aquatics
• The owners are working with investigators and have declined to comment on the tragedy
• 

Audio from emergency dispatchers indicates that the passengers aboard a doomed 75-foot dive boat which caught fire off the coast of Southern California may have been locked in and unable to escape.

In a chilling recording of the mayday call, the captain of the Conception can be heard telling a Coast Guard dispatcher that all of his passengers are trapped below deck 'with no escape hatch'. 

'There's 33 people on board the vessel on fire. They can't get off,' the captain says.  

The dispatcher responds: 'Roger. Are they locked inside the boat? Roger. Can you get back on board and unlock the doors so they can get off? Roger. You don't have any firefighter gear at all, no fire extinguishers or anything?'

'I can't breathe!' Desperate mayday call from deadly boat fire