‘Conception’ Captain Charged with Seaman’s Manslaughter

Jerry Boylan, the captain of the Conception, was charged with 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter in the deaths of the 33 divers and one crewmember who’d been sleeping below the decks of his vessel on September 2, 2019. A federal grand jury brought the charges on December 1, and Boylan is expected to surrender to federal prosecutors in coming weeks.

The Conception tragedy has shadowed the dive community ever since news broke of the raging fire in the ship’s salon/galley near 3 a.m. while the ship was anchored off Santa Cruz Island. As news trickled out that day of the search for survivors that soon turned to a recovery operation for their bodies, horror gripped the Santa Barbara community with the knowledge 34 people had apparently suffocated to death during a Labor Day weekend underwater adventure.

“As a result of the alleged failures of Captain Boylan to follow well-established safety rules, a pleasant holiday dive trip turned into a hellish nightmare as passengers and one crew member found themselves trapped in a fiery bunkroom with no means of escape,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “The loss of life that day will forever impact the families of the 34 victims. With this indictment and our commitment to vigorously prosecute the case, we seek a small measure of justice for the victims and their loved ones.”