On the first anniversary of the tragedy aboard the M/V Conception, a memorial stone was placed on the site to honor the 34 victims of the disaster off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, California.
The effort was a collaboration between a host of agencies and parties. The Divers Alert Network and PADI sourced the memorial stone and plaque. A large number of agencies, from the Los Angeles Port Police Department to NOAA’s Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, all played crucial roles in delivering the stone and plaque to its place, including meeting all the correct regulatory and legal requirements.
Commenting on the effort, DAN President and CEO Bill Ziefle stated:
“This memorial serves as a reminder that although these divers are gone, they are not forgotten. We thank Barbara for championing this effort to immortalize their names, share their stories and honor their memories. We are an indomitable community, and as we look forward we know we must remember those we’ve lost and learn from this tragedy.”
While PADI CEO Drew Richardson stated:
“A year later, the dive community takes pause to honor the memory of the brothers and sisters we lost. We reflect both on the courage of those who grieve for them and the light of the memory of loved ones still living in our hearts. Loving friends and family are so very hard to spare and we will continue to feel this tragic loss for years to come.”
The memorial stone plaque reads as follows:
In honor and memory of the loved ones lost aboard the M/V Conception
September 2, 2019
Santa Cruz Island, California
JP Ahopelto, Neal Baltz, Patricia Beitzinger, Charles “Chuck” McIlvain, Marybeth Guiney, Raymond Scott Chan, Kendra Moore Chan, Justin C. Dignam, Lisa Fiedler, Kristy Finstad, Yuko Hatano, Vaidehi Campbell Williams, Adrian Dahood-Fritz, Andrew Fritz, Dan Garcia, Yulia Krashennaya, Alexandra Haley Kurtz (Allie), Xiang Lin, Sunil Sandhu, Caroline “Carrie” Mclaughlin, Kristian Takvam, Kaustubh Nirmal, Sanjeeri Satish Deopujari, Steve Salika, Diane Adamic-Salika, Tia Adamic-Salika, Berenice Felipe, Michael Storm Quitasol, Fernisa June Sison, EvanMichel Solano Quitasol, Nicole Storm Solano Quitasol, Angela Rose Solano Quitasol, Dr. Ted Strom, Wei Tan
