The California dive boat that caught fire was commended for its "perfectly adapted design"

The guests were on a 3 day trip, $ 665

"The night dives are delicious, octopuses roam the reefs and the flash colors of the bioluminescent zooplankton to give a silhouette to the diver", reads in an advertisement.

Passengers enjoyed tailor-made gourmet meals, unlimited dives and "an opportunity to explore the pinnacles of San Miguel Island".

The organizers said Truth Aquatics, the company that operates the boat, is known for its professionalism.

Truth Aquatics, the company that operated the Design, declined CNN's requests for comment.

The passengers were not locked in the lower deck

It is still unclear what caused the ship to catch fire around 3:14 am Monday, about 20 miles off the coast of mainland California.

A Mayday call between the boat's captain and a Coast Guard regulator suggested that passengers may have been locked.

"There are 33 people on board the ship on fire, they can not get off?" the dispatcher is heard asking. "Roger, are they locked in the boat? … Roger, can you get back on board and unlock the boat, unlock the door so that they can get off?"

But coast guard captain Monica Rochester said "there are no locked doors in the accommodations" where passengers slept aboard the Conception.

"The only privacy you have … are curtains," Rochester said Tuesday.

She said that chaos and confusion in the course of hell may have led to a misunderstanding about the possibility of locking passengers.

"As you can guess, many activities have taken place through the communication system … a lot of confusion," said Rochester.

The guests were trapped by the fire

Although the passengers were not locked in the pontoon, they were apparently trapped by the fire, Sheriff Brown said.

"There was a stairwell going down the main entrance, from top to bottom, and there was an escape hatch, and it would seem that both were blocked by the fire."

A layout of the Design dormitories shows only one stairwell leading to the next deck.

Conception has passed its annual inspection

"This ship must be inspected annually by the US Coast Guard, and it has been compliant," said Rochester.

The inspection requirements include on-board smoke detectors, she said.

"The larger size makes it possible to rearrange the layout of the offices and berths, especially with more double beds, bathrooms and showers," the company said.

"This makes the Design an ideal tool for large charter groups or low-load trips, with enough comfort to easily bring the South Islands to your fingertips."

A veteran of the boat escapes from tragedy

Dale Sheckler, co-founder of California Diving News, has traveled more than 100 times on Design.

He was supposed to make the unfortunate trip on Labor Day weekend. But a recent hip surgery could have saved her life.

"I just was not able to get on the boat this weekend," Sheckler said.

"It was very painful to see this happen.I like the boat.I like the crew.I like the owners, they are just fantastic people."

He said the tragedy would have a lasting impact on the close-knit community of diving.

"It's going to impact the community for years to come, the amount of the loss," said Sheckler. "It's just devastating, I just can not imagine, while the names are published, I know I'm going to be shocked to see the names."