The dive boat MV Conception catches fire and sinks near Santa Cruz Island, killing 34.

The sinking of MV Conception occurred on September 2, 2019, after the 75-foot (23 m) dive boat caught fire and eventually sank off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, California, United States, killing 34 of the 39 aboard. The boat was anchored overnight at Platts Harbor, a small undeveloped bay on the island's north shore, when a fire broke out on the main deck shortly after 3 a.m. The 33 passengers and 1 crew member who were sleeping below the main deck were trapped by the fire and killed. The remaining 5 crew had sleeping berths on the top deck and were able to escape. The five survivors placed an initial mayday call to the Coast Guard and attempted to alert the people below deck, but all routes to the main sleeping area were blocked by fire, and they were forced to jump overboard. The surviving crew retrieved the Conception's skiff and motored to a nearby boat where a second radio dispatch was made. The rescue and recovery operations were coordinated by the United States Coast Guard.

Santa Cruz Island is located off the southwestern coast of Ventura, California, United States. It is the largest island in California and largest of the eight islands in the Channel Islands archipelago and Channel Islands National Park. Forming part of the northern group of the Channel Islands, Santa Cruz is 22 miles (35 km) long and 2 to 6 miles wide with an area of 61,764.6 acres (249.952 km²).

September 2 is the 245th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 120 days remain until the end of the year.