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This is the space where people slept on the ill-fated three-day diving expedition aboard Conception where at least 25 have died and more are feared dead.   

Nine others are still missing after a tragic boat fire early Monday near an island off the Southern California coast.

The dive-boat Conception, far out to sea in the middle of the night, became fully engulfed in flames as 30 passengers on a recreational scuba diving trip slept below deck.

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

Among those feared dead are crew cook Micheal 'Mikey' Kohls and expedition leader Kristy Finstad, whose families have both made pleas to find their loved ones.

This is the space where people slept on the ill-fated three-day diving expedition aboard Conception where at least 25 have died and more are feared dead

The dive-boat Conception, far out to sea in the middle of the night, became fully engulfed in flames as 30 passengers on a recreational scuba diving trip slept below deck. At least five crew members, who had separate sleeping quarters, survived

'You couldn't ask for a worse situation,' Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said at a Monday news conference.

Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Kroll says at least 25 people on a recreational scuba-diving trip died and the search will continue through the night for the nine others still missing. 

He says five others have been found but not recovered due to unsafe conditions under the boat, which sank in about 60 feet (18 meters) of water. 

Kroll that says these numbers are based on initial reports and authorities are awaiting final counts from the autopsies.

Five crew members sleeping on the top deck jumped off and took a dinghy to safety. 

One is believed to have a broken leg and another is believed to be the boyfriend of one of the missing crew.

Among those feared dead are crew cook Micheal 'Mikey' Kohls (left) and expedition leader Kristy Finstad (right) whose families have both made pleas to find their loved ones

Footage taken from a previous experience on the the boat shows the tight living quarters

Social media users have previously shared footage of the sleeping quarters on the boat. The trip was made in 2014

The compact living quarters (pictured, a previous trip aboard the ship in 2014) where the passengers slept 

In a chilling recording of the mayday call, the captain of the Conception can be heard telling the Coast Guard 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?' 

Most of the captain's responses are unintelligible, except for the words: 'I can't breathe.' 

He confirms that all the crew jumped off and the vessel is fully engulfed in flames. 

The captain remained at the scene working with rescue crews as search efforts headquartered at Coast Guard Station Channel Islands in Oxnard are ongoing. 

James Kohls, who's brother Mikey is a cook on the Conception, rushed to the Coast Guard headquarters in Oxnard, hoping to learn the fate of his brother on Monday morning

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 

Santa Barbara City Search and Rescue officers move a recovered body on the dock at Santa Barbara Harbor on Monday

 Lt Cmdr Matthew Kroll told AP the bodies recovered on Monday morning had injuries consistent with drowning

The majority of Conception's passengers have still not been located hours after the fire 

West Wing actor Rob Lowe lead the tributes to the missing and dead crew and guests.

Taking to Twitter he wrote:  'My heart breaks for those onboard the Conception. An unspeakable horror on a boat I've been on many times. My prayers and thoughts are with the families.'

Many replied to his tweets saying they had friends or family missing, with one explaining 'the crew quarters is in the wheelhouse, at the top of the boat. There are at least two flights of stairs between crew and passenger bunks below decks'.

James Kohls, who's brother Mikey is a cook on the Conception, rushed to the Coast Guard headquarters in Oxnard, hoping to learn the fate of his brother on Monday morning.

Kristy Finstad, 41, of Santa Cruz was among the divers helping to lead the expedition aboard the Conception, which caught fire in the early morning hours on Monday.

Finstad's brother, Brett Harmeling, 31, posted a message on his Facebook page which read: 'Please pray for my sister Kristy!! She was leading a dive trip on this boat.'

The dive boat called Conception was anchored on the north side of Santa Cruz Island when it went up in flames

The dive-boat Conception, far out to sea in the middle of the night, became fully engulfed in flames as 30 passengers on a recreational scuba diving trip slept below deck

The Conception was chartered by Worldwide Diving Adventures, which says on its website that it has been taking divers on such expeditions since the 1970s

The 75-foot vessel 'Conception' returns to Santa Barbara Harbor in January this year

Former Truth Aquatics crewman James Miranda prays and drops flowers into the water at the moorings where the boat that burned and sank off the Santa Cruz islands early in the morning

Flowers and messages are placed outside of the Sea Landing at Santa Barbara Harbor

Finstad helped organize the trip with her husband, Dan Chua, through their family-owned company, Worldwide Diving Adventures.

The Conception was chartered by Worldwide Diving Adventures, which says on its website that it has been taking divers on such expeditions since the 1970s.

It was owned and operated by Truth Aquatics, a Santa Barbara-based company founded in 1974.

Chua did not accompany his wife on the trip. Instead, he was leading a separate diving expedition in Costa Rica, according to Harmeling.

'She's done this trip hundreds of times,' Harmeling told the News.

Finstad is seen left alongside her husband, Dan Chua, in this undated file photo. The couple helped organize the weekend diving expedition through their family-owned company, Worldwide Diving Adventures

Finstad's brother said that Chua did not join his wife for the diving expedition in California. Instead, he was leading a separate trip in Costa Rica

Coast Guard Captain Monica Rochester, Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, is seen at a press conference in Oxnard

Search and rescue efforts are ongoing as of 10am Monday. USCS vessels are seen returning to the Coast Guard Station Channel Islands in Oxnard for refueling

The Grape Escape, whose crew helped rescue the Conception crew, is seen at the Coast Guard Station Channel Islands

Divers were charged $665 per person for a three-night stay aboard the boat. The weekend trip included scuba excursions that offered a chance to see marine wildlife in the waters surrounding the Channel Islands.

Harmeling said that if anyone could survive a fire, it would be his sister. 

'She'd be the person who could make it if it's possible,' he said.

'She could hold her breath for an insane amount of time. It just doesn't sound like there was a chance for anyone to get out.

'She's a very strong, strong woman...but they've been searching for a long time already.'

The image above shows the man believed to be Jerry Boylan, the captain of the Conception

Four of the crew members who made it off the boat were transported to the hospital. First responders are seen bringing an injured man to an ambulance at Channel Island Harbor in Oxnard

A man draped in blankets is seen being loaded into an ambulance on a gurney after being rescued from the boat

Many of the surviving crew were distraught. They had taken their dingy to a private fishing boat, The Grape Escape, that was anchored near the north shore of Santa Cruz Island.

That boat's owners, Bob and Shirley Hansen, told The New York Times they were asleep when they heard pounding on the side of their 60-foot (18-meter) vessel about 3.30 a.m. and discovered the frightened crew members.

'When we looked out, the other boat was totally engulfed in flames, from stem to stern,' Hansen said. 

'I could see the fire coming through holes on the side of the boat. There were these explosions every few beats. You can't prepare yourself for that. It was horrendous.'  

The crew, some only in underwear and two with leg injuries, had retrieved a dinghy and paddled 200 yards to the Hansens' boat. 

People hug each other as they await news outside of the Truth Aquatics office in Santa Barbara on Monday

The captain of the Grape Escape, whose crew rescued the Conception crew members after the blaze broke out, is seen with first responders at Channel Island Harbor on Monday morning

Flowers are place at dolphin statue at Santa Barbara Harbor

JJ Lambert and Jenna Marsala hug after hanging a scuba flag at a makeshift memorial near Truth Aquatics as the search continues

JJ Lambert and Jenna Marsala hang a scuba flag at a makeshift memorial near Truth Aquatics

Orlando Aldana, 42, of Santa Barbara, lights candles in honor of the victims at the growing memorial for those caught in the fire on the Conception boat

Hansen said the men were distraught - one had a girlfriend below-deck on the Conception - and two of the men paddled back to look for survivors, but found none.    

She added another man cried, describing they had celebrated three passengers' birthdays hours earlier, including that of a 17-year-old girl who was on the diving trip with her parents.

On social media, parents said at least two students and two passengers on board were students at Pacific Collegiate School in Santa Cruz.

Meanwhile, authorities opened a family assistance center where counseling was being provided to relatives of those onboard. 

The boat was operated by tour company Truth Aquatics, whose owners are working with investigators and have declined to comment on the tragedy. 

The boat is owned by diving company Truth Aquatics and based in Santa Barbara Harbor (stock image)

Conception reportedly departed from Santa Barbara Harbor on Friday night for a Labor Day weekend trip to the pinnacles of San Miguel Island and was expected to return Monday evening, according to the Truth Aquatics website (stock image)

The dive boat has bunk space for up to 46 passengers. The interior layout is seen above

Santa Cruz Island is about 18 miles from the California mainland and about 60 miles west of Los Angeles (file photo)

The Coast Guard confirmed yesterday they launched 'multiple rescue assets along with assets from local agencies to assist more than 30 people in distress on a 75ft boat near Santa Cruz Island'. 

Rescuers were unable to board the boat to check for survivors before it sank because it kept reigniting, Coast Guard Senior Chief Aaron Bemis said.

'It keeps being extinguished and re-flashing, possibly due to the amount of fuel on board. Unsure why, but it's consistently being put out and re-flashing,' Bemis said about two hours into the rescue mission.

'Multiple coast guard and local Ventura County Fire Department assets on scene, but we're not able to yet breach the hull and see if there's any survivors at this point.' 

A U.S. flag flies at half staff on the Sea Landing at Santa Barbara Harbor

Flowers are fixed to the railing at Truth Aquatics

Flowers are seen at a makeshift memorial near Truth Aquatics

A scuba diver who has frequently gone on expeditions on the boat says it and others in its operator's fleet are among the safest and best maintained he's seen.

Dave Reid, who runs an underwater camera business with his wife, said the boat's operator, Truth Aquatics, has immaculate boats and its crew is top notch.

But Reid, who is familiar with the boat's configuration, notes all divers sleep on the lowest level.

He says divers are not locked into that level but if a fire erupted above them it would be difficult for any to escape through a narrow stairway. 

Passengers boarded the boat on Friday night and it took off from Santa Barbara Harbor on Saturday morning. It was expected to return Monday evening. 

The boat has sleeping space for 46 passengers. The Labor Day weekend trip was described on the website as 'designed by divers for divers' and came with a price tag of $665 per person. 

Coast Guard Captain Rochester said the boat appears to have been in full compliance and that it was authorized to be anchored at the scene of the fire in Platts Harbor. 

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown, middle, watches as Coast Guard Capt. Monica Rochester, right, approaches the podium outside of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's headquarters for a news conference in Santa Barbara on Monday

Colin Martz, 16, an intern at Santa Barbara Sailing Center, places flowers at a dolphin statue at Santa Barbara Harbor in Santa Barbara on Monday

Flowers float in the water near the Sea Landing at Santa Barbara Harbor on Monday

Orlando Aldana, 42, of Santa Barbara, bought 34 candles in honor of the victims to place at the growing memorial for those caught in the fire on the Conception boat

Relatives of those on board the vessel arrive at a family assistance center set up by authorities in Santa Barbara on Monday 

The image above shows a pair of diving fins and flowers at a memorial wall near the Truth Aquatics moorings where the boat that burned and sank off the Santa Cruz islands early in the morning was based