Marine biologist feared dead in California boat fire

A 41-year-old marine biologist may have been one of 34 people who were killed in a deadly boat fire in California on Monday, the Los Angeles Times reports.

On Friday, Kristy Finstad boarded the 75-foot Conception, a diving boat her family rented for their scuba diving company Worldwide Diving Adventures. She was leading an expedition when a fire broke out around 3:15 a.m. three days later, according to the newspaper. At the time, the passengers and one crew member were allegedly sleeping in the vessel's lower deck as the boat was docked near Santa Cruz Island. Five crew members who were sleeping on the boat's top deck managed to jump off the ship after the fire began to spread and find refuge in a nearby boat.

Finstad's brother Brett Harmeling initially identified her as one of the people on board the boat.

"She's extremely strong-willed and very adventurous," he told the Times. "If there was a 1 percent chance of her making it, she would have made it."

On Tuesday, Harmeling appeared to come to terms with the fact that his sister was most likely among the dead.

"Thank You ALL for your unconditional love and support during this incredibly tragic time," he wrote on Facebook. "My family and I truly appreciate it. No final word on my sister Kristy; however, it is likely she has transitioned to be with the good Lord."

Finstad's mother purportedly founded the diving company in the 1970s. The marine biologist discovered a passion for marine life at an early age and eventually went on to study marine biology at the University of California Santa Cruz, the Times reports. She later worked as a research diver for the Australian Institute of Marine Science and authored a restoration guidebook for the California Coastal Commission.

"She has an extraordinary depth of knowledge," Harmeling recalled. "She has a passion for the earth, and a love for marine life."

The 41-year-old, who had dived in the area near Santa Cruz Island many times, recently returned from a multiyear sailing trip across the Pacific with her husband, according to a blog on her company's website.

"What were we doing with our lives?" she wrote prior to her departure. "Dragging your feet is no way to climb a mountain; holding your breath is no way to dive."

On Tuesday, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said the bodies of 20 victims have been recovered and between four and six others have been found near the boat, which sank about 60 feet hours after the fire started. Most need to be identified through DNA testing, he added.