By JULIE WATSON
Associated Press

The pain of the ill-fated scuba diving tour was felt across the United States and far beyond.

An exceptional group of people had boarded the Conception vessel for the three-day excursion in California's rugged Channel Islands before the boat erupted in fire on Labor Day and sank, killing 34 people.

They included highly accomplished engineers, biologists, computer scientists, nurses, artists and photographers. Several had graduated from top universities with advanced degrees. All shared a love of nature and adventure.

After reading some of the names of those identified so far, Santa Barbara County Bill Brown said those killed were from throughout California, across the United States and from around the world. He vowed investigators will determine the cause of the fire.

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