A coworker told NBC 7’s Dave Summers Nicole Quitasol was full of life and loved anything to do with the ocean.
A San Diego woman, two of her sisters, her father, and her father's wife have been identified as victims killed in a diving boat fire Monday in Channel Islands National Park.
A Stockton, California mother posted on Facebook saying three of her daughters were on a diving trip with their father and their father’s wife celebrating their father’s birthday when they were killed in the fire. One of her daughters, 31-year-old Nicole Quitasol, lived in San Diego and worked at Nicky Rottens Bar & Burger Joint in Coronado for the last four years, according to the restaurant.
Co-workers and regulars came to the restaurant Tuesday to console each other and share memories of the beloved bartender.
“She was one of a kind. She was ahead of her time, for sure. An old soul that was just in love the outdoors, anything to do with her dog, peanut butter, anything to do with water, beaches, diving, paddle boarding – I mean, that was her life,” Nicky Rottens CFO Bryn Butolph said.
Budolph said many of Nicole's coworkers knew about her diving trip and were even checking in on the boat, the Conception, while she was out of town.
The mother, Susana Rosas, identified her children as Nicole, Evan and Angela Rose Quitasol. Rosas identified their father as Michael Quitasol and his wife as Fernisa Sison.
A cousin of the sisters told NBC the women are survived by another sister who did not make the trip.
Local
The fire broke out on board the Conception around 5 a.m. Monday. The U.S. Coast Guard says 34 people are presumed dead and said Tuesday their rescue mission had transitioned into a recovery mission.
Five crew members were rescued, and the bodies of 20 victims have been recovered so far. Many need to be identified by DNA analysis, and officials are collecting samples from family members.
NTSB investigators are working with the Coast Guard to figure out the cause of the fire.
A GoFundMe page was launched to help raise funds for the funerals of the Quitasol family and Sison.
On Thursday at 6 p.m., Nicky Rotten's will host a fundraiser for Quitasol and her family. A portion of all proceeds from sales that night and all gratuities will be given to Quitasol's family.
“She was on of a kind. She was ahead of her time, for sure. An old soul that was just in love the outdoors, anything to do with her dog, peanut butter, anything to do with water, beaches, diving, paddle boarding – I mean, that was her life,” Nicky Rottens CFO Bryn Butolph said.
