Maldivian Police boats searching for the missing divers. Image: EPA
Five Italian divers die in an underwater cave in the Maldives. The accident raises numerous questions.
May 19, 2026, 07:43May 19, 2026, 07:43
Anna-Lena Janzen / t-online
Diving in caves is considered particularly dangerous. Unlike normal recreational diving, if problems arise there is no direct route to the surface and you can quickly lose your orientation. Diving in caves requires special training and equipment – especially at depths over 30 meters. This is one of the reasons why the accident in the Maldives, in which five Italian divers died, raises numerous questions.
Last Thursday, the group dived into an extensive cave system near the island of Alimathaa, south of the capital Malé. The accident occurred at the “Devana Kandu” diving spot in Vaavu Atoll. According to Italian media reports, among the dead are ecology professor Monica Montefalcone from the University of Genoa, her 22-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal, research assistant Muriel Oddenino, marine biologist Federico Gualtieri and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti from the submersible “Duke of York”. Only Benedetti’s body has been recovered so far. The remaining four victims were said to have been located deep in the cave system on Monday.
According to the University of Genoa, some people in the group were on a scientific trip to study marine ecosystems. According to the Australian ABC, the divers were on a week-long trip on the diving boat with around 20 other passengers.
Apparently safety rules were ignored
The case is puzzling. According to Maldivian government spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef, some of the Italian divers had permission to dive to a depth of 50 meters. Shareef told the Italian newspaper “Corriere della Sera”. However, according to authorities, the application was missing crucial information.
Depth limits typically apply to recreational divers in the Maldives; International diving organizations such as PADI often recommend a maximum depth of around 30 meters for recreational diving, depending on the level of training. Research teams can apply for special permits for greater depths, but these are limited to specific purposes and conditions.
Not all five Italian divers in this group were listed in the application, according to authorities. Although the group named several atolls, they apparently did not specifically mention that a cave dive was planned. “The main problem is that it was a cave dive,” the “Corriere della Sera” quotes Shareef as saying.
According to Shareef, the group from the University of Genoa has been traveling regularly to the Maldives for research work for several years. Investigations of soft corals and reef systems were planned. The Italian tour operator “Albatros Top Boat”, on whose ship “Duke of York” the divers traveled, also stated that such a special cave dive had not been approved.
The depth at which the divers’ explorations actually took place and what equipment they used has not yet been fully clarified and is still being investigated. According to the government spokesman, the entrance to the cave is around 47 meters. According to media reports, the dive at “Devana Kandu” also took the group to a depth of around 60 meters. According to several experts, such a diving operation would have required specialized technical training for deep and cave diving, including special gases and decompression plans. According to media reports, it is being discussed whether the group did without the typical special equipment; a final official confirmation of this is still pending.
Maldivian Armed Forces divers prepare for a dive.Image: EPA MALDIVES GOVERNMENT
In addition, there were apparently difficult weather conditions. Warnings of strong winds, rough seas and strong currents were in effect on the day of the accident. Particularly in underwater caves, swirling sediments can reduce visibility to zero within seconds. Anyone who then loses their bearings often cannot find a way back.
The victim’s husband speaks of mysterious misfortune
The exact cause of the accident remains the subject of investigations in the Maldives and Italy. Carlo Sommacal, husband of Monica Montefalcone and father of Giorgia, said, according to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, that his wife was one of the very experienced divers and had completed a lot of dives. “You can say all sorts of things except that they were inexperienced,” said Sommacal, as he was quoted in the interview.
“Something must have happened down there,” he said, according to reports. Maybe someone had problems or there were difficulties with the oxygen cylinders. His wife was always conscientious. “She would never have endangered the life of our daughter or anyone else,” her husband said in the interview.
He hopes that one of the divers had a video camera with him. «Monica usually had a GoPro with her when she went diving. I don’t know if she had them with her. If they find her, maybe we can find out what happened,” he was quoted as saying in the interview.
Maldivian diving instructor and military advisor Shaff Naeem, who says he has completed more than 50 technical dives in the cave system, said, according to Australian broadcaster ABC, that a chain of several problems could be possible: including too little breathing gas, disorientation and so-called nitrogen narcosis – a dangerous condition that can impair judgment at great depths.
Rescue operations also end in death
A search for the divers’ bodies also turned into a disaster. Eight divers from the Maldivian Armed Forces entered the cave – only seven returned. According to the military, soldier Mohamed Mahdhee lost consciousness underwater and later died as a result of a serious diving accident that was linked to decompression problems.
According to reports, Mahdhee had already worked his way into the first two large cave chambers and tried to advance further via narrow connecting passages. The authorities initially stopped the rescue work. The military explained that the cave system was extremely complex and dangerous.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu joins members of the armed forces in remembering the late military diver Mohamed Mahudhee.Image: AP
Now specialists from Finland are supposed to develop a new rescue plan. They include the well-known cave divers Sami Paakkarinen and Patrik Grönqvist, who became internationally known through the documentary “Diving Into The Unknown”.
The divers have already been involved in several international rescue missions. According to ABC, members of the team were also among the specialists who In 2018, they helped with the spectacular rescue of trapped teenagers from a cave in Thailand.
Laura Marroni, head of the diving safety organization DAN Europe, said in a statement that the rescue mission was taking place under “highly complex conditions”.
Investigations are ongoing
The Maldivian authorities have temporarily suspended the license of the submersible “Duke of York”. Also the public prosecutor’s office Rome is now investigating the case.
With its coral reefs and diving spots, the Maldives is considered one of the most popular destinations for divers in the world. This is precisely why the accident is attracting particular attention in the international diving industry.
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