A tragic and complex diving accident in the Maldives has claimed the lives of five Italian nationals and, subsequently, a Maldivian military diver involved in the recovery efforts. The incident unfolded on Thursday, with the Italian divers reportedly attempting to explore a series of caves at a depth of 50 metres in Vaavu Atoll, an activity significantly exceeding the recreational diving limit of 30 metres permitted in the archipelago.

Initially, one body was recovered, identified as diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, leaving four Italian nationals missing. The search for the remaining divers—Monica Montefalcone, an associate ecology professor at the University of Genoa; her daughter Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; and researcher Muriel Oddenino—has been a high-risk operation. Montefalcone and Oddenino were on an official scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study the effects of the climate crisis on tropical biodiversity.

Recovery efforts by the Maldivian Coast Guard were temporarily suspended on Friday due to severe weather conditions but resumed on Saturday. The treacherous nature of the mission was underscored by the death of Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defence Force, who succumbed to underwater decompression sickness after searching for the missing bodies. Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef noted that Mahudhee's death highlighted the extreme difficulty of the mission. President Mohamed Muizzu had visited the search site on Friday and was briefed on the rescue plan.

The cave system where the divers disappeared is described as being divided into three large chambers connected by narrow passages. A recovery team of eight divers, including two who had pinpointed and marked the cave entrance, had explored two of the chambers on Friday but faced significant challenges in the third. Two Italian deep-sea rescue and cave diving experts were expected to join the effort to assist. Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through Minister Antonio Tajani and the Italian ambassador in Colombo, Damiano Francovigh, along with the honorary consul in Malé, Giorgia Marazzi, has been closely monitoring and supporting the recovery operations.

Investigations into the causes of the incident are underway by the Rome public prosecutor’s office and local authorities. Recreational dives in the Maldives are strictly limited to 30 metres, with deeper dives requiring special permits, prompting questions as to why the group descended to 50 metres. Several theories are being examined, including disorientation inside the caves due to sand stirred up by ocean swells, possible toxicity of gases in their cylinders, or a scenario where one diver became trapped and others ran out of oxygen attempting a rescue. The adherence to safety measures, such as the use of an “Ariadne’s thread,” is also under scrutiny. The victims were highly experienced professionals with advanced diving certificates, making the incident particularly perplexing. Monica Montefalcone's husband, Carlo Sommacal, emphasized his wife's discipline and experience, ruling out recklessness and suggesting an unforeseen event.

This incident has been labeled the worst single diving accident in the Maldives. In response, the operating license of the 36-metre luxury yacht, the Duke of York, on which the Italians were passengers, was suspended indefinitely by the Maldivian Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, pending the outcome of the investigation. Greenpeace Italia paid tribute to Monica Montefalcone, remembering her passion for marine protection and her invaluable professionalism.