A Maldivian diving expert has shared a harrowing possible account of what five Italian divers may have experienced before losing their lives in a scuba diving tragedy last week.
The divers died on Thursday, May 14, while exploring the Alimathaa cave system in Vaavu Atoll. They were identified as Monica Montefalcone and her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal, along with Muriel Oddenino, Gianluca Benedetti, and Federico Gualtieri.
Yesterday, it was announced that the bodies of Montefalcone, Sommacal, Oddenino, and Gualtieri had been located inside the cave system. Benedetti’s body had already been recovered, as it was found in the first chamber of the cave and was easier to access.
Recovery efforts began last Thursday after the divers were reported missing, before poor weather conditions forced search teams to suspend operations. A rescue diver later died from decompression sickness on Saturday while assisting in the search for the victims’ bodies.
According to reports, the Italian nationals were eventually found dead inside a 60-meter-deep cave by a joint team of highly trained Finnish and Maldivian divers.
Mohamed Hossain Shareef told the BBC: “Further dives [are] to be carried out in the coming days to recover the bodies.”
While speculation surrounding what happened to the group remains widespread, former Maldives National Defence Force military diver Shafraz Naeem shared his thoughts, suggesting the divers may not have entered the cave system properly.
Naeem has more than 30 years of technical diving experience and currently serves as an adviser to the Maldives National Defence Force. He said he has personally visited the Alimathaa cave system more than 50 times.
“I have visited those caves countless times. There is no current. They swam into that third cave. They chose to go in there,” Naeem explained.
Regarding the fact that Benedetti’s body was found in a different part of the cave system from the others, Naeem added: “I believe the instructor intentionally swam away from the group. Maybe he made a move upward before he ran out of air.
“The rest of the group died in that third chamber, and Benedetti died in the passageway while trying to get out.”
The cave system is divided into three chambers connected by a series of narrow tunnels and passageways. Naeem admitted he had never entered the third chamber because of how dangerous it is.
“The cave is unforgiving… it is closed, pitch-black, and you can only see where you shine the light,” he explained.
“If something goes wrong, you cannot shoot straight up to the surface like you can in open dives. You are confined and restricted, and at a depth below 55 meters, it becomes extremely dangerous.”
Naeem also stated his belief that the dive may have violated Maldivian safety regulations.
“Everyone knows the rules were broken,” he told Italian news agency ANSA. He also suggested that a combination of technical problems could have contributed to the divers becoming trapped.
“Caves are unforgiving because you cannot make a direct ascent,” he explained. “Even the most experienced divers can face significant challenges.”
