Maldivian Military Diver Dies During Search for Missing Italian Divers

A Maldivian military diver died on Saturday during the search for four Italian divers believed to be trapped in an underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll. The Italian divers, part of a group of five, were exploring the cave at a depth of approximately 50 meters (160 feet) on Thursday, exceeding the Maldives' recreational diving limit of 30 meters (98 feet). One body, identified as diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, was recovered near the cave's entrance. The remaining four divers are presumed to be inside the cave system.

The deceased Maldivian diver, Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahudhee of the Maldivian National Defense Force, succumbed to decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital. Maldives presidential spokesman Mohammed Hussain Shareef stated, "The death goes to show the difficulty of the mission."

Due to the incident, Maldivian authorities have suspended the search operations and are awaiting the arrival of three Finnish cave diving experts to reassess the search strategy.

The Italian victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; and researcher Muriel Oddenino. Montefalcone and Oddenino were in the Maldives on an official scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study the effects of climate change on tropical biodiversity. However, the fatal dive was undertaken privately and was not part of their planned research activities.

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed condolences for the death of the Maldivian diver and pledged to do everything possible to repatriate the victims.

The Italian tour operator managing the diving trip denied authorizing or being aware of the deep dive that violated local limits. Their lawyer stated that the operator "did not know" the group planned to descend beyond 30 meters, a threshold requiring special permission from Maldivian maritime authorities. The dive exceeded the planned scientific cruise focused on coral sampling at standard depths.

The Maldives Tourism Ministry has suspended the operating license of the vessel "Duke of York" pending an investigation.

Cave diving is a highly technical and dangerous activity requiring specialized training, equipment, and strict safety protocols. Diving at depths of 50 meters also exceeds the maximum depth recommended for recreational divers by most major scuba certifying agencies, with depths beyond 40 meters (131 feet) considered technical diving requiring specialized training and equipment.