Five Italian divers disappeared during a deep-sea excursion in the Maldives and were later discovered dead inside an underwater cave located nearly 50 meters below the surface, prompting serious concerns about whether they exceeded safe recreational diving limits and entered extremely hazardous conditions.
The tragedy has since escalated further after a Maldivian military diver also died during the recovery operation. Authorities have launched an investigation into how deep the group descended, what equipment they used, and whether their dive plan was properly declared.
Maldives government spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef called it the most severe diving accident in the country’s history.
The group had been aboard the luxury liveaboard vessel Duke of York, which departed Malé on May 10 for a week-long trip. While other passengers remained on board, the five divers entered the water and never resurfaced.
Questions About Depth and Safety Rules
Investigators are now examining whether the group went beyond legal limits. Recreational diving in the Maldives is capped at 30 meters, while dives beyond 40 meters require advanced technical certification.
The cave entrance where they were found lies at roughly 47–50 meters, raising concerns that the dive may have exceeded permitted limits. Officials also noted that weather warnings had been issued that day due to rough seas and strong winds.
Reports suggest the divers may have been using standard recreational equipment rather than specialized deep-diving gear, and it remains unclear whether the full plan of the dive was properly authorized.
Who the Divers Were
The group included experienced researchers and diving professionals: an ecology professor from the University of Genoa, her daughter, a marine conservation researcher, a recent graduate in marine ecology, and a diving instructor and boat operations manager. One additional diver had initially planned to join but did not enter the water.
Relatives and colleagues described them as highly experienced, with thousands of dives between them, making the incident even more difficult to understand.
What May Have Happened
Experts have proposed several possible contributing factors, though no official cause has been confirmed. These include oxygen-related complications at depth, panic in confined cave conditions, nitrogen narcosis causing disorientation, and poor visibility due to disturbed sediment. Strong underwater currents and limited gas supplies have also been cited as potential risks.
The cave system itself is known to be extremely dangerous, with deep passages, strong currents, and near-total darkness in some sections.
The Rescue and Further Losses
The recovery effort became fatal when a senior Maldivian military diver died from decompression sickness during the mission. He was later honored with a military funeral.
Eventually, specialized rescue teams located the four missing Italian divers in the deepest section of the cave. A logbook recovered from the operation reportedly contained the message: “WE FOUND ALL FOUR.”
Investigation Underway
Authorities have suspended the vessel’s operating license while investigations continue. The tour operator stated it was not informed of any intent to exceed legal depth limits and would not have permitted it.
It was later confirmed that parts of the dive were conducted outside official research authorization, and some participants were not listed on the approved permit.
Italian and Maldivian officials are now coordinating efforts, while families await the return of the victims. Despite ongoing inquiries, many details about what went wrong remain unclear.
