Five Italian tourists died on Thursday morning after failing to resurface from a deep-sea dive into a submerged cave system near Alimatha Island, within the Vaavu Atoll of the Maldives. The incident, which occurred approximately 65 kilometers south of the Maldivian capital, Malé, has been described by Maldivian officials as the single deadliest diving accident ever recorded in the popular island nation.
"One body has been found among five divers who went diving in Vaavu Atoll. The body was found inside a cave. It is believed that the remaining four divers are also inside the same cave, which extends to a depth of about 60 metres (65 yards)." — Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), Statement
The group had embarked on their dive aboard the Duke of York, a foreign-operated luxury live-aboard vessel, earlier that morning. Their destination was the renowned diving waters off Alimatha Island. By midday, concerns grew as none of the five divers had returned to the surface. An alarm was raised at approximately 1:45 p.m. local time, prompting the immediate launch of a major search and rescue operation by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), utilizing both aircraft and speedboats.
As the search intensified, the MNDF issued a statement confirming the severity of the situation. "One body has been found among five divers who went diving in Vaavu Atoll," the statement read. "The body was found inside a cave. It is believed that the remaining four divers are also inside the same cave, which extends to a depth of about 60 metres (65 yards)." Rescue teams subsequently recovered all five bodies from within the intricate submerged cave network.
Among the deceased was Monica Montefalcone, 51, a distinguished professor of Tropical Marine Ecology and Underwater Science at the University of Genoa. Montefalcone, a published marine biologist and a recognized television personality in Italy, was serving as the scientific director of an island monitoring campaign during the expedition, affiliated with the University of Genoa’s Department of Earth Sciences (Distav). Her 20-year-old daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, was also tragically killed in the accident. The other victims were identified as Muriel Oddenino of Turin, a colleague of Montefalcone’s at the University of Genoa; Gianluca Benedetti of Padua, a certified diving instructor, boat captain, and operations manager; and Federico Gualtieri of Borgomanero.
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs swiftly confirmed the deaths, releasing a formal statement: "Following an accident during a scuba dive, five Italians died in the Vaavu atoll, in the Maldives." The Ministry, in coordination with the Italian Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, affirmed their commitment to "contacting the victims’ families to provide any necessary consular assistance."
Conditions at the dive site were reportedly challenging at the time of the incident. Winds were blowing between 25 and 30 miles per hour, and the national meteorological service had issued a yellow weather alert for the area that morning, which remained active throughout the afternoon as search efforts continued.
Maldivian police have initiated a formal investigation into the tragedy. While no official cause of death has been confirmed, and authorities have yet to release conclusive findings, local media reports citing diving experts have raised the possibility of oxygen toxicity as a potential contributing factor. Oxygen toxicity can occur when a diver breathes oxygen at elevated pressure for a sustained period, leading to central nervous system disruption and potential tissue damage. The Duke of York’s official website confirms that the vessel provides nitrox, a nitrogen-oxygen breathing blend, to its divers.
The Duke of York, built in 2010, is specifically designed to transport diving enthusiasts to premier underwater locations across the Maldives. The vessel accommodates up to 21 guests in 11 luxury cabins spread across three decks, each equipped with private air conditioning and a bathroom. A typical one-week cruise aboard the ship costs just over €2,000 per person and is supported by a crew of 13 members. Common areas include an air-conditioned interior lounge with an entertainment system and bar, a main deck restaurant offering Italian and local cuisine, and multiple open decks with sun loungers and panoramic seating.
The Maldives, an archipelago composed of 1,192 coral islands stretching approximately 500 miles across the equatorial Indian Ocean, is globally renowned as a mecca for serious divers. Its pristine waters, now at the center of a criminal investigation, attract thousands of visitors annually seeking unique underwater experiences. The outcome of the ongoing police inquiry is highly anticipated by both the international diving community and the families of the victims.
