Mohamed Sharuhan and Giada Zampano
Male, Maldives: A high-risk operation to recover the bodies of four Italian divers from deep inside an underwater cave in the Maldives has been suspended after rough seas repeatedly hampered efforts.
Speaking a day after the body of a fifth member of the dive group was recovered, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said despite the poor weather conditions everything possible would be done to bring the victims home.
“Unfortunately, the searches are suspended due to bad weather, but we will do everything possible to recover the bodies of our compatriots,” Tajani told a political event in Italy on Friday (Rome time).
The five divers became trapped in a sea cave at a depth of about 50 metres off the island of Alimathaa in the Vaavu Atoll on Thursday.
The cause of the deaths remained under investigation. There has been speculation that a mix-up in the gas blend in the victims’ dive tanks may be behind the accident. A dive tank for recreational diving carries a blend of 21 per cent oxygen and 79 per cent nitrogen. Recreational diving is normally restricted to a depth of 40 metres. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 metres.
The victims were identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate ecology professor at the University of Genoa, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, marine biologist Federico Gualtieri, researcher Muriel Oddenino and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government.
Benedetti’s body was recovered on Thursday.
Montefalcone’s husband, Carlo Sommacal, said he believed something unexpected must have occurred and ruled out recklessness on her part.
“Something must have happened,” he told Italian TV channel Rete 4. He said his wife was a disciplined diver who carefully weighed risks before each descent. He recalled her telling him at times: “This one I can do, you can’t.”
The Italian Foreign Ministry said the cave entered by the five divers was divided into three large chambers connected by narrow passages. Recovery teams explored two of the three chambers, but the search was limited due to considerations over oxygen and decompression.
About 20 other Italians who were on the same expedition aboard a vessel named the “Duke of York” were safe. Italy’s embassy in Colombo was providing assistance to those onboard and had contacted the Red Crescent, which offered to deploy volunteers to help provide psychological aid.
Cave diving is a highly technical and dangerous activity that requires specialised training, equipment and strict safety protocols. Risks increase sharply in overhead environments and at depth, particularly when conditions deteriorate. Experts say it’s easy to become disoriented or lost inside caves, particularly as sediment clouds can sharply reduce visibility.
Diving at 50 metres also exceeds the maximum depth recommended for recreational divers by most major established scuba certifying agencies, with depths beyond 40 metres considered technical diving, and requiring specialised training and equipment.
Sommacal said his wife survived the 2004 tsunami while diving off Kenya, resurfacing with other experienced divers despite the danger, and later returned to diving after a lengthy recovery from serious health complications. “She had two lives – one on land and one in her environment, the water,” he said.
Maldivian presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said eight divers took part in Friday’s search and, working in pairs, explored the depths and drew up a map to continue the mission on Saturday.
He said Benedetti’s body was found near the mouth of the cave and authorities believed the remaining four had entered the cave.
Greenpeace Italia, the environmental organisation, paid tribute to Montefalcone as a passionate advocate for marine protection, saying it would miss “her professionalism and her advice immensely” and “that special light she had in her eyes when she spoke about the wonders of the sea and the importance of protecting them.”
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology offered condolences for all the victims. It said Montefalcone had been widely recognised for her work studying and protecting the marine environment.
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