Local expert who's been to Maldives death caves 'countless times' makes chilling claim about 'shark cave' where 4 missing scuba divers were found

A Maldivian diving expert has revealed what the horrific final moments of the fateful group of divers who would tragically never resurface may have experienced.

Shafraz Naeem, a former military diver for the Maldives National Defence Force, previously explained that the five Italian divers who died inside a deep underwater cave may never have entered the site correctly.

He said that the tragedy could have been avoided if proper rules had been followed, and highlighted that "rules were broken," leading to the deaths.

The group of Italian scuba divers, consisting of researchers, students and tourists, disappeared on Thursday (May 14), while exploring the Alimathaa cave system in the Vaavu Atoll.

According to Italy’s Foreign Ministry, this is located around 160 feet (49m) below the surface.

Naeem's bold claim about the divers

The body of the local instructor of the group, Gianluca Benedetti, was discovered within the passageway from the mouth of Thinwana Kandu cave on Friday.

The rest of the group were found on Monday by a team of three Finnish divers, trapped at the end of the tunnel, at the bottom of the cave's third chamber, in total darkness.

Speaking of one of the worst diving accidents in the history of the nation, Naeem revealed: "I have visited those caves countless times. There is no current. They swam into that third cave. They chose to go in there."

He then claimed: "I believe the instructor intentionally swam away from the group. Maybe he legged it up before he ran out of air.

"The rest of the group died in that third chamber and Benedetti died in the passageway trying to get out."

The cave, known also as "shark cave," is split into three separate chambers, connected by narrow passageways where sharks, stingrays and lobsters live.

Naeem, an experienced diver, says he has never entered the third chamber on purpose, due to concerns over his safety.

The cave opens at 164ft (50m), a far cry from the 98ft (30m) recreational diving limit under regulations in the Maldives.

Naeem went on: "The cave is unforgiving... it is closed, pitch-black, and you can only see where you shine the light.

"If something goes wrong, you cannot shoot up to the surface like you can in open dives. You are stopped and restricted, and, at that depth of below 55m, it is just completely dangerous."

The unforgiving conditions would limit the search for the divers at first, and it tragically would result in the death of Maldivian military rescue diver Mohamed Mahudhee (above), who died from decompression sickness.

What else has the veteran said?

Naeem said that the dive appears to have breached Maldivian safety regulations.

“Everyone knows the rules were broken,” Naeem told Italian news agency ANSA on Saturday.

Naeem, who has more than 30 years of technical diving experience and advises the Maldives National Defence Force, said he has personally explored the same cave more than 50 times.

Describing the cave system, Naeem explained that the entrance sits between 180 and 190 feet underwater and stretches around 330 feet inward before splitting into tighter tunnels that descend even deeper.

He pointed out that recreational diving in the Maldives is legally capped at 100 feet, the type of diving reportedly offered by the live-aboard vessel involved in the expedition, the Duke of York.

The yacht, which carried around 20 additional tourists and is listed as a PADI Five Star Dive Resort, had its operating license suspended Friday by the Maldives Ministry of Tourism while investigations continue.

Authorities have not officially confirmed whether the vessel had authorization to conduct dives beyond the 100-foot limit, though no public evidence has surfaced showing it did.

Both the Italian tour operator Albatros and the University of Genoa, whose researchers were aboard the expedition, have reportedly denied authorizing the dive.

Naeem believes a combination of technical problems likely led to the divers becoming trapped.

He said the group may have suffered from “lack of gas reserves, nitrogen narcosis and loss of visibility,” warning that underwater caves can quickly turn deadly.

“Caves are unforgiving because you cannot make a direct ascent,” he explained. “Even the most experienced divers can face considerable challenges.”

Who was killed in the underwater accident?

The divers consisted of a University of Genoa research team and another tourist.

Two of the victims were a university ecology professor, Monica Montefalcone, and her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal.

The three other divers, two of whom were researchers, have been named as Muriel Oddenino of Turin, Gianluca Benedetti of Padua, and Federico Gualtieri of the northern town of Borgomanero.

Montefalcone was a respected marine biologist and TV personality, while also being a professor of Tropical Marine Ecology and Underwater Science at the University of Genoa.

Montefalcone's husband, Carlo Sommacal, said in a statement that his wife is an "expert" diver and that she is "never reckless," leaving him devastated.

He claimed: "Monica would never have put the lives of her daughter and the other children at risk through recklessness. Something happened down there."

Featured image credit: MNDF_Official/X