World3 min(s) read
Published 09:28 17 May 2026 GMT
Veteran Maldivian diver reveals why scuba trip may have turned deadly for 5 tourists: 'Rules were broken'
A veteran Maldivian diving expert has claimed the five Italian divers who died inside a deep underwater cave may never have entered the site correctly and believes the tragedy could have been avoided if proper rules had been followed.
The group of Italian scuba divers disappeared Thursday while exploring the Alimathaa cave system in the Vaavu Atoll, roughly 160 feet below the surface, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry.
What has the veteran said?
Now, experienced technical diving instructor Shafraz Naeem says 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.
The site has since become even more dangerous after a Maldivian Coast Guard diver also died during recovery operations on Saturday.
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.”
The search for the remains of those who died
So far, only one body has been recovered, that of diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti.
A team of eight Maldivian Coast Guard divers searched unsuccessfully for the remaining victims on Saturday, but the operation itself turned tragic when one rescuer died from suspected decompression sickness.
A specialist recovery team from Finland is now reportedly travelling to the Maldives to continue the operation.
Among those still missing is Monica Montefalcone, 51, a respected marine biologist from the University of Genoa who was in the Maldives researching the impact of climate change on tropical marine biodiversity.
Her daughter Giorgia Sommacal also vanished during the dive, alongside University of Genoa researcher Muriel Oddenino.
The fifth victim was Federico Gualtieri, a marine biology graduate whose academic work focused on coral diversity in the Maldives.