Five experienced Italian divers died after entering a dangerous underwater cave system near the Maldives’ Vaavu Atoll, triggering a days-long search and recovery operation.

The group entered the caves late Thursday morning while rough weather and strong winds were developing in the area. The divers were identified as diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, University of Genoa ecology professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, marine biologist Federico Gualtieri and researcher Muriel Oddenino.

The cave system begins at a depth of roughly 47 meters (154 feet) and extends down to around 70 meters (230 feet). After entering the underwater passages, the five divers failed to return to the surface.

A distress alert was issued at approximately 1:30 p.m., after the divers had been underwater for about two hours. Another diving vessel arrived first, and rescuers discovered Benedetti’s body near the entrance of the cave.

The Maldives Coast Guard then launched an extensive search for the other four divers. Officials believed they had remained inside the cave because of the difficult conditions and the depth of the underwater passages.

Montefalcone had extensive experience in marine research and had reportedly completed thousands of dives. Her husband, Carlo Sommacal, described her as an exceptionally experienced diver.

Before the incident, Montefalcone, Gualtieri and Oddenino had received approval from the Maldives Marine Research Center for research involving soft corals near Vaavu Atoll. However, authorities said the cave dive was separate from that research project and was undertaken privately.

The divers had also obtained authorization to conduct technical dives beyond the country’s normal recreational depth limit of 30 meters. However, Maldivian officials said they had not been informed that the group intended to enter the underwater caves.

According to government spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef, authorities would have provided additional support and specialist guidance if they had known about the planned cave dive.

Weather conditions may have added another challenge. The Maldives Meteorological Service issued a warning about strong winds and rough seas that morning. Later in the day, the warning was upgraded as winds reached up to about 30 miles per hour, with stronger gusts and very rough seas.

A dangerous underwater environment

The cave where the divers were found is considered an unusually difficult environment for diving. Russian technical diving expert Vladimir Tochilov explored the same cave system in 2014.

According to Tochilov, the cave is suitable only for highly trained technical cave divers with appropriate equipment and experience.

The approximately 200-meter-long cave contains several chambers and narrow passages. Divers must rely on artificial lights as they move farther inside, eventually reaching areas where the entrance can no longer be seen.

The environment is dark, confined and difficult to navigate. Tochilov said cave diving requires not only technical skills but also psychological preparation because divers can become disoriented when they lose sight of the exit.

Unlike many of the Maldives’ famous diving locations, the country is not widely known for cave diving. Tochilov said the unusual ecosystem inside the cave may have attracted the attention of scientists and experienced divers because it contains marine life that is rarely found outside the cave.

Search operation becomes another tragedy

Finding the missing divers proved extremely difficult. The recovery operation involved Maldivian specialists, three Finnish divers associated with Divers Alert Network and specialist equipment supplied by the United Kingdom and Australia.

Rescuers faced powerful currents, narrow underwater passages and complete darkness.

The operation suffered another tragedy when Sgt. Mohamed Mahudhee, a senior military diver involved in the search, died during the recovery effort. Authorities believe he suffered decompression sickness, a potentially fatal condition that can occur when a diver ascends too quickly after spending time at depth.

The recovery operation was temporarily suspended following Mahudhee’s death.

The four remaining Italian divers were eventually located inside the cave’s third chamber on Monday, several days after the initial disappearance.

Authorities investigate the diving vessel

The exact circumstances that caused the deaths remain unclear.

Authorities began investigating the yacht Duke of York, a 36-meter vessel that had been carrying the divers. Its license was suspended during the investigation.

Government spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef said the vessel did not have all the required documentation and lacked a license for operating as a diving school. He said such a license would be required if a vessel were advertising or assisting customers with recreational or technical diving activities.

The yacht’s operator, Abdul Muhsin Moosa, told Reuters that the vessel was authorized for dives of up to 30 meters and that passengers were informed of this limit when they arrived.

Orietta Stella, a lawyer representing Italian tour company Albatros Top Boat, said the company did not own the yacht or employ its crew. She also said the operator was unaware that the group intended to dive beyond the recreational depth limit and would not have permitted such a dive.

Experts have pointed to several possible dangers associated with deep cave diving, including disorientation and gas narcosis. At significant depths, breathing compressed gas can affect a diver’s judgment and ability to navigate.

British cave-diving expert John Volanthen, who participated in the 2018 rescue of the Thai soccer team trapped in a flooded cave system, said narcosis could potentially cause confusion or panic at depth and make it more difficult for divers to locate their way back to the entrance.

However, authorities have not yet established exactly what happened to the five Italians inside the cave.

As the investigation continues, the families of the victims are left searching for answers. Carlo Sommacal said his wife was extremely conscientious and would never knowingly put other people’s lives at risk.

“Something must have happened down there,” he said.

Source: CNN, “Five cave divers slipped beneath the waves in the Maldives. Why didn’t they resurface?”, updated May 21, 2026.