A scuba diving trip in the Maldives ended in tragedy after five Italian divers, including a university professor and her daughter, lost their lives during an excursion to explore a deep underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll.

The group disappeared on May 14 during a dive believed to have reached nearly 50 meters below the surface, well beyond the Maldives’ legal recreational diving limit of 30 meters. Authorities later confirmed that all five divers had died.

Dive instructor Gianluca Benedetti was found near the entrance of the cave shortly after the incident. The remaining four divers were located days later inside the cave following a difficult international recovery operation delayed by bad weather and dangerous underwater conditions.

Officials described the cave system as extremely complex, with narrow passages and depths reaching up to 60 meters in some sections. Specialized divers using advanced technical equipment eventually managed to locate the bodies.

University Group Was on Private Trip

Among the victims were Monica Montefalcone, an ecology professor affiliated with the University of Genoa, and her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal, a bioengineering student. Research fellow Muriel Oddenino and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri also died in the dive.

According to Italian authorities, the group had been traveling with around 20 other passengers aboard the vessel Duke of York. The fatal dive was reportedly undertaken privately.

Questions Growing Over Dive Conditions

Investigators are now examining whether the group exceeded safe diving limits without proper technical equipment. Reports indicate the divers may have used standard recreational gear despite entering an environment normally reserved for highly specialized cave divers.

The Maldives government has suspended the operating license of the tour vessel pending the investigation. Officials said accountability measures will follow once the inquiry is complete.

Recovery Mission Also Turned Deadly

The disaster became even more devastating after Maldivian military diver Mohamed Mahudhee died during the recovery effort. Authorities said the experienced diver suffered decompression sickness, also known as “the bends,” while returning to the surface.

His death highlighted the extreme difficulty of the mission, which required divers to spend hours navigating deep underwater chambers under dangerous conditions.

Experts Call It One of Maldives’ Worst Diving Accidents

Government spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef described the incident as one of the country’s most serious diving disasters ever recorded. International dive experts from Europe later joined the operation with advanced rebreather systems and underwater propulsion devices to assist in the search.

While investigators continue piecing together exactly what happened inside the cave, the tragedy has already sparked renewed discussion about deep-sea tourism safety and the growing risks associated with extreme recreational diving.

The incident also serves as a reminder that even experienced divers can face life-threatening dangers in unpredictable underwater environments.