The tragedy that claimed the lives of five Italian tourists in the Maldives exposed deadly flaws in cave diving, such as a lack of specialized skills and contingency plans.

A diving tragedy occurred in the underwater cave system of Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, on May 14th, claiming the lives of five Italian tourists and a naval diver. The group consisted of scientists and students from the University of Genoa (Italy). Led by Professor Monica Montefalcone, 51, the group was diving to study an unspecified coral species. Among the deceased was Giorgia Sommacal, 22, Montefalcone’s daughter.

According to the rescue team, the likely cause of the tragedy was a “wall of sand” deep inside the second cave, completely blocking visibility and the only exit.

Jonathan Volanthen, a British cave diver who participated in the rescue of the young football team at Tham Luang cave in Thailand in 2018, said that cave diving carries completely different risks compared to open water diving.

According to Volanthen, cave divers cannot surface directly in an emergency due to geological obstacles overhead. In confined spaces, divers can easily stir up the fine mud or sand at the bottom, causing visibility to drop to zero for a few seconds.

The inability to surface, coupled with obstructed visibility of the exit, made it difficult for the diver to escape. The deeper they went, the greater the pressure, causing them to consume more air.

“Deep is directly proportional to increased danger,” Volanthen said, emphasizing that divers must tightly control their air supply to ensure a slow ascent, reducing the risk of decompression sickness.

Illustration of cave diving in the Maldives. Photo: The New Daily

Illustration of cave diving in the Maldives. Photo: The New Daily

Edd Sorenson, an American cave diving expert, explains a common misconception that the human eye can adjust in the dark.

Unlike the darkness at home – where the human eye can still adjust to see dimly – the environment of a deep cave completely eliminates light.

With absolutely no reflections, when diving lights are turned off or obscured, the human eye is completely helpless deep in the cave. This situation causes divers to lose their sense of space and direction in an instant.

For survival, the mandatory principle is to always maintain a continuous guide rope connection from the diving position to the surface. This expert emphasizes the philosophy of “independent backup” for all critical systems. When cave diving, divers must prepare a minimum of two air tanks for two pressurized tanks, three lights, and two dive computers to monitor depth and ascent speed.

Sorenson before his dive. Photo: AP

Sorenson before his dive. Photo: AP

With decades of experience, experts believe that proper training and a clear understanding of individual limitations are crucial. However, Sorenson warns that experience can also lead to overconfidence in coaches.

If tourists engage in activities that exceed safe limits while cave diving, they are risking their lives.

Cristina Zenato, a cave diving instructor based in the Bahamas, who has completed over 4,500 cave dives and laid more than 80 km of guide ropes across various cave systems, believes that the underwater environment demands absolute respect from humans. Besides technique, a stable mental state is a core component for making accurate decisions.

“You can be incredibly well-trained, but I used to sit at the water’s edge and tell myself, ‘not today.’ When you ask yourself that question, you know you have the right answer,” she said.