Newly released images from inside a deep underwater cave system in the Maldives have revealed the dangerous environment where six divers lost their lives in one of the country’s deadliest diving tragedies. The photographs, published following a multinational recovery mission, show narrow underwater passages, steep vertical drops and silt-filled chambers located nearly 60 metres below the surface near Alimathaa Island in Vaavu Atoll.

According to reports, the incident began on May 14 when a group of five experienced Italian divers entered the cave network, locally referred to as “Shark Cave,” during a diving expedition. The group included marine ecology professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, marine biologist Federico Gualtieri, researcher Muriel Oddenino and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti.

Authorities recovered Benedetti’s body near the entrance of the cave shortly after the group disappeared. The remaining four divers remained trapped deep within the cave system for several days as rescue efforts were repeatedly disrupted by poor visibility, powerful underwater currents and the extreme depth of the site. Investigators believe the divers may have entered a dead-end section of the cave and unintentionally stirred up thick sediment, reducing visibility to near zero.

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The disaster claimed a sixth life during the recovery operation itself when Maldivian military diver Mohamed Mahudhee reportedly died from decompression sickness while assisting in the search mission. His death highlighted the severe risks faced by rescue personnel operating in the hazardous underwater environment.

Specialist cave divers from Finland later joined the operation using advanced rebreather systems and eventually located the remaining bodies in the innermost chamber of the cave network. Recovery teams described the cave as a complex underwater labyrinth with tight passages and unstable visibility conditions that made navigation extremely difficult even for highly trained divers.

Maldivian authorities are now analysing GoPro footage and dive computer data recovered from the site as part of the investigation into the incident. Officials have also suspended the operating licence of the dive vessel linked to the expedition while examining whether any safety regulations, permit requirements or operational procedures were violated before the fatal dive took place.

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