Three Finnish diving experts have arrived in the Maldives to plan a fresh search for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be trapped deep inside underwater caves. The high-risk recovery operation was suspended after a Maldivian diver died from decompression sickness.
What Happened to the Italian Divers?
A group of five Italian divers perished while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 meters (164 feet) in the Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy's foreign ministry. The body of one diver was recovered from the cave entrance the same day, leaving four still missing.
Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defence Force, died from underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital on Saturday. Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef announced the suspension of the rescue operation following his death.
Mr. Shareef confirmed that three Finnish divers, specialists in deep and cave diving, have arrived in the archipelago and met with the Maldives coastguard to develop a new search strategy. Mahudhee was buried with military honors in a funeral attended by President Mohamed Muizzu on Saturday night. The diver had briefed the president on the rescue plan during his visit to the search site on Friday.
Decompression Sickness Explained
Decompression sickness occurs when depressurized gas, usually nitrogen, exits the solution phase in tissues and obstructs circulation by forming bubbles. This can happen after a rapid ascent from deep-sea diving, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said they would do everything possible to bring the bodies home and offered condolences for Mahudhee's death.
Victims Identified
The victims have been identified by the Maldivian government as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti. Benedetti's body was recovered on Thursday near the cave mouth. Authorities believe the remaining four entered the cave.
Theories on What Went Wrong
Since no survivors emerged from the cave, experts are piecing together theories based on the recovered body and the cave's layout. The group entered a complex underwater cave system in Vaavu Atoll at a depth of around 50 meters, well beyond the recreational diving limit of 30 meters. The cave system consists of three large chambers connected by narrow passages, with overhangs, swim-throughs, and tunnels in a coral reef structure. Potential hazards include strong currents, low visibility, silt, and tight spaces. The cave stretches up to about 60 meters.
The divers issued a distress call at around 1:45 p.m. and were reported missing after failing to resurface.
Oxygen Toxicity Suspected
Dive master Maurizio Uras suggested that oxygen toxicity inside the cave may have contributed to the incident. "It's a phenomenon that can happen when you dive very deep," he told Italian news agency Agi. "If the oxygen mix is inadequate, oxygen can become toxic at certain depths." He also noted that weather conditions are an important factor, with the Indian Ocean being less calm than the Mediterranean. "There [in the Indian Ocean], there are strong currents which I imagine can pull from one side to the other. A real danger."
Weather conditions were rough in the area, with a yellow warning issued for passenger boats and fishermen on that day. Rough weather and currents can disorient divers, stir up silt, reduce visibility to near zero, and complicate navigation or exit.
Speaking to Italian outlet Adnkronos, pulmonologist Claudio Micheletto said it was likely that "something went wrong with the tanks" during the dive. He explained that oxygen toxicity, or hyperoxia, can be one of the deadliest complications during deep dives. "Death from oxygen toxicity, or hyperoxia, is one of the most dramatic deaths that can occur during a dive – a horrible end," he said. When diving, scuba divers breathe compressed air containing 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen, but some use nitrox, which has more oxygen and less nitrogen. "When you breathe in too high a concentration of oxygen, the gas becomes toxic to the body. During the dive, dizziness, pain, altered consciousness and disorientation occur, making it impossible to surface."
Panic as a Factor
Alfonso Bolognini, president of the Italian Society of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, said panic may have also contributed. "Inside a cave at a depth of 50 meters, all it takes is a problem for a diver or a panic attack for a diver. The agitation will cause the water to become cloudy and can impair visibility, which, in turn, can lead to fatal errors." However, he added that it is not easy to conclude exactly what happened at the bottom of the sea.
The Italian ministry said it is coordinating with Divers Alert Network, a specialist diving organization, to support recovery operations and the repatriation of the bodies. Recovery teams have explored two of the three chambers so far, but the search was limited due to considerations over oxygen and decompression. Divers are now drawing up a plan to explore the third chamber.
