Five Italian scuba divers lost their lives on May 14, 2026, in what has been described as the deadliest diving disaster in the history of the Maldives. The tragedy unfolded in the depths of the Devana Kandu channel, near Alimathaa island in the north-east of Vaavu Atoll, about 100 kilometers south of the Maldivian capital, Malé. The victims, all highly experienced and accomplished individuals, entered a cave system at roughly 55 meters (about 180 feet) below the surface and never returned.
The group had set out that morning aboard the Duke of York liveaboard yacht, a vessel well-known among diving enthusiasts for its central and southern atoll itineraries. According to reports from BBC and People, the party included Monica Montefalcone, a 51-year-old associate professor of ecology and marine biology at the University of Genoa, her 23-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal, research assistant Muriel Oddenino (31), marine biology graduate and diving instructor Federico Gualtieri (31), and Gianluca Benedetti, a diving instructor and operations manager from Padua.
The group—four of whom were connected with the University of Genoa—had a reputation for both academic and practical expertise in marine science. Montefalcone was a familiar face in Italian scientific circles, having contributed to research on corals and hydrozoans in the Maldives. Gualtieri had recently completed his thesis on Maldivian coral atolls under her supervision, while Oddenino and Sommacal were also deeply engaged in marine biology and biomedical engineering, respectively. Benedetti, meanwhile, was described as an “energetic and extremely sporty person” who loved reading, classic movies, and chess, according to Il Sole 24 Ore.
Despite their qualifications, the dive proved fatal. The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) received an alert at 1:45 p.m. local time after the divers failed to surface. The alarm, raised by the crew of the Duke of York, came several hours after the group entered the water, suggesting they had prepared for a long and challenging dive. The cave system itself is notorious for its depth—extending to about 260 meters in length and reaching depths of up to 100 meters—and its strong, unpredictable currents. A yellow weather warning had been issued that day, with rough seas and strong winds hampering both the dive and subsequent search operations.
According to the MNDF, one body was recovered at 6:13 p.m. from a cave roughly 60 meters deep. The remaining four divers are believed to be inside the same cave, which is approximately 200 feet long. The Coast Guard, supported by boats and aerial searches, has maintained a presence in the area, but dangerous conditions have delayed recovery efforts. The Italian foreign ministry confirmed that the Ambassador of Italy from Colombo arrived in Malé to assist and that the embassy is providing support to the victims’ families.
The cause of the tragedy remains under investigation. Experts have offered several theories, with pulmonologist Claudio Micheletto telling Adnkronos that “it’s likely that something went wrong with the tanks,” suggesting oxygen toxicity as a possible factor. “Death from oxygen toxicity, or hyperoxia, is one of the most dramatic deaths that can occur during a dive—a horrible end,” Micheletto said. He explained that inhaling too high a concentration of oxygen can cause dizziness, pain, altered consciousness, and disorientation, making it impossible for divers to surface safely.
Another expert, Alfonso Bolognini, president of the Italian Society of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, pointed out that panic could also have played a role. “Inside a cave at a depth of 50 meters, all it takes is a problem for a diver or a panic attack,” Bolognini noted. “The agitation will cause the water to become cloudy and can impair visibility, which can lead to fatal errors.” He emphasized, however, that it is not yet possible to determine exactly what happened at the bottom of the sea.
The dive site, Devana Kandu, is renowned among technical divers for its challenging conditions. Maldives diving instructor Shaff Naeem commented, “I dived this cave a number of times and with proper equipment and gas. The entrance is between 55 and 58 meters. The cave goes inside to approximately 100 meters and forks and goes deeper. Not a dive to be done on normal air or without experience in technical diving or cave training.” The Duke of York liveaboard caters to both technical and rebreather divers, as well as those diving within the Maldives’ official recreational depth limit of 30 meters (about 100 feet). The group’s decision to enter such a cave system, especially under adverse weather conditions, is now the subject of intense scrutiny by investigators.
The University of Genoa, which lost three of its own and the daughter of a faculty member, expressed its grief on social media: “The University of Genoa expresses its deepest condolences for the sudden and tragic passing of Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, Muriel Oddenino, and Federico Gualtieri.” The mayor of Genoa, Silvia Salis, echoed these sentiments, saying, “Genoa joins in mourning and solidarity, and extends its deepest sympathies to the families of all the victims involved, their friends, colleagues, students, and all the people who shared their studies and lives with them,” as reported by Il Secolo XIX.
As the search continues, the Maldives Coast Guard remains on site, prepared for what has been described as a high-risk operation. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian embassy in Colombo are closely monitoring developments and assisting relatives. The tragedy has prompted soul-searching across both the diving community and the academic world, raising questions about the risks of deep cave diving even for the most skilled professionals.
This incident, which Maldivian authorities have called the worst at-sea disaster in the nation’s history, has cast a long shadow over what began as a routine research and adventure trip. The investigation is ongoing, with both Maldivian and Italian officials working to reconstruct the events that led to the loss of five accomplished lives beneath the waves.
In the aftermath, the families, friends, and colleagues of the victims are left to mourn, as the diving and scientific communities grapple with the lessons of a tragedy that unfolded in the depths of the Indian Ocean.