A former military diver has claimed that “rules weren’t followed” during the scuba diving expedition in the Maldives that left five people dead.
Keep reading to learn more.
The tragedy involved a group of Italian divers connected to the University of Genoa, whose bodies were recovered after they disappeared during a deep cave dive in Vaavu Atoll.
Among those who lost their lives were associate professor of ecology Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, marine biologist Federico Gualtieri, researcher Muriel Oddenino, and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti. Benedetti’s body was found shortly after the incident on May 14, while the other four divers were recovered several days later.
The group is believed to have been exploring a cave system at a depth of around 50 meters (160 feet). According to ABC News, the legal recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 meters (98 feet).
Former military diver Shafraz Naeem has now spoken publicly about the risks involved and questioned why the dive was allowed to take place.
“I’ve done at least 50 dives in the Alimatha caves, taking the proper precautions and using the right equipment,” Naeem told Italian outlet Il Giornale.
He said he was “always aware” of the serious dangers involved in dives at those depths and stressed that “expertise and precaution are necessary.”
Naeem also questioned how the group had been allowed to carry out the expedition.
“Everyone knows the rules were broken; they didn’t even have a permit to conduct research at those depths,” he told Il Giornale.
Reports indicate that the cave reaches depths of around 70 meters (230 feet) and extends roughly 200 meters in length.
Naeem also claimed that conditions inside the cave would challenge “even the most experienced divers.”
While the exact cause of death remains under investigation, he warned that at such depths, even one mistake or complication can quickly become fatal.
According to Naeem, a single “unexpected event can quickly turn into tragedy” during a deep dive like this.
At the same time, he said it would be “irresponsible” to speculate about exactly what happened before the investigation is completed.
The tragedy also claimed the life of rescue diver Mohammed Mahudhee, who died from decompression sickness on May 16 while searching for the missing group.
Authorities in the Maldives have now launched an official investigation into why the divers exceeded the permitted depth limit.
Chief government spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef addressed the incident publicly, saying, “For recreational and commercial diving, by law, nobody is allowed to go beyond 30 meters, and unfortunately, this appears to have happened much deeper because even the cave’s entrance is almost 50 meters underwater.”
Meanwhile, the Italian tour operator connected to the diving trip denied authorizing or having knowledge of the dive that allegedly violated local regulations.
According to the company’s lawyer, who spoke to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the operator was unaware that the group intended to descend beyond the legal limit.
Following the incident, the operating license of the liveaboard vessel MV Duke of York has reportedly been suspended indefinitely.
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