A group of five Italian divers, including a University of Genoa professor, two young marine researchers and an experienced diving instructor, died during a dive near Alimathaa in the Vaavu Atoll. Maldivian authorities are still investigating the cause of death.
Five Italian divers died during a scuba dive in the Vaavu Atoll of the Maldives, in what local authorities have described as the worst single diving accident ever recorded in the country. The group had set out in the morning from the Duke of York, a foreign-operated liveaboard diving vessel, for a dive near Alimathaa. When none of the five had surfaced by midday, the crew raised the alarm.
The Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the divers “apparently died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 metres.” The cause of death has not yet been officially established and a Maldivian police investigation is under way. Weather conditions at the site were adverse throughout the day, with the meteorological service issuing a yellow alert for the area covering passenger boats and fishermen. The Maldives National Defence Forces deployed a coast guard vessel to coordinate search operations overnight, with additional coast guard divers dispatched to assist.
Italy’s Foreign Ministry said it had been following the case “with the utmost attention since the initial report.” It confirmed that the Italian Embassy in Colombo was contacting the victims’ families to provide consular assistance.
The Victims
The five shared a passion for the sea and, in several cases, had professional and academic ties.
Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of Ecology at the University of Genoa and a well-known television personality, was a leading figure in Italian marine science. She was responsible for several significant marine conservation projects, including Talassa, GhostNet, and MER “A16-A18.” The University of Genoa confirmed her death. Her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, a student in Biomedical Engineering, also died.
Federico Gualtieri, 31, from Omegna in Piedmont, had graduated from the University of Genoa just two months ago with a degree in Marine Biology and Ecology. His thesis was dedicated to “Diversity and Ecology of Corallimorpharians and Zoantharians in the Central Atolls of the Maldives” — the very waters in which he died. In his acknowledgements, he wrote of Montefalcone: “Ever since I met her, she has always been my guide, encouraging me to follow my dreams and passions, even if the road ahead was long or difficult.”
Muriel Oddenino, 31, from Poirino in Piedmont, held a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Turin and had pursued postgraduate research at the University of Genoa and the University of Bari. A specialist in marine ecosystem conservation, her most recent published work focused on the temporal dynamics of Posidonia oceanica meadows in the Capo Mortola Marine Protected Area.
Gianluca Benedetti, originally from Padua, was a diving instructor and boat captain who had left a career in banking and finance to pursue diving full-time, a passion he had cultivated for years before making it his profession. He had been based in the Maldives for approximately seven years, with a brief stint in Indonesia. His employer described him as “an energetic and extremely sporty person, a lover of reading, classic cinema and chess.”
