The underwater caves of Vaavu Atoll served as a trap for five Italians who died in a deep dive in the Maldives, at a depth of fifty meters. Those who dived from the safari boat Duke of York and never resurfaced were apparently experts, perhaps exploring as part of a scientific cruise. Among the most knowledgeable members of that crew was Monica Montefalcone, 51, an Ecology professor at the University of Genoa. She was accompanied by her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, 23; Muriel Oddenino of Poirino, a researcher from Turin; and diving instructors Gianluca Benedetti of Padua and Federico Gualtieri of Borgomanero, near Novara.

Local authorities said it was the worst single diving accident in the Republic of Maldives, which comprises 1,192 tiny coral islands scattered about 800 kilometers (500 miles) across the equator in the Indian Ocean. The recovery of the bodies, of which only one has been found so far, is considered a high-risk operation, also due to adverse weather conditions : for this reason, a yellow alert was issued for passenger boats and fishermen throughout the day. Despite this, divers from the Maldivian National Defense Force have been working for hours, even into the night, and it is believed that the other four divers are also inside the same cave , which extends to a depth of approximately sixty meters and is likely 260 meters long.

The victims' resurfacing may have been prevented by a problem with the oxygen mixture in the tank, weather conditions, sudden thermals, or a loss of orientation in a crevice of the cave. However, for now, these are only hypotheses floated by experts, and it is still too early to determine the exact causes of the accident. Maldivian media report that recreational diving in the country is permitted up to a maximum depth of thirty meters. That dive, in Alimathaa, was almost certainly part of a scientific tourist excursion to rediscover the wonders of the underwater flora and fauna of the caves of the Vaavu atoll, similar to those promoted by the Albatros Top Boat agency, which involved at least both Montefalcone and Benedetti, who was the company's top operations manager.

The University of Genoa professor, described by her colleagues as an international expert, had previously led the Maldives monitoring campaign and in the preceding days had also been involved in university research programs in Alimathaa. The five departed for the mission aboard the luxury yacht "Duke of York," a vessel owned by Luxury Yacht Maldives, based in Malé, the island nation's capital, but with a branch in Verbania, Piedmont. The vessel, built in 2010, is designed to transport passengers to specific locations in the Maldives, specifically chosen for tourists seeking extreme experiences like scuba diving. The cruise costs just over €2,000 for a week-long cruise. According to the company's website, the yacht's crew also has access to nitrox, a breathing mixture for scuba diving composed of nitrogen and oxygen, and a small boat used to surface to the exploration sites. It is not yet clear how many people remained on board the Duke of Yorke and it is possible that one of them raised the alarm when the divers did not return.

Certainly, Montefalcone and his daughter were joined by 31-year-old Piedmontese Federico Gualtieri, who had graduated from the University of Genoa last March under the same professor. He thanked her in his thesis: "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 and difficult." Then there was boat captain Gianluca Benedetti, from Padua, who, after a long stint in finance, had decided to "explore new avenues and turn scuba diving, a longtime passion," into a full-time career.

And then Muriel Oddenino, 31, from Poirino, a researcher who was a research fellow at the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Life Sciences in the Ligurian capital . "The tragedy in the Maldives, which took the lives of five of our fellow citizens on vacation, saddens me deeply," said Tourism Minister Gianmarco Mazzi, extending his thoughts to the victims' relatives.

(Unioneonline)

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