Final words of Italian professor who died in diving accident revealed
Adverse weather conditions are hampering efforts to recover the bodies of five Italian nationals who tragically died while diving in a deep underwater cave near Vaavu Atoll. The victims, who included experienced marine biologists and a diving instructor, reportedly ventured into depths far exceeding standard safety limits while a yellow weather alert was in effect. Although authorities have recovered one body, search operations continue for the remaining four individuals despite the challenging conditions.
Montefalcone, a marine biologist from the University of Genoa in Italy, was visiting the Maldives on a research mission. | Zumapress
The final words of the Italian marine biology professor, who perished in one of the most tragic diving accidents recorded in the Maldives, have been revealed. The professor was part of a team diving into a deep cave in Vaavu Atoll; his last words reflect a profound passion for the profession to which he dedicated his life, and which ultimately claimed it.
Monica Montefalcone is among five Italians missing since last Thursday after a deep-sea diving excursion. They are believed to be trapped inside a cave at a depth of 200 feet. Authorities have described this as the most perilous diving accident in Maldivian history.
"It is crucial to explore and study the underwater environment, which remains largely unknown to the public, whether through one's own eyes or the lens of a robot," Montefalcone wrote in a message to a friend at approximately 10:15 p.m. Wednesday, just hours before the fatal dive occurred.
Montefalcone, 51, was an award-winning researcher at Italy’s University of Genoa. She had traveled to the Maldives on a research mission to study the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems. An experienced diver, she was accompanied on the trip by her 22-year-old daughter, Giorgia Somacal, and 31-year-old research fellow Muriel Odenino. Both individuals also perished in the incident.
"The only thing I am certain of is that my wife is among the best divers in the world," Montefalcone's husband, Carlo Somacal, told the newspaper 'La Repubblica'. "She is someone who would never take unnecessary risks."
"He would not put his own child's life, nor the life of any other young person, at risk."
The other victims of the incident were 31-year-old Federico Gualtieri, who held a Master’s degree in Marine Biology from the university and had authored a thesis on Maldivian coral reef ecosystems, and 44-year-old diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, who had left a career in banking eight years ago to relocate to the Maldives and pursue his passion for diving.
So far, only Benedetti's body has been recovered from the underwater cave located near Vaavu Atoll. Rescue teams discovered his remains at approximately 6:15 p.m. on Thursday. However, search operations had to be suspended at the time due to deteriorating weather conditions.
According to the MNDF, the bodies of the remaining four individuals are located inside the cave. Search operations were suspended on Friday due to a significant deterioration in weather conditions, which prevented diving activities. Recovery efforts are scheduled to resume on Saturday.
"This was an exceptionally challenging dive. The cave is divided into three sections, all of which are interconnected," said Damiano Francovig, the Italian Ambassador to the Maldives. "The Maldivian divers managed to access the first two sections. However, they were then required to ascend to allow sufficient time for decompression."
Despite all the divers involved in the incident being highly experienced, the circumstances that led to them going missing underwater remain unclear.
On the morning of the dive, the national meteorological service had issued a yellow alert, forecasting deteriorating weather conditions with strong winds and rough seas. Authorities had advised divers to exercise extreme caution and urged vessel operators to refrain from all but essential travel.
"Even if a yellow alert had been issued, they would have gone diving before the warning was in effect. Something must have happened underwater," Somacal said. He noted that Montefalcone, who had completed over 5,000 dives, typically dived with a GoPro camera. He believes that if the camera is recovered with the body, it could provide crucial evidence regarding how the incident occurred.
Regarding the incident, the university stated that although the researchers were in the Maldives on a scientific mission, the specific dive during which the incident occurred was not part of their official work.
"The scuba diving activity was in no way part of the scientific mission. It was an independent undertaking by the individuals involved," the university stated in a press release issued on Friday.
The incident occurred in a cave approximately 200 feet long, situated at a depth of 160 feet below sea level. This depth is nearly double the standard 100-foot limit typically authorized for recreational diving in the Maldives. This indicates that the divers involved were highly trained, possessing technical diving certifications and utilizing specialized decompression equipment.
The five divers entered the water around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday for a scheduled one-hour dive. However, they failed to resurface.
A search team was dispatched after the crew of the vessel they were traveling on reported them missing to the Coast Guard at approximately 1:45 p.m., following their own unsuccessful attempts to locate them. This incident follows the death of an experienced diver in the Maldives last December. Elaine Richmond, a 70-year-old British national, reportedly passed away after being caught in a strong current while diving near Ellaidhoo Maldives by Cinnamon.
