Underwater illusion possibly cost the lives of 5 experienced divers in the Maldives

©NEOM via Unsplash

Did an underwater illusion cause five particularly experienced divers to lose their lives in the Indian Ocean archipelago?

Both local police and the Italian prosecutor's office in Rome have launched an investigation into the diving tragedy that killed five Italians in the Maldives. It's still unclear what exactly caused the accident involving the five Italian divers. Finnish professionals believe the five victims may have been misled by a "sand wall illusion".

The group of divers entered a cave system at a depth of about 50 to 60 meters, even though recreational divers in the Maldives are normally not allowed to dive deeper than 30 meters without a permit. Research already shows the Italian group didn't have a permit and entered the waters even though the meteorological service had warned that weather conditions were unfavorable at the location where they were going to dive. Four of them were doing research for the University of Genoa, the fifth was the diving instructor. During the search for the victims, a Maldivian diver also died.

Professional Finnish divers from the research group Dan Europe, who helped recover the bodies, suggest that there may have been an illusion. "There was no way out for the five," said Laura Marroni, CEO of Dan Europe, speaking to Italian newspaper La Repubblica. She refers to the intricate layout of the underwater caves and to a "wall of sand" that could have locked the divers in the cave.

Although Marroni said the first chamber had plenty of light and a corridor with excellent visibility, the team discovered a large sand bank in front of the second chamber. "It was easy to cross that sand wall" Marroni said. "But the way back was much more difficult. Because of the disorientation underwater, the poorer visibility in the deeper parts and the stirred up sediment, that sand wall, when you turn around, can look like a massive wall of sand."

To the left of that "seemingly impenetrable" wall of sand was another dead-end corridor of just over twenty meters. Four lifeless bodies were found there. "As if they had mistaken that dead-end corridor for the right exit," she adds.

©NEOM via Unsplash - illustration image