"Almost total darkness": What the cave where tourists died in the Maldives looks like

The death of five Italian divers in the Maldives this month caught the attention of the international community and raised questions about the risk of this type of exploration in the archipelago.

The accident happened at Vaavu Atoll, in the center of the country, while the group was exploring underwater structures around 60 meters deep. One of the rescuers also died during the search operations for the bodies of the tourists.

The cave in question reaches around 70 meters deep and is up to 200 meters long.

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Cave remained unexplored for years
A 2014 video shows divers exploring the underwater cave where Italians died in the Maldives (watch at the top of the article).

In an interview with CNN Brasil, Vladimir Tochilov, responsible for the recording, explained that he became aware of the existence of a deep cave in the Vaavu Atoll area around 2005, through local diving guides.

For many years, the structure remained practically unexplored, considering that the logistics involved in complex dives in the area were more difficult at the time - including transporting equipment and supporting operations.

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"It's also important to understand that the Maldives, in general, is not known for cave diving. True underwater cave systems are virtually non-existent there. This is one of the reasons why this site has sparked genuine exploratory interest," said Tochilov.

"Almost complete darkness"
Years later, divers discovered that the cave continued far beyond the so-called "visible zone" - where there is still natural light.

"The deepest section contains several small rounded chambers, short side passages and a narrow corridor that leads to a second chamber. Some sections are relatively spacious, while others become significantly more restricted," the diver told CNN Brasil.

"Inside the cave, there is almost complete darkness. Beyond the entrance zone, natural light disappears very quickly and divers become totally dependent on artificial lighting, navigation procedures and team coordination," commented Tochilov.

Visibility at the site can decrease "instantly" and be reduced to almost zero if there is some type of disturbance in the sediments at the bottom, such as, for example, one of the fins accidentally hitting the structure.

"After exploring the main sections of the cave and understanding that it was a genuinely complex environment, with significant risks due to its depth and ceiling, we deliberately removed some of the guidelines we had installed during the exploration dives," he concluded.

Video from 2014 shows exploration of cave where Italian divers died in the Maldives - Neva Divers/Vladimir Tochilov
In the video released by Neva Divers, Vladimir Tochilov's company, the name of the cave was also changed so as not to encourage inexperienced divers to go to the site.

Even with the complex and dangerous environment, the cave is home to a surprising variety of marine life, in the diver's words.

"During different dives, we found reef sharks, nurse sharks and, occasionally, very large stingrays resting there.

We also observed beautiful nudibranchs, including the famous Spanish Dancer, as well as colorful whelks and other nocturnal reef creatures," he said.

"Despite the arid and technical nature of the environment, the cave itself often felt calm and almost surreal," he added.

Careful preparation and specialized equipment
Diving in complex underwater caves, such as that at Vaavu Atoll, requires specialized training and careful preparation, with specialized equipment, planning for the use of breathing and decompression gases.

The expert highlighted to the report that the psychological aspect is equally important.

"Even experienced divers can suffer significant stress in this type of confined environment, where there is no immediate possibility of ascending directly to the surface in the event of a problem", he highlighted.

The group of Italians had permission to dive deeper than the 30 meters allowed for recreational diving in the Maldives, local authorities said. It is unclear whether they went deeper than planned, or whether they had the appropriate equipment for the expedition.

Source: CNN