22/05/2026
THE STORY OF SCUBA DIVING TRAGEDY
PART 3 - MEDIA CONFERENCE/INTERVIEW FROM DAN EUROPE
This Part 3 might be the last part I share regarding this incident, while we wait for the results of the official investigation. At least, this latest development gives us an insight about the cave and what might happen in the happening based on what the findings of recovery divers in the cave.
The search and rescue operation was concluded on 20 May 2026 with all the victims successfully removed, led by DAN Europe using the expertise of a group of cave diving experts from Finland.
Here is the essence of the statement from Laura Marrani, CEO of DAN Europe, mission coordinator, spokesman and technical experts in this search and rescue mission.
The search and rescue operation was led by 3 cave diving experts from Finland, with each person having a different special task (this was during the day of extraction).
1 diver took out the victim's body
1 diver support operations and safety
1 diver documented the process of removing the co**se and dive site.
According to the recovery divers report, the cave starts with a large, bright chamber and has a sand base. After that there is a corridor of about 30 meters long leading to the second chamber that is dark without natural light.
His problem...
Between the hallway and the second chamber there is a "sand bank"... A pile of sand that is easy to walk in. But when it's about to break back, the sand pile can look like a wall and the actual exit "sheltered" behind the sand pile.
On the left side of the sand bank there is another short lane... but it turns out dead-end.
The Finnish recovery team that went in to look for the dead found all the victims in the dead-end area... as if they entered the wrong lane while trying to find a way out.
Imagine the situation...
Dark. Narrow. Limited air. Confused. The panic is starting to rise. When you're in panic, breathing gets faster. Water consumption continues to rise sharply.
According to the report, the divers only used standard tanks. At a depth of almost 60 meters, the time available is indeed very short... maybe around 10 minutes or less to explore before having to go out again. Those 10 minutes are really Laura's sentence, I think it's based on the best case scenario. There are no guidelines used, recovery divers only found victims based on the effects of the activity on the cave floor.
(If according to NDL calculations, the safe time for the diver feels at that depth is only 3-4 minutes, impossible to explore until the 2nd chamber with 3-4 minutes. More than that needs a deco stop. )
Recovery divers also said that the operation itself is not the most technical he has ever done... but among the saddest. They found 3 bodies in the cave floor... and another one near the ceiling in the same space about 2-3m apart.
Maldives authorities are now investigating how the group can dive as deep as almost 60 meters while the limit for tourist diving there is only around 30 meters.
GoPro and equipment have all been taken out for investigation. Many hope the camera footage can help understand what really happened in those last few minutes.
This is why cave diving is considered to be one of the most unforgiving types of diving in the scuba world... 1 wrong turn can be life threatening.
In open water, if panic can still rise to the surface.
In the cave... the surface doesn't exist, need orientation to exit the cave first before can rise to the surface.
Resources for direct reading in English - https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15836901
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