On 14 May 2026, five experienced Italian divers lost their lives during a deep dive in an underwater cave system in the Vaavu Atoll, Maldives. The accident, one of the most serious diving tragedies ever recorded in the Maldives, is still under investigation by the relevant authorities.
The five Italian victims were Monica Montefalcone, Giorgia Sommacal, Muriel Oddenino, Federico Gualtieri, and Gianluca Benedetti. Four of them were affiliated with the University of Genoa and were taking part in a scientific expedition in the Maldives, while Benedetti was the diving instructor accompanying the group.
Among the various hypotheses discussed after the incident, some experts suggested that the Venturi effect could have been a contributing factor. This fluid-dynamics phenomenon occurs when water flows through a constricted passage, causing an increase in velocity and potentially generating strong localized currents. According to this hypothesis, such currents may have contributed to drawing the divers into the cave system, although this explanation has not been confirmed by the ongoing investigations.
Professor Michele Mossa, a hydraulic engineering expert at the Polytechnic University of Bari, was invited to provide scientific and technical insights into the Venturi effect and its possible relevance to the Maldives tragedy. His contribution focused on assessing whether the hydrodynamic conditions within the underwater cave system could have produced flow patterns consistent with this phenomenon.
It should be emphasized that the Venturi effect has been considered only as a possible contributing factor, while other explanations—including navigational difficulties within the cave system and operational challenges during the dive—are also being examined as part of the investigation.
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LIC - Coastal Engineering Laboratory
