Five Italian divers and one instructor who lost their lives inside an underwater cave system in the Maldives are believed to have made a fatal wrong turn in near-zero visibility conditions.

The marine researchers, who were using recreational diving equipment, were found 200 metres inside the cave system at a depth of approximately 60 metres, well beyond the recommended limit for recreational diving.

Experienced diver Michael Atkinson said investigators believe the group became trapped after losing sight of the dark conditions.

“It’s reported the second chamber has a sandbank. So once they’re in there, it creates an optical illusion and makes it harder for them to see their way out,” Atkinson said.

“They were found 200 metres in the cave right down the back. So it appears that they’ve taken a wrong turn on the way out.”

Experts believe the divers’ flippers may have disturbed sand on the cave floor, creating a thick cloud of sediment that made navigation almost impossible.

“It’s very easy to get disoriented, even without obscuration like that, that you stir up from the bottom,” Atkinson said.

“You’ve got no compass underwater effectively. That’s another reason that cave divers normally carry a rope with them so they can find their way out.”

Experts believe the divers’ flippers may have disturbed sand on the cave floor, creating a thick cloud of sediment..Experts believe the divers’ flippers may have disturbed sand on the cave floor, creating a thick cloud of sediment.. Credit: Sunrise

The divers were discovered at a depth of 60 metres, significantly deeper than the 40-metre limit recreational divers are typically trained and equipped for.

“There’s a lot of extra complications at that depth. There’s a range of different factors and very limited amount of air in your tanks,” Atkinson explained.

One Finnish rescuer involved in the recovery operation believes the group intentionally entered the cave system.

“Once that happens, and you get disoriented, you can, you might have an intention to go a short way and then come out, and then quickly you get disoriented and your plans change,” Atkinson said.

The diving expert urged recreational divers to stay within certified depth limits and avoid overhead environments such as caves without specialist training, warning even experienced divers can become trapped in seconds.

Authorities have described the incident as the worst diving tragedy in living memory. An investigation into the full circumstances surrounding the tragedy remains ongoing.

SOURCE: https://7news.com.au/sunrise/fatal-wrong-turn-believed-to-have-led-to-deaths-of-six-divers-in-maldives-c-22331606