An experienced Russian diver, Vladimir Tochilov, who has previously explored the underwater cave near Alimathaa in Vaavu atoll, has described the site as extremely dangerous, warning that visibility disappears completely once divers enter deeper sections.
Speaking to CNN about the deaths of four Italian divers and an instructor in the cave, Tochilov said the environment becomes disorienting very quickly.
“Once you get too inside the cave, you won’t see any light. From that point on, you have to travel in complete darkness,” he said, describing it as “an unsettling darkness” with depth that cannot be perceived and no clear way out.
Tochilov, whose diving company Neva Divers explored the site in 2014, has also shared footage of the cave on YouTube, showing narrow passages and complex underwater formations. He said the site lies well beyond the 30-metre depth limit for recreational diving and requires specialist training, equipment, and preparation.
“Only technical cave divers who are properly prepared and experienced should enter the cave,” he said.
He described the structure as disorienting, with multiple chambers. At deeper sections of the roughly 200-metre-long cave, he said divers can lose all visual cues of entry or exit.
“As you go deeper, you reach a point where the light from the exit is no longer visible, and you need to navigate in complete darkness,” he said, adding that becoming lost in such conditions is highly likely.
He compared the experience to being disoriented in a dark room, saying even simple navigation becomes difficult without visual reference points.
Tochilov noted that the Maldives is not widely known for cave diving, suggesting the site may be one of the few of its kind in the country. He said its unique environment, including unusual marine life, has attracted interest from divers and researchers.
British Cave Rescue Council diving officer John Volanthen, who played a key role in the 2018 Thailand cave rescue, also told CNN that deep cave diving carries severe risks, including nitrogen narcosis—a condition that can impair judgment and cause confusion at depth due to breathing compressed gases.
Volanthen said such conditions may have contributed to disorientation among the Italian divers, making it difficult for them to find their way back to the entrance once they went deeper into the system.
