Diver dies after searching for bodies of tourists killed in Maldives scuba tragedy

NY Post ^ | 5-16-26 | Katherine Donlevy and Gabrielle Fahmy

[dynachrome]

A Maldivian Coast Guard diver has died in the effort to recover the bodies of four Italian divers that officials believe are deep inside an underwater cave.

Five divers were killed in the scuba diving tragedy earlier this week, with only one victim’s body recovered so far.

Sergeant Major Mohamed Mahudhee became sick when the search resumed Saturday, 200 feet deep inside an underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll, Maldives President Dr Mohamed Muizzu confirmed. Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, was rushed to the hospital, but didn’t survive.

His cause of death is underwater decompression sickness, officials said.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I noticed that too. An expert diver dies in going down into that underwater cave? Then, what the heck were inexperienced divers doing in a dangerous place like that?

[mikey_hates_everything]

If I had to choose, I would much rather die running my plane into the ground than getting stuck or lost and drowning in a deep, dark underwater cave.

[DesertRhino]

Just to see the inside of a cave? Retarded look at me culture. Carlsbad Caverns is just fine for me. Sidewalk down, cafe at the bottom, elevator back up.

[Rummyfan]

Kids, never go spelunking or cave diving.

I went spelunking once. That was enough for me.

[Rummyfan]

Am I missing something here? What is there to see in an underwater cave?!

[Bob434]

go to your history and delete the cave video you watched- might help stop the suggestions

[NorthMountain]

It was very detailed about the need to take time returning to the surface. They formulated their air tanks to have helium and argon in some proportion to reduce the amount of nitrogen in tanks.

You'll recall that one pair of divers (father and son) one day "cheaped out" and used regular compressed air rather than the special mix. They died. Horribly. "The Bends" has to be among the top 5 worst ways to go.

[Beowulf9]

Years ago Art Bell had on his show a professional, I think they call themselves ‘cavers’ who said spelunk I’d the sound made when spelunkers fall to the bottom of the cave.

[Bob434]

Everyone is an expert in their own minds... until they find out differently

[NorthMountain]

Carlsbad Caverns is just fine for me.

And what's just fine for me is just fine for everybody. I'm the final, undisputed arbiter of that which is "just fine". All bow before my infallible, impeccable judgment of "just-fine-ness".

[BenLurkin]

The world’s best selfies!

[dakine]

Bodies...

[vivenne]

Stupid, selfish people.

[vivenne]

100%

[ek_hornbeck]

My thought exactly. It’s one thing to endanger your own life, but there’s also the fact that you’re putting at risk the life of someone who’s supposed to try and rescue you or recover your corpse afterwards.

[Inyo-Mono]

I worry that I will be in my late 90’s or early 100’s, lying on my deathbed thinking how I missed having so much fun scuba diving in sea caves, rock climbing el Capitan, BASE jumping, sky diving, racing my car at a hundred miles per hour, instead of my generally boring life. Not really!

Same here, after trying rock climbing in my early 20s at the urging of a risk taking friend, I decided that risk taking is not my cup of tea. My friend later badly injured himself in a hang glider crash.

[TalBlack]

Geez, I’d wondered about this. Who goes down there after those dead? It would have made sense to me if they didn’t bother. I mean unless there was some chance they were still alive.

[TalBlack]

“Both cave diving and diving at depths of 200 feet are something only the most highly-trained divers should even attempt.“

I’ve read that diving on and into wrecks is another biggie.

[rottndog]

It's a once in a lifetime experience...

...And at the bottom of the bucket list.

[rottndog]

Other than that I would say leave them there. They died doing what they loved.

Yep...just like the dead hikers on Mt Everest, their bodies are unrecoverable.