DIVE INTO DARKNESS 

The four haunting words scrawled in chalk that kickstarted the astounding mission to recover tragic Maldives cave divers

A HAUNTING four-word message scrawled in chalk helped kickstart the recovery mission for the divers who died during an ill-fated exploration trip in the Maldives.

Three brave Finnish divers were in a race against time to locate the missing tourists trapped inside a dark cave almost 200ft below the surface using complex technology and specialist gear.

A diver from Finland takes part in a recovery operation for last two bodies of Italian scuba divers near Vaavu Atoll
One of the Finnish divers embarking on the recovery mission using an ‘underwater scooter’ to take them down to the cavesCredit: Reuters
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Haunting video from previous years shows divers exploring the murky Maldives ‘shark cave’Credit: youtube/Neva Divers
A diver from Finland takes part in a recovery operation for last two bodies of Italian scuba divers near Vaavu Atoll
The divers preparing to make the dangerous journey using multiple gas tanksCredit: Reuters
Illustration detailing the rescue operation of four divers from a cave in the Maldives.
Sami Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund and Patrik Grönqvist have been hailed for their work locating the bodies, a week after the Italian tourists first went missing during an extremely dangerous dive.

After first locating the four bodies trapped inside a crevice in the complex Dhekunu Kandu cave the divers returned to the surface with a single message to relay: “We found all four.”

Six people died due to the doomed underwater trip in total including a member of the Maldives rescue team helping find the bodies.

Boat captain and seasoned diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti was the first body found last week by local rescue teams.

But after days of searching the area by local rescue crews, four of the lost divers remained missing.

Emergency arrangements were made over the weekend to draft in the three Finnish divers due to their vast experience in daring cave rescue and recovery missions.

On Monday, they began the daring hunt after 24 hours of intense studying.

This involved hours of involved technical briefings, detailed studies of cave maps, decompression planning and safety talks.

A diver from Finland takes part in a recovery operation for last two bodies of Italian scuba divers near Vaavu Atoll
A diver passes a tank of mixed breathing gases to the surfaceCredit: Reuters
Search and recovery operations continue for bodies of Italian divers in Maldives
Each member of the team was equipped with specialist supplies they would need for the three-hour diveCredit: EPA
All four bodies were trapped inside the complex Dhekunu Kandu cave – also known as the “shark cave”.

Just before 8.30am local time, the Finnish trio went out on a speedboat and prepared to make the tricky dive.

They knew they had to navigate narrow passages and submerged chambers leading into the cave which sat nearly 200ft below them.

Each member of the team was equipped with specialist supplies they would need for the three-hour dive, according to Dan Europe, the organisation who helped coordinated the mission.

Recovery operation for four Italian scuba divers near Vaavu Atoll
A diver from Finland prepares to take part in the recovery operationCredit: Reuters
Search and recovery operations continue for bodies of Italian divers in Maldives
Boats were waiting on the surface of the water for the trio to return with informationCredit: EPA
Closed-circuit rebreathers allow for divers to essentially recycle exhaled gas so they can stay under the water for longer periods.

One of the biggest concerns with the dive was visibility due to the huge amount of sediment which would be kicked up during the mission.

If the divers couldn’t see then the operation would have to be immediately halted for their own safety.

The rebreathers also only produce small bubbles minimising the chance of a diver’s sight ever being obscured.

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Sami Paakkarinen was seen as the most experienced of the three diversCredit: Monami Agency
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Jenni Westerlund was one of the Finnish divers who was flown to the Maldives for the recovery missionCredit: Facebook
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Patrik Grönqvist made up the diving trioCredit: Facebook
Italy Maldives Dive Accident
The trio were supported by the Maldives rescue diversCredit: AP
Each diver also took Diver Propulsion Vehicles with them – often compared to underwater scooters – to help take them down to the cave and transport their technical equipment.

Every system also had a safety duplicate with them including computers to backup lights.

Logistical and medical support teams sat above them on the surface at all times tracking their movements with an ambulance boat and a hyperbaric doctor also waiting nearby.

During the specialist cave dive, the Finnish trio successfully managed to reach the entrance of the Dhekunu Kandu cave.

Five Italians die during cave scuba dive in Maldives
Giorgia Sommacal was brought back to the surface on WednesdayCredit: UGC/UNPIXS
Italy Maldives Dive Accident
Monica Montefalcone – the mum of daughter Giorgia – was recovered on TuesdayCredit: AP
Five Italians die during cave scuba dive in Maldives
University researcher Muriel Oddenino was among the final body to be brought back to landCredit: UGC/UNPIXS
Five Italians die during cave scuba dive in Maldives
Marine biologist Federico Gualtieri was also found inside the cave alongside the three other diversCredit: UGC/UNPIXS
They entered together and started to explore the system of underwater cavities and assess the environmental and operational conditions to help them find where the divers could be.

After an intense search, they found them all together in a remote area of the cave within a smaller section of the main rock face.

Dan Europe said there was an “obvious attempt to penetrate the cave” but it appeared as though the four tourists couldn’t get through.

After locating the bodies, the Fins knew the next task was to navigate their way back out of the cave network and return to the surface to alert the team.

The strenuous return to the boat sees the trio having to be pulled on board and freed of the complex diving gear before they can reveal the crucial update.

To quicken up the process, the divers were handed a chalkboard and told to write down what they found.

The chilling four-word statement simply read: “We found all four.”

All of the Finnish divers were taken back to dry land as they revealed what they had found in the caves to their team.

Two bodies of Italian divers recovered after fatal diving incident in Maldives
One of the recovered bodies of two Italian divers found today being transferred to an ambulanceCredit: EPA
Police officers stand next to an ambulance carrying the body of one of the five Italian scuba divers, in Male
Police officers stand next to an ambulance carrying the body of one of the five Italian scuba divers who died in an accident in underwater cavesCredit: Reuters
A second dive was then planned for the Tuesday to finally retrieve the bodies.

In the morning, the bodies of Monica Montefalcone and university researcher Federico Gualtieri were recovered from the cave by the Finnish divers.

Giorgia Sommacal – the 22-year-old daughter of Monica – and Muriel Oddenino, 31, were then brought back to land a day later.

GoPro cameras belonging to the divers were also found which are hoped to help officials piece together their final moments.

The first autopsies are now also taking place to aid with the investigations

SOURE: https://www.the-sun.com/news/16390751/maldives-divers-recover-tech-mission/