The Most Dangerous Thing You Will Meet is Your Boat

A 63-year-old American woman, who was diving near Hulhumale with the Maldives Aggressor fleet on January 20, lost her leg when it struck the running propellor of the dive boat (dhoni) as she was attempting to surface. Police said the woman's leg was severed from the knee down. She received treatment at the Treetop Hospital in Hulhumale.

Hulhumale is an artificial island near the capital, Male, and the Velana International Airport. Close by is the popular wreck of the Maldives Victory, a cargo ship sunk in 1981 and 100 feet deep. Maldivian diving dhonis, which accompany liveaboard boats, are expertly driven, but the captains need to keep their propellers turning to remain stationary in the current. The dive ladder usually is at the bow of the vessel.

The woman was part of a group diving outside of Hulhumale harbor, an area subject to strong currents, busy with vessels and taxi dhonis connecting with nearby Male.

Alex Bryant, owner of Emperor Divers, which operates liveaboards in the Maldives and elsewhere, told Undercurrent, "It is a stupidly dangerous place to dive with one of the busiest boat lanes in the Maldives, yet everyone seems to dive it, except Emperor Divers because I banned it [from our itineraries] years ago."

Nobody from Aggressor Adventures was available to comment, but they did issue a statement saying, "A thorough investigation is underway by local authorities and our operations team, who will provide additional details on the incident once the investigation is concluded."