Underwater Fight in Maldives Prompts Investigation After Regulator Attack
An underwater fight at a depth of 18 meters in the Maldives has prompted calls for a police inquiry after a dive instructor alleged a rival tried to pull out his regulator.
A physical underwater confrontation at a depth of roughly 18 meters in the Maldives has sparked widespread calls for a formal investigation after a dive instructor claimed another diver attempted to rip his regulator out of his mouth. The incident took place on October 28 at the Kuda Rah Thila dive site in the South Ari Atoll. The instructor, originally from China and identified as Xiao Du, published footage of the altercation and confirmed he emerged uninjured.
According to Du, the dive site was heavily congested that morning. He reported that a diver approached him from below, shoved him, made hand gestures, and struck him with a fin while swimming away. Du stated he pushed the fin away, at which point a second individual grabbed his arm. Du explained that he tried to push the man away with his legs, but during the struggle, the second diver reached for his face and attempted to remove both his mask and his breathing regulator mouthpiece. He managed to break free before a third diver joined the confrontation. "Everyone was surrounding me. I could only maintain my composure," Du recounted.
Even after the divers surfaced, the heated dispute continued between the vessels. Du accused the others of approaching and assaulting him, shouting: "You tried to grab my regulator mouthpiece, you tried to kill me underwater."
The company Maldives Legend confirmed that a confrontation occurred between divers from their vessels and an instructor from the Infinity X boat. In an update released on November 2, the company stated that an internal review revealed the incident began between an instructor from another boat and one of its guests, after which its own dive crew intervened. The company announced it had suspended one of its instructors pending the outcome of a thorough inquiry.
The National Boating Association of Maldives has called on the police and the Ministry of Tourism to conduct a full, fair, and transparent investigation into the incident. The association emphasized that accountability must be determined based on concrete evidence while warning against premature accusations. Although the company stated it referred the case to the authorities, reviewed reports have yet to yield official investigative findings.
