Bodies of divers who died in Maldives scuba accident returned to Italy - CBS News
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A marine ecologist's fatal dive in the Maldives exposes the brutal gap between expert knowledge and the unpredictable risks that even specialists face in high-stakes environments.
Risk Homeostasis TheoryExpert Blind SpotOptimism BiasNormalization of Deviance
Theory Briefing
- Monica Montefalcone, a University of Genoa ecology professor, and her daughter Giorgia died in a Maldives scuba accident, highlighting that expertise offers no immunity from environmental hazard.
- The tragedy illustrates the 'expert blind spot' paradox — deep domain knowledge can quietly erode perceived personal risk, increasing vulnerability in familiar activities.
- Returning the bodies to Italy underscores how globalized adventure tourism routinely places ordinary families inside extreme-risk scenarios far from safety infrastructure.