British man, 46, dies while diving with hammerhead sharks in the Maldives
Two Britons die in two days in the Maldives: diver, 46, drowns with hammerhead sharks and 65-year-old dies in sea at island resort
- Diver, 46, drowned at Hammerhead Shark Point off Rasdhoo on Monday
- This morning a 65-year-old drowned in the waters off the coast of the same atoll
Two British tourists drowned in the Maldives within two days, it turned out.
In the first of the two tragedies, a 46-year-old man drowned while diving at the popular Hammerhead Shark Point off the coast of Rasdhoo atoll at 9:12am on Monday.
He was taken to a hospital in Rasdhoo but was pronounced dead on arrival.
This morning, news outlets in the paradise islands revealed that a second Briton had died on the same paradise atoll.
The 65-year-old drowned in the waters off Rasdhoo around 10.30am today. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Alif Alif Atoll Hospital.
The diver, who has not been named, drowned Monday at 9:12 am at the popular Hammerhead Shark Point off the coast of Rasdhoo Atoll (file image).
The Rasdhoo Atoll is known for the arrival of huge schools of fish in the early morning, which attract a large number of hammerhead sharks to the water.
The hammerhead sharks are found in deeper waters at about 60 meters depth, which means that divers who want to see the predators must have advanced training.
The atoll is especially popular during the dry season between October and March when the sea is particularly calm.
Hammerhead sharks are often seen in the waters, as well as gray reef sharks, stingrays, dolphins and turtles.
Adult hammerhead sharks can grow up to six meters in length, but are considered harmless to humans.
There have been only 17 documented unprovoked attacks by hammerhead sharks worldwide, with no human deaths recorded.
The 46-year-old was taken to a hospital in Rasdhoo but was pronounced dead on arrival
Although rare, there have been cases of British and Irish tourists drowning in the waters around the Maldives.
In 2017, 30-year-old Andrew Roddy from Dublin drowned while swimming with dolphins with his wife on their honeymoon.
And in 2011, Sharon Duval drowned while swimming in the tropical waters of the Maldives.
The Maldives is a series of islands in the Indian Ocean that is popular with tourists for its warm weather and beautiful beaches.