The week's news has been dominated by the deaths of six divers in a Maldives cave. University of Genoa professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, researchers Federico Gualtieri and Muriel Oddenino, and their dive guide Gianluca Benedetti died while apparently exploring a cave system between 50-60 metres of depth, while Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahudhee of the Maldives National Defence Force died while searching for their bodies.

While the full details of the tragedy are still subject to an in-depth investigation, it appears from well-sourced reports that the deaths of the five Italian divers can be attributed to a case of poor judgment: diving in an environment well beyond the limits of their training and for which they were woefully underequipped.

Perhaps time will tell otherwise, but it is nonetheless a timely reminder that no matter how experienced we are, no matter how good we think we are, the ocean is an unforgiving environment for those who venture into it unprepared.

Whatever your opinion of any particular agency, recreational dive training programmes have been in a constant state of development for the better part of 70 years, and the limits recommended for each level of training are not arbitrary guidelines.

Stay safe out there,