Laura Marroni

Laura Marroni grew up by the sea and started diving at the age of eight. Today she is a qualified technical and cave diver, committed to promoting safety in the underwater world. After earning a degree in economics and an MBA, she began taking on key roles at DAN Europe. As CEO, she leads various projects that aim to better understand the physiological effects of diving on the human body and to make diving an increasingly accessible, safe, and sustainable activity. Her commitment to the diving community includes supporting and taking part in special exploration projects such as the Battle of the Convoys, led by the SDSS (Society for Documentation of Submerged Sites). In 2024, she was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame, an honour recognising her contributions to safety and leadership in the diving community.

Title: The Maldives Mission: Behind the Search & Recovery Operation

In May 2026, the loss of five divers in a deep cave system in the Maldives triggered an extraordinary international search and recovery effort. The case was further amplified by the death of a Maldivian military diver during the initial recovery attempts. Laura and Sami will take the audience behind the scenes of the operation from two different perspectives: on the one side the coordination, on the other the operations inside the cave. The keynote will explore the organisational, logistical, institutional and technical challenges involved, as well as the human and communication dimensions of managing a tragedy under intense international attention.
A first-hand account of what made it possible, and what can be learned from it.