The tragic final words of one of the marine biologists who passed away in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives were a tribute to the lifelong passion that ultimately led to her death.
Monica Montefalcone was among the five individuals who vanished during a deep-water dive and were presumed trapped inside a cave nearly 200 feet underwater in the Indian Ocean island nation on Thursday.
Officials referred to this as the single worst diving accident that the idyllic nation has seen in years. The experienced diver and marine biologist's final words were towards her colleague, where she spoke about her passion and career: "It's a fundamental point to observe the underwater environment, which remains far too unknown to the general public, whether it's with their own eyes or through the lens of a robot."
The 51-year-old award-winning researcher was reportedly on a work trip to the Maldives to monitor the impacts of climate change on tropical biodiversity.