Dive Club Maldives to Submerge Time Capsule at Marine Expo to Mark 45 Years of Maldive Victory
The initiative, to be held during Marine Expo 2026, will see a dive tank filled with personal notes, memories and messages placed beneath the sea next to the wreck. | Photo: Dive Club Maldives
The Dive Club Maldives has announced plans to submerge a symbolic time capsule alongside the historic Maldive Victory wreck, marking 45 years since the vessel sank off Malé.
The initiative, to be held during Marine Expo 2026, will see a dive tank filled with personal notes, memories and messages from divers, ocean advocates and members of the public placed beneath the sea next to the wreck. Organisers said the capsule will remain underwater until 2031, when it is scheduled to resurface to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sinking.
Dive Club Maldives described the event as a tribute to one of the country’s most iconic dive sites and an opportunity for the community to become part of its continuing story.
According to the club, The Maldive Victory, owned by the Maldivian National Shipping Company, served as a vital supply vessel between 1971 and 1981, transporting essential goods including food, medicine and construction materials at a time when the Maldives was still developing. The ship played a key role in supporting daily life and enabling the early growth of the tourism sector.
Dive Club Maldives said that on 13 February 1981, while sailing from Singapore carrying cargo and passengers, the vessel struck a reef as it entered the channel near Malé and sank to a depth of 36 metres. The sinking triggered shortages of essential goods and dealt a significant blow to the economy. In the decades that followed, the wreck evolved into one of the Maldives’ most renowned dive sites, contributing an estimated USD 324 million to the economy through diving and tourism.
The wreck was recently designated a National Heritage site. However, Dive Club Maldives warned that it now faces mounting threats from nearby bridge construction and environmental impacts, which it said are gradually damaging the structure.
Calling the Maldive Victory a “living museum and national treasure”, the club urged authorities and stakeholders to strengthen protection measures. It called for the installation and mandatory use of permanent mooring buoys for dive boats, a halt to fishing directly on the wreck, and stronger conservation efforts to preserve the site for future generations.
“She has given so much to us. Now it is our responsibility to give back,” the club said.
