Lost and found with Filippo Maffei

In October 2022, Filippo embarked on a trip to the Maldives for a photo shoot with a marine biologist researcher. Being a surfing enthusiast, before his flight, he borrowed a 7.0 coffin bag, packed it with his boards, and, along with all his photography equipment, took a flight from Pisa to Malé.
To reach the remote atoll of Athuruga, where the shooting was scheduled, he took a propeller seaplane. Upon reaching the atoll, Filippo spent two weeks working and surfing the surrounding spots. He collaborated with a German researcher who requested underwater pictures of coral life.
The work and surfing experience in the idyllic setting of the Maldives, especially in those remote atolls, proved to be a great adventure.

On the last day, just before boarding the seaplane to return home, a massive monsoon storm hit the harbor, forcing Filippo and a few others to remain stuck on the floating platform for an hour. Afterward, despite the rain and wind, the seaplane captain decided to take off without the coffin bag. Concerned about the weight, he left the bag on the ground to make the plane lighter. The plan was for the bag to be carried by the next flight from Athuruga to Malé.

However, the next flight never departed, leaving Filippo without his boards. Fortunately, a hotel employee retrieved the coffin and stored it in a warehouse on Athuruga.

Back in Italy, Filippo attempted various ways to retrieve the coffin, but shipping a large item like this from a remote atoll to Europe at a reasonable price proved challenging.
Ten months later, Filippo, together with friends, organized a strike mission to recover his items and, of course, surf some waves.
He persuaded the hotel employee to send the bag to Malé. Unfortunately, upon Filippo's arrival at the airport depot, no one wanted to release the baggage as it lacked a depot tag.
After several negotiations, presenting his passport and necessary documents, he finally managed to get hold of the coffin.

Despite spending 10 months in storage and changing hands numerous times, the 7.0 coffin bag was in perfect condition, with the boards well-preserved. However, other items such as wetsuits and t-shirts were completely rotten and moldy.

For the remaining time, Filippo and his friend enjoyed five days of fantastic waves and barrels, as evident in the images.