Divers have just discovered the world’s longest underwater cave

DIVERS have just stumbled upon what is considered the world’s biggest cave system deep beneath the water’s surface, and it’s incredible.

DARK, underwater caves have intrigued divers and tourists all over the world — and now they have a new one to add to their bucket lists.

A group of divers has just stumbled upon a massive underwater cave just off the coast of Mexico, near the beach resort of Tulum.

At 347km, the cave is the longest in the world.

A scuba diver looks at an animal skull at Sac Aktun underwater cave system during exploration as part of the Gran Acuifero Maya Project near Tulum, in Quintana Roo state, Mexico February 12, 2014. Picture: Gran Acuifero Maya Project [GAM]/Reuters

Researchers from the Gran Acuifero Maya (GAM) Project, which studies and preserves subterranean waters off the Yucatán Peninsula, made the discovery after months of exploring watery mazes in the region.

They found that two subterranean caves they already knew about — the Sistema Sac Actun, and the Dos Ojos — were actually linked in the middle and together they formed one massive cave system.

A scuba diver looks at an animal skull at Sac Aktun underwater cave system during exploration as part of the Gran Acuifero Maya Project near Tulum, in Quintana Roo state, Mexico February 12, 2014. Picture: Gran Acuifero Maya Project [GAM]/Reuters

GAM director and underwater archaeologist Guillermo de Anda described the discovery as “amazing” and said it could unlock secrets about the Maya civilisation.

The Maya people thrived in the region before Spanish conquest in the 1700s.

A scuba diver looks at an animal skull at Sac Aktun underwater cave system during exploration as part of the Gran Acuifero Maya Project near Tulum, in Quintana Roo state, Mexico February 12, 2014. Picture: Gran Acuifero Maya Project [GAM]/Reuters

“It allows us to appreciate much more clearly how the rituals, the pilgrimage sites and ultimately the great pre-Hispanic settlements that we know emerged,” Mr de Anda told Reuters.

It is believed the Maya people considered giant sinkholes — or “cenotes” — to be holy sites and portals to the gods.