(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 18 MAG - A new large submerged tunnel of the Timavo River has been discovered and explored during an exploratory dive, the result of a collaboration between the speleological section of the Trieste Alpine Club and the Slovenian speleological group Dimnice Koper. According to the CAT, the protagonist of the exploration was Slovenian cave diver Simon Burja, who succeeded in surpassing a limit that had remained uncrossed for almost ten years: the terminal point reached in 2016 by French cave divers from the Marseilles FFESSM. In the system's main tributary branch, known as the Grande Collettore, the French divers had stopped at approximately 82 meters below sea level, in an extremely challenging environment. This time, favorable conditions have allowed Simon Burja to explore for the first time a new, previously unknown section of tunnel. This section extends along the main tributary of the system and leads ever closer to the Pozzo della Ferrovia, suggesting the concrete possibility of connecting the various segments of the river's underground course in the future. The newly explored section currently measures 115 meters, but continues upstream toward the unknown. The tunnel's width ranges from 10 to 15 meters. The floor is smooth, made of bare rock, very different from the typical landslide deposits and silty sediments that characterize most of the Timavo's submerged sources. The new tunnel rises progressively to a depth of approximately 50 meters, potentially making future explorations more promising. An aerial exit cannot be ruled out, notes the CAT. Access is via the Pozzo dei Colombi in Duino. Simon Burja's dive, which lasted over three hours, also allowed for the survey of the new section using electronic instruments. The next explorations will be carried out as a team, as soon as environmental conditions return to their normal state, concludes the CAT. (ANSA).