DE-OX TEMC and DUI at the Ice Test Event
As president of TEMC DE-OX (www.temc.it) and senior partner of Zerodive (www.zerodive.com), I personally take care of testing the measurement instruments we produce. I believe that any instrument made for divers should be used by divers in the harshest environments.
In the last few months we developed the new DE-OX GAUGE pressure gauge and our DE-OX SAFE carbon monoxide analyzers. Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless toxic gas that could be yielded from engine exhalation or from poorly maintained compressor filters. We developed an easy-to-use instrument that allows you to personally check the quality of the air or of the gas mix you are going to breathe. In addition, a reliable and extremely accurate digital pressure gauge is strongly needed by any technical diver.
I could have tested both DE-OX SAFE and DE-OX GAUGE in the calm and warm Mediterranean Sea, but I wanted to carry out the test in a mountain altitude and very cold environment. I needed to know if the new instruments could be confidently used by our customers in many differing environments.
So on January 31, 2010 we organized the test event in the Palu’ Alpine Lake in northern Milan at 2,100 meters above sea level. I needed my DUI CF200X and DUI Polartec undersuit so I could enjoy a nice ice dive in that extreme environment. I am always a diver!
The night before we stored all the instruments and the scuba gear in the recovery tent and the temperature was at –25°/C–13F.
On the dive day, the weather was cloudy and the cold wind was freezing all around making it the best test situation! We filled the air tanks with the fuel engine compressor and we checked the air quality. DE-OX SAFE was working very well despite the cold and altitude. The air quality of the tanks was perfect! We decided to check the breath of one of our smoker friends and the instrument was perfect in analyzing his carbon monoxide exhalation also at high mountain altitudes. We checked the DE-OX GAUGE and it, too, worked fine. The test result was great.
Then it was time to dive. I wore my DUI Polartec undersuit into the tent and my DUI CF200X and I immediately felt better and comfortable. The cold disappeared! I put on all the scuba gear and I jumped into the water through the entry hole (the thickness of the ice was 1.5 meters/4.5 feet). The water temperature was 1°C/33F; really hot compared to the air! I was careful in breathing from my regulators only when I was completely underwater to avoiding any freezing of the first stage. Then I went down under the ice. The daylight filtering from the ice made the surroundings an incredibly green, soft dream. Although it was not my first time under the ice, every time is different. My breath was regular, my trim perfect and I completely forgot the cold thanks to my DUI suit! I arrived to the bottom of the lake at 10m/33feet down and before you knew it, it was time to get out the water. I arrived to the exit hole and the staff helped me to get out. Even out the water and completely wet and with the ice cold wind, I did not suffer any cold. I was really well equipped!
At the end of the diving operation we had a big party on the iced lake surface celebrating the successful test event. Even my small son Giovanni joined the party waiting for his turn to dive!
I would like to personally thank the Valtellina Sub Diving Club for their logistic assistance, my staff for manufacturing very good DE-OX instruments and DUI, too, for providing divers with the best possible underwater suits and protection!
Eugenio Mongelli
TEMC DE-OX
Via Donna Prassede 5/A
20142 Milano ITALY
Tel/Fax +39 02 8463648 or +39 080 4490264 or mobile +39 360 826690
E-Mail: temc@iol.it Website: http://www.temc.it
Skype: emongelli
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