Before entering the water, visibility is just 1.5 metres, the divers put on weight, consider, adult. Equipment that recently experienced on lake Onega, weighs 50 kg, including lead belt about 18 lbs. He is dragging to the bottom, where not the sun light.
Divers, rescuers from the Northern regions and even officials from vserossii gathered in mid-February in the Arctic centre of the emergencies Ministry”Vytegra”, – informs “Komsomolskaya Pravda – Murmansk”. Such large-scale meeting was held in my country for the first time. Reasons have accumulated a lot. Chief among them is the increased presence of Russia in the Arctic. To the North pole, other countries look increasingly, trying to calculate for themselves the maximum benefit. Northern countries such as Canada and Norway, are trying to grab some land, stating that they are an extension of their continental shelf (the same statement was recently made by Russia). Even the Chinese icebreakers leave the Arctic waters. With this competition our country can not relax.
From theory to practice passed quickly. MES staff trained to work on depth. At the bottom of lake Onega, for example, lowered the car, which supposedly sank along with people. The task of the rescuers in the dark and cold to find. On another site showed how to work with ship wrecks under the ice put the fake compartment of the ship. But before detachment of divers from the Russian geographical society was another task – to repel the unknown.
Drown the car in the ice? Easy! If it will help rescuers to practice in the struggle for life of people. Photo: Anton RAIHSTAT
They had already arrived on the White sea, to be installed when a new record is to go to a maximum depth of domestic stand-alone equipment. To do this, divers need to dive more than 100 meters. Lake Onega has become a game for athletes, although fresh water and are unable to completely replace salt in which to be more difficult. Even lead belt have to wear heavier, not pushed to the surface.
– First of all, these training dives we had to understand how to behave in the water. The visibility is weak, the water is dark brown, so you need to remember where you or your partner hanging hardware, how to work with it – says the President of the Regional Underwater Federation and the Murmansk region, the party member Alexey Poleshchuk. He became one of participants of expedition “Arctic circle”, which goes beyond the record.
The right to make mistakes divers no. Conditions on lake Onega was difficult: long hours immersion took place, even in a Blizzard, the water temperature was only +1 degree, but on the surface, the thermometer fell to -10. On strong wind everything was wet, quickly dubela. The first ends of the tethers that could save the lives of the athletes. Rather keep them had a firm hand, even if it is difficult because fingers are cramping from the cold. But on the other end of the cable.
This suit divers used in the 20th century. In the 21st technology has gone ahead by leaps and bounds. Photo: Anton RAIHSTAT
– Water is an aggressive environment. And under the ice of a nervous and physical stress grows, can appear claustrophobic, panic. In addition, the body experiences a tremendous load, not only the pressure but also the cold. The conditions in which we trained, were close to those that are waiting for us at the White sea. But there will be heavier, – says Alexey Poleshchuk. For example, Maina (ice hole for diving. -Ed) will be located 15 kilometres from the coast, she still should get. The temperature at the surface is likely to be lower, and being underwater will take approximately 2 hours. So, it’s harder to have those who will us to insure. But we will have hard times – the pressure at a depth of 100 meters will be more.
In such conditions the human body begins to slowly die. To harmful health effects were minimal, scientists are developing new equipment. In “Vytegra” divers tested latest news: breathing regulators, computers for underwater diving and buoyancy control devices. Appliances have not been tested, so there is a risk, though, and showed herself well. In the White sea with her, no one sank, so the expedition members are really risking your life. Like Yuri Gagarin, who opened the door to space.
Training divers tempered – with each dive, the body goes through “cold gradient”, i.e. more and more gets used to the cold. White sea, which is sometimes called the Arctic jungle due to the incredible beauty of the plant world, hardly seem the tropics. But it will open many doors of.
