Ocean Reef's Pivot to PPE - Finding Solutions in a Time of Need
April
8
2020
OceanReefGroup, located in Genova, Italy, has been manufacturing diving and snorkeling equipment since the 1940s. Historically rooted in World War II military scuba, they are one of the oldest diving equipment companies and have provided quality equipment to the scuba diving industry for decades, helping to pioneer the sport.
Thanks to a long history in producing personal protective equipment (PPE) under Mestel Safety, OceanReefGroup has been able to quickly adapt their Full Face Snorkeling Mask for protective use. Since early March, Italy has been at the forefront of the coranavirus pandemic. With the initial hub of infections starting in northern Italy, the country has seen a rapid increase in the number of cases, critically affecting the Italian economy and daily life for all its citizens. The emergency situation surrounding COVID-19 in Italy and beyond has strained medical systems worldwide, causing shortages in essential items including masks and PPE.
Seeing a huge area of need, OceanReefGroup has quickly and efficiently repurposed its full-face snorkeling mask to fill the shortage of necessary PPE. OceanReefGroup has adapted their full-face masks for compatibility with a filter system, allowing them to protect medical workers, service workers, other individuals in close contact with infected patients, and the general public. Over the past month, OceanReefGroup’s adaptation has received overwhelming support and demand.
On Monday, March 16, OceanReefGroup filed an international patent through one of their three companies, MestelSafety - a main manufacturer of full-face masks for snorkeling and scuba purposes. “The patent is for an adapter to connect Ocean Reef manufactured snorkeling masks toP3 and other types of filters transforming the snorkeling mask into a personal protection mask” according to the OceanReefGroup website.
The adaptor has been planned to be priced fairly low in order to allow those who have already purchased a snorkeling mask to convert it to a PPE quickly and affordably. The connector will fit any of the OCEAN REEF masks, this being the brand under which Mestel Safety produces the full-face masks. In fact, adaptors works on all current and past OCEAN REEF branded products regardless of size and color. Given the state of the situation and need for action, OceanReefGroup has also made files available on their website for others to 3D print the adaptors.
Starting on April 2nd, OceanReefGroup plans to start shipping its products on a first-come first-serve basis. More information about their COVID-19 efforts can be found here.
