Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Italy: Other manufacturers

[David Wilson]

Let us take each model in the order given. First, the Cetus:

Italian: "CETUS in gomma corrugata, terminale rigido."
Rough translation: "CETUS in corrugated rubber, rigid terminal."

So a flexible-hose breathing tube of the kind where the soft corrugated rubber mouthpiece drops out of the way when it is no longer in use. This type of snorkel is claimed to be popular with scuba divers because of this feature. And the name "Cetus"? Although "cetus" is Latin for "sea monster", the word is perfectly compatible with Polimare's product naming strategy because "Cetus" is also the name of a constellation that is sometimes called "The Whale" in English:

Next up is the Polimare Algol snorkel below:

Italian: "ALGOL con tubo diritto rigido, fascetta fluorescente."
Rough translation: "ALGOL with rigid straight tube, fluorescent band."

This model is an L-shaped breathing tube, which is supposed to be more effective than a traditional J-shaped one in minimising the amount of residual water in the bend when submerged. The name "Algol" reminds me of the old computer programming language of that name, but it is also the name of a bright multiple star in the constellation of Perseus:

 

[David Wilson]

And now for the Polimare Alcor:

Italian: "ALCOR con tubo diritto semirigido, fascetta fluorescente."
Rough translation: "ALCOR with semi-rigid straight tube, fluorescent band."

So a conventional J-shaped breathing tube comprising a barrel with an opening at the top and a U-bend at the bottom leading to a straight-stemmed rubber mouthpiece with twin lugs. "Alcor" is the name of a binary star system in the constellation of Ursa Major:

And finally, we come to the "Grus" breathing tube, which is not illustrated anywhere. Fortunately, we have a very brief product description: "GRUS con tubo ricurvo", which roughly translates to "GRUS with curved tube." Make of that what you will, but the word "Grus" is Latin both for the bird we know as the crane and the name of a constellation in the southern sky:

So much for Polimare snorkels. There are no breathing tubes with valves in the Polimare range. Nor are there any Polimare snorkel-masks. Next time, therefore, we shall move straight on to Polimare fins. In the meantime, stay safe and keep well.

 

[jale]

Love this thread
After geography, Greek and Roman mythology and so on, now we are learning a lot about astronomy.
Thanks David

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the positive feedback, Jale and Angelo.

Now, as promised, Polimare fins. Two models: Volans and Pegasus. Both are visible at the rear of the following display of Polimare products in the Italian diving magazine Mondo Sommerso:

First Volans:

Italian: "VOLANS a scarpetta, a plantare ortotecnico, galleggianti e non, nere e colorate, calzate dal 26 al 48."
Rough translation: "VOLANS with full foot pocket, orthotechnical insole, floating or non-floating, black or coloured, sizes 26 to 48.

Let us begin with the name. Volans (Latin for "flying") is a constellation in the southern sky (see above). It represents a flying fish and is a shortened form of the original name, which was "Piscis Volans" (Flying Fish) in Latin.

The fin itself is a traditional full-foot open-toe design available in a very wide range of child and adult sizes. There are black and coloured, floating and non-floating versions.

The fin was also reviewed in Mondo Sommerso:

Italian: "PINNE VOLANS. Con costulatura centrale in gomma « nervosa » permettono sprints veloci e lunghe permanenze in acqua. La scarpetta è appositamemte concepita per evitare i fastidiosi dolori in caso di pinneggiamenti molto prolungati."
Rough translation: "VOLANS FINS. With "nervous" rubber centre rib, they allow fast sprints and long stays in the water. The foot pocket is specially designed to avoid troublesome pains in the event of very prolonged kicking."

So the manufacturer built these fins for speed and endurance in the water. The foot pocket design and the centre rib on the bottom of the blade claim to be consistent with these objectives.

 

[David Wilson]

On to Pegasus, the second Polimare fin of the day:

Italian: "PEGASUS a scarpetta, a plantare ortotecnico, galleggianti e non, nere e colorate, calzate dal 36 al 44."
Rough translation: "PEGASUS with full foot pocket, orthotechnical insole, floating or non-floating, black or coloured, sizes 36 to 44."

Why Pegasus? Pegasus is a constellation in the northern sky (see above), named after the winged horse Pegasus in Greek mythology, pictured in Bellerophon riding Pegasus (1914) below:

So now we have a Polimare "flying fish" fin (Volans) and a Polimare "flying horse" fin (Pegasus), both also constellations.

As for the Polimare Pegasus fin itself, it resembles the Polimare Volans, but it comes with two centre ribs on the bottom of the blade. The fin was reviewed in Mondo Sommerso:

Italian: "PINNE PEGASUS. Seconda l’evoluzione dell’attuale tecnologia, le pinne Pegasus sono più lunghe di circa cm. 3 delle pinne tradizionali, con doppia costolatura nella pala, consentono spostamenti veloci con falcata lenta. Il plantare è stato studiato per evitare l’affaticamento del piede e le dolorose compressioni."
Rough translation: "PEGASUS FINS. In accordance with the evolution of current technology, the Pegasus fins are about 3 cm longer than traditional fins, with double ribs in the blade, allowing fast movements with slow strokes. The insole has been designed to avoid foot fatigue and painful pinching."

So fins with somewhat elongated blades for the time, claiming to deliver more speed from a slower kick. And once again a mention of extra foot comfort.

That's my ration for today and the end of my Polimare contributions as well. At the weekend I shall return to review another Italian diving equipment manufacturer's range of basic gear. The manufacturer in question is likely to be Longo. Until then, keep safe and stay well.

 

[Angelo Farina]

It is incredible how I was not aware at all of these "minor" makers here in Italy...
Probably they had a "regional" market, which did not include Parma (we are far from the sea...).

 

[dmaziuk]

Love this thread
After geography, Greek and Roman mythology and so on, now we are learning a lot about astronomy.
Thanks David

Another fun bit of trivia is, it was often said that those who can see Alcor have good vision (or at least good enough to shoot a bow) -- even though it's not really that hard to see with naked eye.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the input and feedback, Angelo, dmaziuk and jale.

Today we proceed to another mid-twentieth-century Italian diving equipment manufacturer, one that I am sure Angelo would describe as a minor market player and I would raise no objection to that judgement. The manufacturer in question will be Longo sub, where I presume "Longo" to be an Italian surname rather than adjective simply meaning, you've guessed it, "long".

I have had immense trouble in finding anything about Longo sub, other than its two addresses, "Via de' Gandolfi, 12 · 40128 Bologna" and "Via Madonna dei Prati 5/a, 40069 Ponte Ronca (Bo)". The Metropolitan City of Bologna is a metropolitan city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The Palazzo Malvezzi above in Bologna is the seat of the metropolitan city. Ponte Ronca Ponte Ronca is a hamlet in the municipality of Zola Predosa in the metropolitan city of Bologna. As for Longo sub company chronology, all my sources of information date from 1967 to 1978.

Front cover of the 1973 Longo sub catalogue above, sadly the only bit of the document I have come across online. How I wish people posting diving catalogue and magazine covers with sex appeal would consider posting all the other pages, which would interest and inform the serious diving history researcher too!

Let us begin as usual with the diving equipment company's range of underwater masks: five models in all. First the Longo Coralline mask, which was around in 1968 and is displayed in the advertisement above, where the heading "Pinne e maschere 'Coralline' in gomma per nuoto" translates to "'Coralline' rubber swimming fins and masks". "Coralline" is the feminine plural form of the Italian adjective "carollino", meaning "(made of) coral". By way of illustration, the Italian phrase "barriere coralline" translates to "coral reefs" in English. The Coralline mask looks like a basic, plain mask without a compensator but fitted with a split head strap.

​

By 1969, Longo had a second diving mask styled "Corallina sub". "Corallina" is the feminine singular form of "corallino", presumably agreeing with feminine noun "maschera", meaning "mask". Picture below:

Italian: "CORALLINA SUB (Longo). Maschera con naso per facili tare la compensazione, con un campo visivo molto ampio e volume d'aria interno ridottissimo. Il vetro è in cristallo temperato di forte spessore, antiappannante, fermato alla maschera da una reggetta di metallo cromato. I profili dei bordi, in gomma tenera, consentono una perfetta aderenza al viso. Colori: blu marino, nero, giallo, arancio. L. 3.500.
Rough translation: "CORALLINA SUB (Longo). Nosepiece mask for easy compensation, with a very large field of view and very low internal air volume. The lens is made of very thick, anti-fog tempered glass, fixed to the mask by a chromed metal band. The profiles of the edges, in soft rubber, permit a perfect facial seal. Colours: navy, black, yellow, orange. L. 3,500.

So a kidney-shaped model typical of what came to be quite a common sight on the mask pages of 1970s diving equipment catalogues.

 

[David Wilson]

Two more Longo masks came on to the market in 1972: Daisy and Soleil. Daisy first (below).

Italian: "LONGO SUB: LA NUOVA «DAISY» studiata appositamente per gli apneisti. La nuova maschera «Daisy» dispone di un notevole campo visivo, pur avendo ridottissimo volume interno. Il cristallo temperato è retto da un telaio portavetro."
Rough translation: "LONGO SUB: THE NEW "DAISY" specially designed for freedivers. The new "Daisy" mask has a large visual field, despite having a very low internal volume. The tempered glass is supported by a lens-retaining frame."

So another "modern" mask for its time targeting the freediving community with its breadth of vision, ear-clearing nosepiece and reduced inner volume.

Fourth mask of the day is the Soleil, named after the French word for "sun". Reproduced below a review from the Italian diving magazine Mondo Sommerso with words missing at the right-hand edge during the scanning process. I would be grateful for any help or suggestions in filling these gaps in the text.

Italian: "E' una maschera monovetro, non un occhiale, e quindi sintetizza i vantaggi dell'una e dell'altro eliminandone nel contempo i difetti. Le caratteristiche tecniche salienti sono il piano unico di visuale, un'ampia superficie del campo visivo, la massima vicinanza del cristallo agli occhi per il miglior «effetto grandangolo», disegno del cristallo in base a considerazioni particolari sull'uso subacqueo, [...] tenuta, cerchietto monopezzo [...] regolabile in materiale indefor[mabile e in]frangibile. Si tratta d'un pro[...] curato, destinato a incontrare [...] subacquei esperti. La Longo Sub sta accentuand[...]za verso articoli sempre più [...] destinati a chi pretende il megl[...]."
Rough translation: "This is a single-lens mask, not a pair of goggles, and hence encapsulates the benefits of both while eliminating their defects. The salient technical characteristics are the single plane of vision, the large surface area of the visual field, the maximum proximity of the lens to the eyes for the best "wide-angle effect", the design of the lens based on particular considerations on underwater use, [.. .] watertightness, one-piece frame [...] adjustable in indefor[mable and un]breakable material. It is a well-finished [...] intended to meet [...] expert divers. Longo Sub is emphasising [...] towards articles that are increasingly [...] intended for those who expect the best [...].

So a more streamlined version of the Daisy mask intended for "the more discerning customer" who wants the best.

And there I shall leave matters until midweek when I shall return to review the Longo Parabolic mask and then the Longo range of fins. In the meantime, keep well and stay safe.

 

[David Wilson]

The next Longo sub diving mask made its début in the mid-1970s. A 1975 issue of the Italian diving magazine Mondo Sommerso reviewed the company's then anonymous "parabolic mask" thus with a drawing to illustrate the new design:

Italian: "MASCHERA PARABOLICA. La novità tecnica di maggior rilievo è senza dubbio la realizzazione, per la prima volta se non sbagliamo, di una maschera a vetro parabolico coperta da brevetto. Non è stato facile arrivare alla realizzazione di questo vetro parabolico: ma ci si è riusciti, alla fine, con risultati ottimi e ottenendo, in più, che il vetro venga temperato mentre subisce la curvatura. Si potevano temere fenomeni di rifrazione, ma nelle prove tecniche e in quelle pratiche in acqua, non sono stati segnalati particolari fenomeni di questo tipo. Quali sono i vantaggi di questo nuovo tipo di maschera?
Prima di tutto una visione notevolmente maggiorata rispetto alla maschera con vetro tradizionale; un volume interno ridotto del 25-30 per cento; una migliore aderenza al viso."
Rough translation: "PARABOLIC MASK. There is no doubt that the leading technical innovation is the creation, the first ever if we are not mistaken, of a mask with a parabolic lens covered by a patent. Getting to create this parabolic lens was no easy task, but we finally got there with an excellent outcome, obtaining as we did a tempered finish for the lens too while undergoing curvature. Some concerns might have arisen about refraction phenomena, but the technical and practical tests in water produced no reports of any particular phenomena of this type. What are the advantages of this new type of mask? Significantly increased vision, first of all, in comparison with a traditional mask lens; a 25-30% reduction in inner volume; better facial adhesion."

In mathematics, a "parabola" is a "plane curve which is mirror-symmetrical and is approximately U-shaped". It is a member of the family of conic sections (above). I shall leave it to others more geometrically minded and talented than yours truly to judge the veracity of the product description when it comes to listing the benefits, visual and otherwise, of a curved diving mask lens versus a more conventional face-plate.