Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Argentina

[David Wilson]

Plaf diving mask.

Spanish: MASCARA ACUATICA “PLAF” con “VISUAL IRROMPIBILE” y de cómoda e instantánea adecuación a cualquier tipo de cara. (Tamaños para mayores y niños).
English: “PLAF” AQUATIC MASK with “UNBREAKABLE VIEWPIECE” and comfortable and instant adaptation to any type of face. (Sizes for adults and children).

Traditional oval diving mask with metal rim and twin buckles to adjust head strap.

Another Plaf diving mask at the weekend along with a Plaf breathing tube.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Thanks for the likes, John, lowwall and Guille G. And for the post, John.

Plaf goggles.

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"Camarero uses them... and wins! The world-famous Argentine swimmer - winner of the CAPRI-NAPOLES race twice in a row - used them for his training classes and the crossing itself."

Alfredo Camarero (1931-2012) was an Honour Swimmer from Argentina who was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1978.
Professional Marathon Swimming Career

Camarero twice swam the English Channel
He won the 1959 Billy Butlin Cross Channel International Swim from France to England in 11 hours 43 minutes in 1959
He won the 1960 English Channel race from France to England in 12 hours 23 minutes
He won the 33 km professional Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli in 1955 in 8 hours 45 minutes
He won the Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli in 1956 in 11 hours 53 minutes
He won the 36 km (22.5-mile) Around The Island Swim in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA in 12 hours 17 minutes in 1957 over Tom Park and Greta Andersen
He finished third in the 1954 36 km Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli in Italy.
He finished second in the 1957 36 km Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli in Italy.
He finished second in the 1958 36 km Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli in Italy.

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Spanish: ANTIPARRAS “PLAF” con VISUALES IRROMPIBLES de concepción anatómica y protectora de la acción del agua, cloro o cualquier otro elemento de piscinas, rio o mar.
English: “PLAF” GOGGLES with UNBREAKABLE VIEWPIECES, anatomically designed and protective against the action of water, chlorine or any other element of swimming pools, rivers or sea.

Rubber swimming goggles designed for surface use.

Okay, I’ve done some marathon fin swimming, but not to this extent. Can you imagine wearing goggles continuously for 12 hours and 23 minutes. Today’s plastic goggles would be hard to take for that length of time. These goggles look very comfortable, and probably have glass lenses, and not plastic. Glass is easier to keep defogged.

SeaRat

 

[dmaziuk]

Okay, I’ve done some marathon fin swimming, but not to this extent. Can you imagine wearing goggles continuously for 12 hours and 23 minutes. Today’s plastic goggles would be hard to take for that length of time. These goggles look very comfortable, and probably have glass lenses, and not plastic. Glass is easier to keep defogged.

Aquaspheres and similar would probably be fine, though I couldn't comment on the fogging. They are comfortable enough when they fit.

It's just that they are high-ish profile and so not so great in flip turns and pushes, so you don't see them in lap pools very often.

 

[emoreira]

Thanksfor starting this thread.
Antenal Fins are still produced by Pino Sub, though they are focused nowadays in wet and dry suits, with main customers among security forces and military. Pino has also manufacture plants in South Brazil.
Antenal fins are also used by military and security forces, though are also popular among grumpy old divers, like me.
They are stock fitted with rubber straps, but those are normally replaced with SS spring straps. Any tech SS spring straps fit.
Antenal fins last many,many years. It's common to find divers using those same fins for +30 years.
My pair of Antenal, bought used 3 years ago to an old diver no longer diving owing to age, he bought them new something like 25 years ago and they are still flexible and pristine like new.
Here with my 3 years old Pino 2 pieces wetsuit.

The other mentioned vendors Plaf and Rossi are long gone.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, John and АлександрД. And for the posts, John, dmaziuk and emoreira.

Plaf Starwater Caribe diving mask:

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By the look, this mask came much later than the previous items. Probably the 1970s. Oval shaped lens surrounded by plastic frame. Twin buckles adjust split head strap. I have included the illustrated box the mask came in from the auction picture.

 

[David Wilson]

Plaf breathing tube with ball valve.

Spanish: TUBO DE INMERSION “PLAF” que permite bucear con toda tranquilidad y seguridad. Es liviano y de modelación anatómica.
English: “PLAF” SNORKEL enabling user to dive with complete peace of mind and safety. Lightweight and anatomically shaped.

Traditional double U-bend snorkel topped with celluloid ball in cage valve at the supply end to shut off airflow when the user has submerged. Lugged mouthpiece at the demand end.

One more Plaf breathing tube and a Plaf snorkel-mask some time midweek.

 

[David Wilson]

Plaf flexible-hose breathing tube.

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Open-topped straight barrel connected to a lugged mouthpiece with a corrugated-hose extension. This snorkel design was originally favoured by scuba divers because the mouthpiece dropped out of the way when it was not in use.

 

[David Wilson]

Plaf Narigoma snorkel-mask.

Spanish: Máscaras “Narigoma” y de uno o dos tubos.
English: “Narigoma” masks with one or two snorkels.

Oval diving mask with single or double breathing tubes emerging from the top. Ball valve shuts off air supply when user is submerged.

Plaf ear cups and swim fins at the weekend.

 

[Guille G]

A little extra trivia, since you are including translations:
- “Plaf” is an onomatopoeia used for something hitting the water in older comics in Spanish, like “splash!” would be used in English.
- “Narigoma” is a portmanteau mixing the Spanish words for “nose” and “rubber”

Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Plaf flexible-hose breathing tube.

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Open-topped straight barrel connected to a lugged mouthpiece with a corrugated-hose extension. This snorkel design was originally favoured by scuba divers because the mouthpiece dropped out of the way when it was not in use.

This type of snorkel was also marketed in the USA, and as a kid I bought one. I did not like it, as I swam and snorkeled in rivers with high currents. The tube right under the mouthpiece would bend in the current around my chin, and that bend would cut off air flow. That made it harder to observe trout swimming right under the rapids.

SeaRat