Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Greece

[David Wilson]

Florida sub Naxos diving mask, named after a Greek island, which is the largest of the Cyclades. Port of Naxos above. The diving mask:

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Specifications similar to the Florida sub Isabelle diving mask. A rounded rectangular mask with plastic rim, rubber skirt and single headstrap. Model fitted with compensator bosses on the inside and finger wells on the outside for ear-clearing.

Two more Florida diving masks at the weekend.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Florida sub Naxos diving mask, named after a Greek island, which is the largest of the Cyclades. Port of Naxos above. The diving mask:

OT: One of my favorite islands in the Kyklades. Has a fair bit of agriculture. Famous for the Naxian cheese and Naxian marble. Share's a lot of dive sites with the east side of Paros (now a mini Mykonos). Still fairly undeveloped compared to the more famous nearby islands (and resisted development until recently). 49 different villages, and I recommend exploring by car from wherever you stay.

Of course, best way to tour the Greek islands is by hiring a large sailboat to take you and 8 to 10 of your closest friends from island to island.

 

[David Wilson]

Thank you for this, wetb4igetinthewater. During the 1970s, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks one summer in a village a bus ride away from Athens. While I was there, I particularly enjoyed snorkelling daily from the beach in the company of young Greek people who lived in the neighbourhood. Like theirs, the mask, snorkel and fins I used were all purchased at a nearby sporting goods store.

During the 1970s, foreign tourists were relatively sparse on Greece's Mediterranean coastline and I relished the opportunity to mix with ordinary people as well as holidaymakers from abroad. When I made the booking at the travel agent's, I meant to spend a week on the mainland and a week on one of the islands, but sadly this split option was already sold out. So the only time the island of Naxos has otherwise impacted on my life was the one occasion when one of my university lecturers happened to mention Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal's opera "Ariadne auf Naxos".

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

@David Wilson was this before or after 1974? (Junta was 1967-1974 for other readers).

 

[David Wilson]

@David Wilson was this before or after 1974? (Junta was 1967-1974 for other readers).

It would have been the late 1970s. I don't recall which precise year it was.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

It would have been the late 1970s. I don't recall which precise year it was.

OT continued: yeah, it took a while to recover from a military dictatorship. Those that went had the most amazing experiences. I was a kid visiting my grandparents almost every summer. Great times.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes and posts, wetb4igetinthewater.

The Florida sub diving mask simply called "No. 3":

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An oval diving mask with a rib-reinforced orange rubber skirt and a white plastic rim. No compensator this time.

 

[David Wilson]

And here is the Florida sub diving mask Super No. 4:

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A red plastic rim and a black rubber skirt. Accordeon-style bosses on the inside and finger wells on the outside to pinch nostrils when ear clearing.

On to Florida sub breathing tubes midweek.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

It is interesting to see so much snorkeling gear from my childhood in Greece. Thanks for sharing and giving me a trip down memory lane.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the post, web4igetinthe water.

Today we take a look at Florida sub breathing tubes.

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Snorkel No. 1 has a traditional J-shaped barrel with a lugged mouthpiece at the demand end and a ball valve at the supply end to cut off the airflow when the tip has submerged.