Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Italy: Cressi

[David Wilson]

Final message for today in this thread and for the Medusa G Uno shows images of real-life eBay specimens.

Front:

Left side, with socket for single snorkel (missing)

Words and image embossed on mask. Words (left): "IL PESCATORE SUBACQUEO. CRESSI. GENOVA MADE IN ITALY." (THE UNDERWATER FISHERMAN. CRESSI. GENOA. MADE IN ITALY". Image (right): Drawing of Medusa from classical mythology.

And that's plenty for today. Back in a few days' time with the Cressi Medusa G Due, the Cressi Medusa G1's twin-snorkel sibling. In the meantime, stay home and stay safe.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks again for all the likes.

Now for what is arguably Cressi's most iconic mask: the Medusa G Due. The "G" classifies this snorkel-mask as a giant (Gigante) and/or full-face (Gran facciale) model, while the "Due", Italian for "two", indicates the presence of twin breathing tubes.

Our earliest source of information about the Medusa G Due is Cressi's 1953 catalogue:

Italian: "Infine, chi si limita a stare alla superfice ad osservare il fondo marino, e vuole respirare dal naso e dalla bocca, può far uso (...) della MEDUSA DUE (con due respiratori) (Fig. 12). Questi tipi di occhiali racchiudono tutto il viso, compresa la bocca e il naso. Vengono costruiti in due misure: media e grande."
Rough translation: "Finally, those confined to remaining on the surface, observing the seabed and wishing to nose and mouth breathe can use (...) the MEDUSA DUE (with two breathing tubes) (Fig. 12). These types of goggles enclose the whole face, including the mouth and the nose. They are supplied in two sizes: Medium and Large."

Note the recommendation of the Medusa G Due for surface observation only and not for deeper diving, a probably necessary constraint in the absence of an ear-clearing facility. Note too the presence of a chinpiece (sottomento) at the bottom of the skirt to enclose the mouth as well as the eyes and the nose, enabling the wearer to breathe nasally or orally the air supplied through the twin snorkels when their hinge valves open at the surface of the water. And the availability of the mask in Medium and Large sizes to achieve a better, watertight fit for a variety of facial profiles.

 

[David Wilson]

The Medusa G Due reappeared thus in Cressi's 1955 catalogue. The caption says the twin-snorkel "Due" has the same features as the single-snorkel "Uno", so I've included information about the latter:

Italian: "Maschera a facciale completo; racchiude nell’interno tutto il viso. Massima aderenza e morbidezza dei bordi, ne fanno un’ottima maschera per l’osservazione. La respirazione è resa possibile da un opportuno organo incorporato (valvola). Indicata in tutti gli impieghi del genere e per immersioni limitate a pochi metri. In due misure: B (media), C (grande). MEDUSA G DUE. Ha le stesse caratteristiche della MEDUSA G UNO. E’ munita di due respiratori."
Official English translation: "Complete facial mask enclosing the whole face. Maximum adherence and softness of borders make this an excellent mask for observation. Respiration is permitted by the incorporated fixture of snorkels. Recommended for observation purposes and for immersions in shallow waters. Manufactured in three sizes: B (medium), C (large) and a special size for children. MEDUSA G DUE. This mask has the same characteristics as the Medusa G Uno but it is furnished with two incorporated snorkels."
My translation: "Full-face mask, enclosing whole face on inside. Edges have maximum grip and softness, making this an excellent mask for observation. A convenient integral device (valve) makes breathing possible. Suitable for all these kinds of uses and for diving with a depth limit of a few metres. Supplied in two fittings: B (Medium) or C (Large). MEDUSA G DUE. Has the same specifications as the MEDUSA G UNO. Fitted with two breathing tubes.

The 1955 catalogue drew a clear distinction between two classes of mask with built-in snorkels: "Maschere con valvola" and "Maschere a facciale". The former, "valve masks", provided eye and nose coverage only, while the latter, "full-face masks", enclosed the mouth too. Manifestlly, the Medusa G Due fell into Cressi's "maschere a facciale" category, where the presence of breathing tubes was implicit, because neither inhalation nor exhalation would have been possible without them.

Note the minor amendment to the mask's scope of usage — "suitable for diving with a depth limit of a few metres" — a concession doubtless designed to keep the spearfishing community on board.

 

[David Wilson]

During the mid-1950s, the Medusa G Due appeared in several diving books.

Ivanovic's 1955 Modern Spearfishing:

The Carriers' 1955 Dive, although this book illustration represents the first-series version of the G 2, the Gigante B (note valves at surface end of snorkels):

Vanderkogel's 1955 Underwater Sport:

Bronson-Howard's 1956 Handbook for skin divers:

In Bronson-Howard's words: "While the majority of masks manufactured today are of standard design, the past three years has seen an increase in popularity for masks which feature built-in snorkel breathing tubes. Numerous models of French, Italian and American design are now on the market. These variations of the ordinary equipment are more expensive, but the added compactness and freedom they give the diver are well worth the difference in price. (Most amateurs, though, will do just as well with the standard models until they have completely mastered the underwater technique.) These masks come in one-breathing-tube and two-breathing-tube varieties. The one-tube model has a flexible rubber snorkel coming off the top center of the mask, or a rigid plastic tube coming off the side. The two-tuber has a plastic snorkel coming off each side of the mask, giving the diver a slightly Mephistophelean appearance when he sticks his head out of the water. The air-intake openings have either a hinged-cork arrangement or a ping-pong ball, which, due to its buoyancy, is forced up into the opening of the tube, thus closing it, when the swimmer is submerged. Unlike the standard mask, breathing is done with the nose, and the mouth is kept closed while the diver is lying face down on the surface of the water."

Small's 1957 Your guide to underwater adventure:

I'll leave matters there for today, proceeding in several days' time to review the service life of the Medusa G Due from the late 1950s to the 1960s. Keep safe in the meantime!

 

[АлександрД]

small remind Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Australia: Turnbull etc

and one more extra

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks, АлександрД, for reminding me about previous appearances of the Cressi Medusa G Due in other threads. I will be showcasing further examples later in this thread after I've completed reviewing the historical development of this mask. And thank you all, АлександрД, Sam and Jale, for the likes that sustain me during this epic saga.

We left off last time at the mid-1950s. By this stage, the product was being exported outside Italy. Here are period ads for Cressi States-side:

The Medusa G2 is the twin-snorkel mask in this publicity material.

As for the UK, here's a page from the 1956 catalogue of the British manufacturer Typhoon, which carried some Cressi products:

and one from London-based Lillywhites' catalogue of the same year:

And back in Italy, here's the Medusa G2 in Cressi's 1959 catalogue:

Note the continued availability of the G2 in Medium (B) and Large (C) fittings.

 

[David Wilson]

The early 1960s saw the début of the Medusa G2 in Germany, when Barakuda carried it in its 1962 catalogue:

German: "MEDUSA G DUE (ital.). Vollgesichtsmaske mit großem Sichtfeld in hervorragender Paßform. Die beiden Schnorchel sind mit Klappventilen ausgerüstet, die eine einwandfreie Abdichtung gewährleisten. Das breite Kopfband ist geteilt und verstellbar. Die „Medusa G“ due, ein Modell des weltbekannten Hauses „Cressi“, gehört seit Jahren zu den bekanntesten und am meisten verbreitesten Doppelschnorchelmasken des Mittelmeerraumes. Für die Güte dieses Modells spricht, daß es seit Jahren unverändert hergestellt wird. Sicherheitsglasscheibe. Nr. 162. DM 26,85."
English: "MEDUSA G DUE (Italian). Full face mask offering a large field of view and an excellent fit. The two snorkels are fitted with lever valves, which ensure a perfect seal. The wide headband is split and adjustable. For many years, the “Medusa G Due”, a model from the world-famous House of “Cressi”, has been one of the widest and best known twin-snorkel masks in the Mediterranean. The quality of this model is reflected in the fact that it has been made unchanged for years. Safety glass. No. 162. DM 26.85."

Back to Cressi's 1960s catalogues:

1966

1969

And there the Medusa G2 production run stops.

 

[David Wilson]

There is little doubt in my mind that the Cressi Medusa G2 gained an iconic status in its time, more perhaps than any other first-generation snorkel-mask. Although no snorkel-masks entered production in the USSR, Soviet diving manual authors were aware of their existence in the West:

Olga Shukova's underwater hunting book illustration above refers to the mask as a "«Двурогая» маска" ("bicorn" mask), a mask fitted with two horns. See it for yourself online at Снаряжение для охоты под водой.

By the way, this publication isn't the only book-length Russian diving title to be scanned and posted online to be viewed for free. Wouldn't it be nice, particularly in these COVID-19 times of goodwill to all men, if English-language diving journals and books shared their contents online too for everybody's benefit under lockdown?

But I digress. I included the Russian picture above to show (a) how widely known outside Italy the Medusa G2 was in its time and (b) the sinister impact the mask's appearance may have had on some contemporary observers. Shukova herself compares the Medusa G2's twin snorkels to the horns of a wild animal and counsels Russian spearfishers against using the mask if they ever manage to get hold of one. She captions the illustration "«Двурогая» маска — сложная и малопригодная в подводном спорте. Избегайте ее" (“Bicorn” mask: complicated and unsuitable for underwater sport. Avoid it.). So there.

The potential of Medusa G2 users to strike terror in non-snorkellers wasn't lost on western observers either. The 1958 British thriller film "The Snorkel" appears to feature a Medusa G2 as the villain's principal prop:

And here is an American newspaper article from March 1957:

So what the good citizens of Loveland, Ohio, were witnessing did not turn out to be the Little Miami River's very own Loch Ness Monster after all, but simply a couple of young men testing prototypes of the future Skooba-"totes" dry suit manufactured in the So-Lo Marx Rubber works nearby.

The scene above was recreated for a 1959 advertisement:

Note how the figure standing in the stream with the twin-snorkel mask over his eyes, nose and mouth in 1957 has replaced this headgear with a conventional half-mask and double-hose regulator in 1959.

I'll finish here for today and come back in a few days' time with several more images of the Medusa G2 in use. As we shall see, this mask could raise a smile on people's faces as well as scare the living daylights out of them. Stay tuned, stay home and stay safe in the meantime.

 

[Sam Miller III]

I appreciate and look forward every day to reading your very interesting historical column--
Keep up the good work !
Please bear in mind I am eagerly looking forward to a lavishly inscribed mask & snorkel book- or at least a a CD !

RE Snorkel Mask
I do not recall seeing many in California diving during the 1950s & 1960s.. I suspect they were more popular in Europe


Re: Bruce Sherrill
I suspect he is one and the same "Rusty" Sherrill who was employed in the California diving industry for several years in the 1960s to possibly as late as 1970s- then he apparently disappeared off the map.
As I recall he was last employed by Voit - who became Swimaster until the company closed its SoCal doors,
If still around he would be in late 70s approaching 80 years old

Hombre keep up the great posts -- you make my day
SDM

 

[АлександрД]

Olga Shukova's underwater hunting book illustration above refers to the mask as a "«Двурогая» маска" ("bicorn" mask), a mask fitted with two horns. See it for yourself online at Снаряжение для охоты под водой.

BTW... her name - Olga Trofimovna Zhukova ... I bring here some articles about her
Olga T. Zhukova - crashtester of first Soviet scuba