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

[David Wilson]

The name "Maestrale" (Mistral) comes from the Languedoc dialect of the Occitan language and means "masterly". Shark also manufactured a twin-tube snorkel-mask called the "Libeccio" named after the southwesterly Mediterranean wind which predominates in northern Corsica all year round. The word "libeccio" is Italian, coming from Greek through Latin, and originally meaning "Libyan".

The Libeccio snorkel-mask also made its début in the 1962 catalogue of the German diving equuipment manufacturer and importer Barakuda:

German: "LIBECCIO (ital.). Eine ungewöhnlich preiswerte Vollgesichtsmaske mit Doppelschnorchel und zuverlässiger Schwimmerdichtung. Der weiche, anschmiegsame Maskenkörper bewirkt zuverlässige Abdichtung bei verschiedenen Kopfformen. Besonders breilgeteiltes Kopfband. Dieses Modell ist die mit Abstand preiswerteste italienische Doppelschnorcheltauchmaske, die seit ihrem Erscheinen auf dem italienischen Markt schon viele Liebhaber gefunden hat. Kunststoffscheibe. Nr. 160. DM 15,85."
English: "LIBECCIO (Italian). An unusually inexpensive full-face mask with twin snorkels and reliable float seal. The soft, conformable mask body provides a reliable seal for different head shapes. Especially wide split headband. This model is by far the cheapest Italian double snorkel diving mask, which has already found many fans since its appearance on the Italian market. Plastic window. No. 160, DM 15.85."

While the main emphasis here is on the budget pricing of this snorkel-mask, watertightness also remains an important consideration.

Here is the snorkel-mask again in a 1962 issue of Mondo Sommerso:

Italian: "LIBECCIO, maschera a grande campo visivo con due valvole automatiche che consentono una perfetta chiusura."
Rough translation: "LIBECCIO, wide field of vision mask with two automatic valves that allow perfect closure."

No mention of pricing, while visibility and watertightness are paramount features.

Here it is again in a 1963 issue of Mondo Sommerso:

And yet again post-merger in a 1965 issue of Mondo Sommerso:

Italian: "LIBECCIO – maschera in gomma a grande campo visivo per osservazione subacquea con due respiratori.."
Rough translation: "LIBECCIO - wide field of view rubber mask for underwater observation with two breathing tubes."

And here is the mask in the Salvas-Shark German-language underwater catalogue of 1966:

German: "art. 204. «libeccio»-Maske. Naturgummi-Maske mit zwei Schnorcheln, mit Ventil, grosse Sichtweite für Unterwasserbeobachtungen. Alle unsere Masken sind aus Naturgummi hergestellt und aus nicht alterndem und reizbarem Material."
English: "art. 204. “Libeccio” mask. Natural rubber mask with two snorkels, with valve, great visibility for underwater observations. All our masks are made of natural rubber and materials that neither age nor irritate."

That's plenty for today and we shall move on to fin models made by Shark some time midweek. Until then, keep safe and stay well.

 

[David Wilson]

Thank you for the like, jale.

And now we come to fins manufactured by Shark. Two models: Sprint and Turris, both traceable back to 1961.Let us begin with the Sprint in 1961, here showcased in Iyalian diving magazine Mondo Sommerso.

Italian: "SPRINT la pinna in gomma a scarpetta di grande prestazione, leggera, resistente, non stanca il piede".
Rough translation: "SPRINT, the high-performance rubber full-foot fin: light, hard-wearing, will not cause foot fatigue.

So a closed-heel, closed-toe fin with an oblique-cut blade tip, hence asymmetrical with the longer pointy end worn on the outside.

1962

Same legend with square pattern on blade slightly clearer.

1963

The Italian caption "la pinna più veloce" means "the faster fin". The square pattern on the blade in clearer again with the Shark logo now visible. Note how the shark in the logo faces opposite directions when the left and right hand fins are correctly aligned, doubtless a reminder to the user which way around they go.

1964

Italian: "La pinna in gomma morbida leggera veloce."
Rough translation: "The fast lightweight soft rubber fin."

1965

The price list above informs us that the Sprint model is "azzurre", light-blue, fits shoe sizes 30-48 and costs 1,400 - 3,000 lire. It has therefore survived the Shark-Salvas merger, becoming the cheapest model in the range. The 1966 version shows no changes.

Here is an undated image of the Shark Sprint with the same legend as the earliest 1960s publicity above:

The design of Shark Sprint fins reminds me a little of the Soviet Nerpa fin, also known as "Model No. 7", made by Mosrezina in the late 1960s:

The Nerpa is a symmetrical fin, however, with identical blades whether right- or left-footed.

 

[David Wilson]

Second fin of the day from Shark is the "Turris". "Turris" is Latin for "tower", the name of a genus of sea snails and the title of a former Italian football club based in Torre del Greco, Campania and founded in 1944 as F.C. Turris 1944. Take your pick.

1961

Italian: "TURRIS punta aperta in gomma potentissima ideale per la pesca".
Rough translation: "TURRIS, open toe, very powerful rubber fin ideal for fishhunting."

So, by way of contrast with the Sprint, this model comes with a toe opening and is designed for underwater hunting.

1962

Same legend as before.

And here is an undated image of the Turris with the same caption:

The 1965 price list below lists two Shark fins:

The second one down is labelled "galleggianti" (floating) and fits shoe sizes 30-48. Is this the Turris? Perhaps. It costs more than the Sprint model, doubtless because floating rubber is more expensive than the kind that sinks. The 1966 price list is identical.

And there we leave it for today, minded to return at the weekend with a review of a different Italian diving equipment company. I have not yet decided which manufacturer will be next. Until then, stay well and keep safe.

 

[David Wilson]

A different mid-twentieth-century Italian diving equipment manufacturer today and I have opted for one of the relative latecomers whose diving equipment plants date back to the early 1970s. Polimare sub was founded in 1970 in the Northern Italian city of Genoa above, where the more famous Cressi was also headquartered.

For much of my information about Polimare sub, I am indebted to an article entitled "Attrezzatura sub" (Underwater gear) by Lucio Coccia in the April 1970 issue of Nautica, which can be accessed at https://www.luciococciamedia.com/wp...ne-Genova-attrezzature-Sub-70-Aprile-1970.pdf. This includes the images of certain new Polimare underwater products:

The Italian text related to Polimare within Coccia's article roughly translates to: "POLIMARE: the new Genoese company using high-quality technicians and tools has marketed the new Aldebaran and Merak panoramic masks with nose pockets and low internal volume (also in all optical sizes). Pegasus (from 36 to 44) and Volans (from 26 to 48) fins with full foot pocket, with orthotechnical insole, floating and non-floating, black and coloured. Three Taurus spring guns, the following in length: 80, 100, 120 cm. Rigel lamp with 4 and 6 batteries actually tested up to 200 metres. Finally also self-contained breathing apparatus with double connection on the taps, harness with Velcro release, and a proportional balanced two-stage regulator. Suits and various accessories."

The Italian diving magazine Mondo Sommerso also reported on the founding of Polimare sub in 1970, the first paragraph roughly translating as follows: "Polimare. A new company, Polimare Sub, joins the existing ones. Born in September last year, it has its headquarters in Genoa, in via Angelo Carrara 160/n. The Polimare range now includes fins, masks, spring guns, knives, dive buoys, harpoons, spears, snorkels, lights, weight belt, weights, a camera case (Kodak Instamatic), fish net and depth gauge. A new-concept pneumatic gun and regulator are being prepared, as the sales director, Sergio Solinas, told us."

If you want to find out more about the full range of Polimare diving equipment, you can access scans of the company's four-page 1970 catalogue on Luigi Fabbri's wonderful diving history website at POLIMARE Catalogo 1970 | BluTimeScubaHistory.

 

[David Wilson]

Let us begin as usual with the diving mask range launched by Polimare sub in 1970. In the Mondo Sommerso Polimare sub equipment roundup, we have "Tra le maschere, segnaliamo la «Aldebaran» (L. 3.500) c la «Merak» (lire 3.200) entrambe a naso sagomato portato a filo vetro; unico cristallo temperato, spessore 5 mm; l’«Aldebaran» è leggermente più grande." (Among the masks, we single out the “Aldebaran” (L. 3,500) and the “Merak” (Lire 3,200) for attention, both with a shaped nose carried flush with the lens; single tempered lens, 5 mm thick; the “Aldebaran” is slightly larger.)

First the Polimare Merak mask. It may be named after a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major, but it is also the Turkish word for "curiosity". Picture below from a 1970 issue of Mondo Sommerso:

Italian: "MASCHERA MERAK. Di concezione rivoluzionaria per la sagomatura del naso a filo del cristallo. Ridottissimo volume interno, minima distanza occhio vetro, ottima aderenza anche per visi « difficili ». Campo visivo di massima dimensione."
Rough translation: "MERAK MASK. A revolutionary design for the shaping of the nose flush with the faceplate. Very low internal volume, minimum distance between eye and glass, excellent adherence even for "difficult" faces. Maximum-sized field of view."

So a "kidney-shaped" mask typical of diving mask designs of the 1970s. It should be noted that Luigi Ferraro came up with the original concept of a low-volume mask with a nose pocket almost two decades earlier.

The four-page Polimare leaflet only mentioned the Merak diving mask briefly but left it unillustrated: "MERAK sagomata con naso, a basso volume interno, cerchietto INOX, cristallo temperato." (MERAK with shaped nose pocket, low internal volume, stainless steel band, tempered glass).

 

[David Wilson]

And now for the Polimare sub Aldebaran diving mask. "Aldebaran" (see above) is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus and is known as the "Eye of Taurus." The name "Aldebaran" is Arabic, which means "The Follower" because it appears to follow the Hyades star cluster that forms the head of the bull.

Sadly, Polimare omitted to provide a picture of the Aldebaran mask in its 1970 catalogue, so we shall have to make do with a brief product description: "ALDEBARAN panoramica con naso, a basso volume interno, cerchietto INOX, cristallo temperato" (ALDEBARAN panoramic with nose pocket, low internal volume, stainless steel band, tempered glass).

So if we want to conjure up the image of the Aldebaran mask, we must bring to mind the Merak mask in a larger size with a wider field of vision. There was a second version of the Aldebaran with a neoprene skirt, the "Aldebaran NP".

More about the Polimare range of masks midweek. In the meantime, stay safe and keep well.

 

[David Wilson]

First up today is the Polimare Maya diving mask. If our assumption on the current evidence that Polimare masks were named after celestial bodies, then my initial thought is that "Maya" is an alternative spelling of "Maia", which is a star (see above) in the constellation of Taurus and the fourth-brightest star in the Pleiades open star cluster.

Here are a couple of images of the Polimare Maya, the first from a 1970 issue of the Italian diving magazine Mondo Sommerso and the second from the 1970 Polimare product list:

Italian: "MAYA ovale, con compensatori interni, cerchietto INOX, cristallo temperato."
Rough translation: "MAYA oval, with internal compensators, stainless steel band, tempered glass."

So the Maya is compensator mask featuring a split adjustable strap, a rubber skirt and an oval faceplate surrounded by a stainless-steel band.

 

[David Wilson]

The other mask for review today is the Polimare Carina. "Carina" is the name of a constellation in the southern sky (see above). Its name is Latin for the keel of a ship, and it was the southern foundation of the larger constellation of Argo Navis (the ship Argo) until it was divided into three pieces, the other two being Puppis (the poop deck), and Vela (the sails of the ship).

Sadly, we do not have a picture to reveal what the Polimare Carina mask looked like. We shall have to settle for a brief product description from the 1970 Polimare catalogue:
Italian: "CARINA a facciale per ragazzi."
Rough translation: "CARINA facemask for children."

At the weekend we shall move on to Polimare snorkels. Sorry if you feel short-changed with today's brief contribution, but sometimes the available historical sources amount to a paucity of information. Stay safe and keep well.

 

[WeRtheOcean]

then my initial thought is that "Maya" is an alternative spelling of "Maia", which is a star (see above) in the constellation of Taurus and the fourth-brightest star in the Pleiades open star cluster.

And I note that another of the stars in the same cluster is Alcyone -- the Kingfisher!

 

[David Wilson]

And I note that another of the stars in the same cluster is Alcyone -- the Kingfisher!

I'm guessing that "Alcione" wasn't available to the folks at Polimare because PIrelli had already nabbed the name for their flagship fin above!

Thanks to Jale and Eric for the likes. And now for Polimare breathing tubes. These from 1970 issues of the Italian diving magazine Mondo Sommerso:

and this from the 1970 Polimare catalogue, providing four names (Cetus, Algol, Alcor, Grus) to go with the three snorkels pictured:

But which name goes with which breathing tube? The product description in the catalogue furnishes the answer.