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

[David Wilson]

Unlike the Atmos, the Technisub Tuba not only survived beyond the 1960s but even made it into the 1980s. Perhaps the classic simplicity of the Tuba proved more durable in the end than the overengineered Atmos. Here is the Tuba in 1973:

The Italian caption tells a different story from the English caption, translating as it does to: "Semi-rigid rubber snorkel with very soft anatomical mouthpiece". Perhaps English speakers value a mouthpiece's adjustability more highly than its gum-friendly ultra-softness!

The Tuba in 1976:

This time the snorkel is described as "D-shaped", which may refer to the shape of the inner bore of the snorkel'sHer barrel.

Finally, we come to the Tuba in 1980:

Here the translation is closer to the original; a flexible barrel with an adjustable mouthpiece on the demand end.

I shall finish here for the day, reviewing the Tubaflex and Spiro at the weekend. Until then, keep safe and stay well.

 

[Angelo Farina]

What an odd design. Is this supposed to lessen the apparent height of the breathing draw? Seems like CO2 buildup could be a problem.

No CO2 buildup with Atmos. Fresh air comes in from the narrow pipe, exhaust occurs through the shorter pipe with corrugated hose.
However when water did enter in the first pipe, it was not easy to have it out of the "loop".
The so-called water expulsion by gravity did not work as intended, because "underwater the water has no weight"...

 

[lowwall]

No CO2 buildup with Atmos. Fresh air comes in from the narrow pipe, exhaus occurs through the shorter pipe with corrugated hose.
However when water did enter in the first pipe, it was not easy to have it out of the "loop".
The so-called water expulsion by gravity did not work as intended, because "underwater the water has no weight"...

So it has some sort of inline valve between the intake pipe and the mouthpiece like on a double hose regulator? That does not sound like a good idea. Ugly, complicated and, no doubt, expensive, it's no wonder it disappeared so quickly.

 

[Popgun Pete]

What an odd design. Is this supposed to lessen the apparent height of the breathing draw? Seems like CO2 buildup could be a problem.

The wording appears to indicate breathing fresh air, so my guess is the Atmos snorkel uses valving so that exhaust air only goes out the bottom tube which has the flexible connection to the mouthpiece rather than out the long top tube. The longer tube has a diving bell cap top as you can see air ports on the underside ringing the main tube if you zoom the image. Any water getting in is meant to be blown out the bottom tube. As we now know snorkels which have moulded plastic parts can have a rigid housing to mount flexible mushroom purge valves in and these will let water out, but not so easy engineering them in rubber components. Some will remember corrugated mouthpiece snorkels having a purge valve in the bottom of the U shape adopted by the snorkel when it use which were never very good and these snorkels were usually scuba divers’ surface air supply back-up. The other comment in the Italian advert mentions observation use and that would indicate surface swimmers more than divers who only have to worry about waves putting water down their snorkels. Anyone who dives down would not want that second tube wobbling about and its drag pulling on their mouthpiece as it is unsecured, unlike the top tube with its keeper on your mask strap.

 

[WeRtheOcean]

Ugly, complicated and, no doubt, expensive, it's no wonder it disappeared so quickly.

Sounds like something we'll soon see on a crowdfunding site, presented as new and innovative.

 

[jale]

Second Technisub snorkel of the day is the "Tuba", which also happens to be the French term for a breathing tube coined by the spearfishing Pulvénis brothers. Like the Atmos, the Tuba was created in 1963, but most likely emerged from the French La Spirotechnique stable:

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"livré sous sachet il reste propre et sain"

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the contributions, Jale, Angelo, Pete and Iowwall, and for the likes too.

As for today's Technisub snorkels, the Spiro model was relatively short-lived in the the company's range. Here is the breathing tube in a 1965 issue of Mondo Sommerso:

Italian: "Tuba 'SPIRO'. Semirigido a boccaglio orientabile e con grande passaggio d'aria (3,5 cm²)".
Rough translation: "'SPIRO' Tuba. Semi-rigid with adjustable mouthpiece and large air passage (3.5 cm²)".

For all intents and purposes, the Spiro snorkel appears to be the same as the Tuba model but with the addition of the a lanyard meant to be worn around the neck to prevent loss of the snorkel in choppy waters. This model never made it into Technisub catalogues.

The Spiro was something of a flagship snorkel in the catalogues of the French company La Spirotechnique, making its début there around 1963:

The Spiro was still around in 1970:

French: "RESPIRATEUR SPIRO 152.110. Embout clarinette orientable, le plus fonctionnel qui soit. Tube en néoprène, demi-souple, idéale pour une respiration confortable et un vidage facile".
Rough translation: "SPIRO 152.110 BREATHING TUBE. Adjustable clarinet mouthpiece, the most functional there is. Neoprene barrel, semi-flexible, ideal for comfortable breathing and easily emptied".

 

[David Wilson]

Our second Technisub snorkel of the day is the Tubaflex. Here it is in the 1965 catalogue:

Italian: "A. 807 BOCCAGLIO Tubaflex. Boccaglio anatomico con tubo semirigido e raccordo corrugato per un più sciolto collegamento".
Rough translation: "A. 807 MOUTHPIECE. Tubaflex. Anatomic mouthpiece with semi-rigid tube and corrugated fitting for a looser connection".

So a flexible-hose model, designed to reduce the possibility of mouth-pull and jaw-ache associated with rigid-barrelled snorkels.

Here is the Tubaflex in 1968:

No real difference there, just a reminder that the snorkel comes in black.

During the 1970s, the Tubaflex acquired both a lanyard and a safety-orange tip, e.g. in 1973:

Neither feature is mentioned in the caption. A further innovation is a D-shaped cross-section for the barrel.

1976:

Same specifications, but the Tubaflex appears to have lost it top band alerting other water users to a snorkeller's presence.

1980:

No change there.

And that must suffice for today. Next up midweek will be another couple of Technisub snorkels, probably the Bora and the Ghibli. In the meantime, can you tell what the product names "Bora" and "Ghibli" have in common? Keep well and stay safe over the next few days.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Bora and Ghibli are the names of winds...
Bora comes from north-east, and can be very strong on northern Adriatic sea (160-200 km/h).
Also Greco and Zifio are names of winds, and of course Eolo was the god of winds...
I did never own any of these "wind-named" snorkels.
My father had the transparent Ghibli, indeed, and my girlfriend (now my wife) had the Zifio. I think it is still here in her scuba bag, as a safety backup.
My brother was a fin-swimming athlete, so of course he did have the Competizione, and also the special 2mm Technisub wet suit, ultra-smooth for minimum friction.

 

[lowwall]

In the meantime, can you tell what the product names "Bora" and "Ghibli" have in common? Keep well and stay safe over the next few days.

Maserati

Bora

Ghibli (the first of their three models with this name)