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

[jadairiii]

... Cressi Rondine L.

I found a used pair of those in the mid 80's at a marine flea market. I loved those fins, quite possibly one of the best "snorkeling" fins ever made. I would throw those on just for a fun folic on a shallow reef.

 

[Popgun Pete]

Most people nowadays identify the Jetfin with the Scubapro version of it, rigid and open-heel. But the original Jetfin by Beuchat (which I did own and love in the seventies, apart the bad smell) was very flexible end elastic, and a bit longer than the Scubapro version.
The venturi channels were very effective on the original Jetfin, much less in the Scubapro version. Although the whole design of the original Jetfin was optimised for swimming underwater for spearfishing, they were also used in finned swimming competitions. In this case, the presence of the venturi channels reduced the thrust towards the sky, making it easier for the swimmer to keep the legs 20-30 cm below the water surface, where they produce more thrust.
However this was needed as a correction of a technical problem. Starting with Cressi Rondine fins, the blade was angled downward (which means upwards when swimming horizontally at the surface). Again, this was optimal for underwater swimming and spearfishing, but resulted in an easy emersion of the blade out of the water in fast surface swimming. The real solution is to angle the blade the opposite way, upwards (which means downward when swimming horizontally) such as in the Force Fins. This practice was developed by Russian finned swimming athletes. They did start form their blue-rubber Russian fins, cutting the sole so that the fin could be worn upside.down, resulting in the blade being angled "up". Another common modification, after reversing the fin, was to remove entirely the blade, and replace it with a fiberglass plate.
The Super Jetfin was an attempt to provide our athlets with something competitive. But I remember that the Russian fins were still superior, and often our athlets were swapping their brand-new fins (Super Jetfin, Mares Concorde, Cressi Rondine L) with those of russian athlets.

Here are my Super Jetfins bought when they were first offered here.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the like, Angelo, and for the contributions, Angelo, Pete and jadairiii.

Today we complete our review of one of the minor historical Italian players in the diving equipment manufacturing business: Onda sub.

Here is the Onda sub Alba diving mask from a 1975 issue of Mondo Sommerso:

Italian: "In secondo piano a sinistra, l'«Alba»: ha una lente quadrangolare di vetro, serrata da un cerchietto in plastica o in acciaio inossidabile".
Rough translation: "Back row left: the 'Alba', which comes with a square glass lens retained by a plastic or stainless-steel band".

So a traditional mask with a rounded rectangular lens surrounded by a plastic or metal rim. "Alba" is Italian for "dawn" as well as the name of several Italian settlements.

And here is the Onda sub "Globo" from the same source:

Italian: "Sempre in secondo piano, a destra, la «Globo»: lente ovale e cerchietto di plastica. E' disponibile un tipo fornito di «compensatore»".
Rough translation: "Second row right: the 'Globo', which has an oval lens and a plastic band. A 'compensator' model is available".

A different lens shape, oval, a plastic rim and the availability of a compensator version. "Globo" is Italian for "globe".

 

[David Wilson]

Here is the Onda sub "Zenit" diving mask:

Italian: "In primo piano si nota la «Zenit», molto adatta agli apneisti: il volume interno è ridotto, la visibilità molto ampia. Il naso è sagomato, per facilitare la compensazione. La lente (che può essere di vetro, vetro temperato o plastica) è collegata al corpo della maschera da un cerchietto di plastica colorata".
Rough translation: "Front row: the 'Zenit', which is ideal for freedivers, having low internal volume and very wide visibility. The nose is shaped for ease of compensation. The lens (which can be made of glass, tempered glass or plastic) is connected to the mask body with a small coloured plastic band".

So a bit more detail this time. A target user is identified: freedivers. The mask has many modern features: low internal volume, wide visibility, nose pocket for ease of compensation. The kidney-shaped lens surrounded by a plastic rim is typical of many 1970s mask designs. "Zenit" is Italian for "zenith", which is an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the imaginary celestial sphere.

We also have a glimpse in the Mondo Sommerso image of what is presumably an Onda sub snorkel:

This model is left undescribed, but it appears to be a traditional J-shaped breathing tube whose rubber mouthpiece comes with a U-shaped elbow extension. Once again, fairly typical of 1970s offerings in the way of snorkels.

 

[David Wilson]

Several Onda sub underwater products are conspicuous by their absence from the Mondo Sommerso article. Onda sub had two snorkel-masks in their repertoire. First, the Aurora:

and secondly the Aurora Baby:

So two models essentially the same except for size. The snorkel-masks, designed for eyes and nose coverage only, have a split strap and an oval lens surrounded by a metal rim. The single snorkel enabling nose breathing emerges from the wearer's top right, while most snorkel-masks have it on the left. A hinged float valve shuts off the air supply when submerged.

As for Onda sub fins, they did exist if the word "pinne" (Italian for "fins") on the sticker above is to be believed. Sadly no picture is available, however.

So much for Onda sub. Next time, at the weekend, we shall review yet another Italian diving gear maker, probably Ital sub. Until then, keep safe and stay well.

 

[WeRtheOcean]

That sticker really highlights the difficulty English-speakers can have with the Romance languages in particular -- specifically, rearranging our thought patterns around word order.

The lower arc of words says "Divisione Produzione Articoli Sportivi Subacquei in Gomma"
In English translation, we completely reverse the word order: "Rubber Underwater Sporting Equipment Production Division."

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, Angelo and АлександрД. And I'm grateful as well to WeRtheOcean for the observation on language difference. I am so glad I chose foreign languages as my field of study when I was young as it still feeds my curiosity during my senior years and gives the brain muscles a daily workout as I wrestle with source material about diving equipment in a myriad of tongues other than my own. As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German equivalent of Shakespeare, once wisely said, nobody knows their own language if it is the only language they know.

And now for Ital sub, an Italian diving equipment manufacturer from the past with little or no paper trail. If you Google "Ital sub", you are likely to find images of submarine sandwiches with a variety of Italian fillings. You may chance upon a freediving gear website called "italsub.com", but it was founded in 2014, much too late to be even the successor of the original Ital sub. There is no pretty picture this time of the Italian town or city where Ital sub operated. All we currently know is that the company's stamping-ground was somewhere in Italy. So I am afraid today's offering is somewhat meagre fare.

No masks to showcase, but here is a snorkel:

The mystery Italian firm exported to the Antipodes during the 1960s, after Australia changed its currency from pounds, shillings and pence. What we have here is a simple J-shaped breathing tube comprising a straight plastic open-topped barrel and a rubber mouthpiece with a U-bend elbow extension.

 

[David Wilson]

Ital sub also made fins and here we have several images:

The model name is "Ondina", which is a diminutive of "onda", meaning "wave". So something along the lines of "wavelet", but also a female name suggesting "mermaid" or "water spirit". The fin is a full-foot model and bears a striking resemblance to the Tigullio Manta below:

This suggests that "Ital sub" may actually be Tigullio's "economy line", but I have no further proof of this conjecture.

So much for Ital sub. Another Italian diving equipment manufacturer, identity still to be determined, some time midweek. In the meantime, keep well and stay safe.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the like, Angelo.

We are approaching the end of this thread and I am down to the minor Italian players in the diving equipment market. We shall start today with Mammut, which was based in Genoa. I have just two sources of information about the company, both from 1961. The first is from an issue of Mondo Sommerso:

and the other is a coloured flyer:

Italian: "PINNE AQUILA brevettate. Per forma, rendimento, robustezza comodità e prezzo, le PINNE AQUILA s'impongono decisamente. La loro forma convergente determina i un notevole maggior rendimento della forza di propulsione del nuotatore e gli dà una sensibile maggior scioltezza nel movimento ritmico degli arti. I condotti a sezione decrescente, esistenti tra alettoni e pinna, eliminano quasi vortici terminali. Mentre l'inclinazione del piano tallone-pinna dà all'insieme maggior rendimento natatorio e grande agibilità. Scientifico dosaggio di materie prime e loro alta qualità, danno una giusta flessibilità alle PINNE AQUILA, rendendole, inoltre, galleggianti".
Rough translation: "Patented AQUILA FINS. For shape, performance, strength, comfort and price, AQUILA FINS definitely stand out. Their convergent shape substantially increases not only the efficiency of swimmers' propulsion but also the fluency of their rhythmic limb movements. The ducts with their tapering cross-section, existing between the wings and the fin, almost eliminate terminal vortexes. While the inclination of the heel-fin plane gives the whole greater swimming performance and great practicability. Scientific blending and high quality of the raw materials give the right flexibility to AQUILA FINS with the asset of making them float".

So the Mammut Aquilas are an unusual pair of fins, which apparently earned a patent that I have been unable so far to locate. To my untutored eyes, the blades resemble wide shovels. My search for further information about Mammut s.p.a. and its products has sadly yielded no more results.

 

[David Wilson]

A second minor player was Ondine, the diving gear arm of Società Italiana Industria Gomma & Hutchinson. The flyer below reveals that this company also made inflatable boats and mattresses and camping equipment. It also lists the company address in Lainate, which is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about 15 kilometres (9 miles) northwest of Milan. One of the sights of Lainate, the Villa Litta, is pictured above.

​