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

[JMBL]

Those remind me of the first version of the Scubapro Seawings sold in the 90's. The shape is very similar.

 

[David Wilson]

Those remind me of the first version of the Scubapro Seawings sold in the 90's. The shape is very similar.

Indeed. Sea Wing below from 1989:

Mammut Aquila fins:

 

[David Wilson]

Returning to Ondine, the diving gear arm of Società Italiana Industria Gomma & Hutchinson based at Lainate in Milan, here is a cutting from a 1969 issue of Mondo Sommerso:

Italian: "ONDINE « SUPER » (Soc. It. Industria Gomma & Hutchinson), La ditta di Lainate entra nel campo delle attrezzature subacquee con queste pinne in gomma nera, non galleggianti, dalla classica forma a scarpetta, con punta aperta. Nelle calzate da 32/34 a 44/46, da L. 1.250 a L. 2.000. La Hutchinson fabbrica anche il tipo Ondine in gomma azzurra, galleggianti, nelle stesse calzate, da L. 1.500 a L. 2.300.
Rough translation: "ONDINE 'SUPER' (Soc. It. Industria Gomma & Hutchinson), The company from Lainate enters the field of diving equipment with these non-floating black rubber fins, with a classic foot pocket shape, with an open tip. Sizes from 32/34 to 44/46, from L. 1.250 to L. 2.000. Hutchinson also manufactures the Ondine type in light blue rubber, floating, in the same sizes, from L. 1,500 to L. 2,300.

So a pair of full-foot fins available in a wide range of sizes in non-floating black and floating light blue rubber. No details forthcoming of masks or snorkels.

And there we stop for the day. At the weekend we shall take a look at Uvex basic gear. Until then, stay well and keep safe.

 

[Popgun Pete]

Because most of the forward motion from a fin is generated towards the tip where the blade can bend to push water rearwards then widening the blade backwards of where your toes are will just push water up and down. Also thick side ribs and a sudden change in rigidity will work the blade at the right angle into the foot pocket which could cause cracking if the rubber compounds are not up to it. The original Sea Wing was in a sense a Jetfin with the leading edge of the side ribs removed to allow water flow over the blade edges during any gliding motion. It also aimed to create a flex point for the blade to bend beyond the toes and have more surface pushing rearwards, albeit at an angle, during each fin stroke. Why it was not really a jet is there was no blade overlap at the vents.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the posting explaining the mechanics of the Sea Wing, Pete.

Today we take a look at Uvex basic underwater equipment. The Uvex brand is probably more associated with winter sports gear such as ski goggles and the enterprise behind it may be more associated with Germany, but the gear I have uncovered was made in Italy, hence its presence in this thread.

We start with a Uvex Albatros snorkel-mask that I happen to have in my snorkel-mask collection, which can be viewed in its current entirety here. Further images below:

So a single-snorkel mask with a stainless-steel rim surrounding a round lens and secured with a tightening screw. The skirt is reinforced with ribs to counter water pressure. Note the split strap attachments at the sides. The right-angle socket to take the single breathing tube emerges from one side. The long straight snorkel is topped with a ball valve. The ball is enclosed in a cage designed when submerged to float upwards, shutting off the entry of the remainder of the valve housing with its own bult-in inverted U-bend like the specimen below:

 

[David Wilson]

And now we come to Uvex fins. There were several different models. Let us start with the Olimpic:

So a full-foot, open-toe fin featuring a blade reinforced with side rails and a centre rib extending all the way to the tip. Note the German word "unsinkbar" on the top of the foot pocket to indicate the fin's positive buoyancy to the German-speaking market.

 

[David Wilson]

Second Uvex fin of the day is the Murena, named after the Moray eel (above):

Another full-foot, open-toe fin, this time with a plain blade. Note too the German adjective "unsinkbar" (unsinkable) and German Fraktur style font used for the noun "Murena" on the top of the foot pocket, suggesting once again that this model targets aquatic enthusiasts in the German-speaking world.

We shall proceed to the Uvex Antares fin next time, which will be midweek. Stay well and keep safe until then.

 

[Popgun Pete]

Interesting to see a scuba diver with a spring gun depicted on the foot pocket of the "Murena" fin.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the like, Iowwall. and for the comment, Pete.

Today we take a look at the Uvex Antares fin, which is named after the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius (above):

So another simple full-foot open-toe fin with a straight-tipped blade with markings in English and German. A reminder that "unsinkbar" is German for "unsinkable", indicating that the fin has positive buoyancy in water.

 

[David Wilson]

The Uvex Antares also came in a couple of variants. The first featured a small tag on the tip of the blade embossed with the word "galleggiante", Italian for "floating":

The second variant was more pronounced:

Note the pattern on the blade and its diamond-shaped tip.