Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Spain: Nemrod

[lowwall]

I'm going out on a limb here and suggest that "con boya" means "with float" (buoy). "With valve" would be "con válvula".

 

[David Wilson]

I'm going out on a limb here and suggest that "con boya" means "with float" (buoy). "With valve" would be "con válvula".

I'm grateful for this, Iowwall. Spanish isn't one of the languages I have formally studied and I always rely on my knowledge of French when dealing with Romance languages outside my experience.

It's not the first time I've wrestled with translating the Spanish noun "boya" in the context of snorkels. In English, there is a tendency to use the word "valve" more than the Spanish seem to use "válvula" when talking about snorkels. The latter appear to focus on the moving part, whether the ball in a cage or the float attached to a shut-off lever, while the English-speaking world tends to concentrate on the whole shut-off valve, housing and all.

This is what makes the translator's art so agonisingly difficult at times when searching for a possibly non-existent "mot juste" (French for "the right word").

 

[Popgun Pete]

Pivoting valves are not as omnidirectional as trapped floats in cages, hence they will not be as effective in keeping water out. The Oceanmaster snorkel which is probably the most effective uses a doughnut float, but that required a rather elaborate multi-perforation plastic moulding for the cage which could be damaged if you were not careful. Back in the day such elaborate injection mouldings were not possible for the plastics then being used, hence these plastic floats which take over from corks.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, Angelo and JMBL. And for the posts, Iowwall and Pete.

And now for the the Nemrod PS/2093 and PS/2112 snorkels. Here is the former, also known as the "Menorca sin boya" (Menorca without float (valve) in 1960. This model is named after one of the Balearic Islands (above) located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain.

So a breathing tube with a straight barrel featuring a figure-of-eight snorkel keeper in the middle and an all-in-one rubber mouthpiece and U-bend at the lower end.

1961

Spanish: "PS 2093.— MENORCA SIN BOYA.— Modelo construido con tubo de caucho. Su flexibilidad lo hace muy práctico para el buceo en zonas rocosos. Oficialmente aprobado por la Confederación Mundial de Actividades Subacuáticas".
Rough translation: "PS 2093.— MENORCA WITHOUT FLOAT (VALVE). — Model built with a rubber tube. Its flexibility makes it very practical for diving in rocky areas. Officially approved by the World Confederation of Underwater Activities".

So here we learn that this is an all-rubber model, including the barrel. Some more imagery:

As sold by Nemrod Seamless in 1961 in the USA:

A later version of the Menorca:

 

[David Wilson]

Second Nemrod snorkel of the day is the PS/2112, also known as "Ifach recto sin boya" (Straight Ifach without float (valve). The name "Ifach" comes from Penyal d'Ifac Natural Park (Valencian: Parc Natural del Penyal d'Ifac, Spanish: Parque Natural del Peñón de Ifach), a natural park situated in Calp, in the Valencian Community, Spain.

1960

So a straight barrel featuring a snorkel keeper and an offset mouthpiece at the lower end.

1961

Spanish: "PS 2112. — IFACH RECTO SIN BOYA. — Tubo de plastico con embocaduro de caucho muy cómodo".
Rough translation: "PS 2112. — STRAIGHT IFACH WITHOUT FLOAT (VALVE). — Plastic tube with very comfortable rubber mouthpiece".

Some more imagery:

Next time, at the weekend, we shall review Nemrod's PS/2128 Ifach curvado sin boya and the PS/2129 Antillas sin boya. Until then stay safe and keep well.

 

[lowwall]

@David Wilson

Just in case you aren't following the Vintage photos thread...

Vintage 1960's 1970's Nemrod Dive Mask Seamless IOB Cadiz tempered glass | eBay

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$13.00 Buy it now.

 

[David Wilson]

@David Wilson

Just in case you aren't following the Vintage photos thread...

Vintage 1960's 1970's Nemrod Dive Mask Seamless IOB Cadiz tempered glass | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage 1960's 1970's Nemrod Dive Mask Seamless IOB Cadiz tempered glass at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

$13.00 Buy it now.

I'm grateful for the heads-up, Iowwall. I think I'm going to pass on this, however, as I'm concentrating my current purchases on rarer items made in less well researched countries of Europe.

 

[lowwall]

I'm grateful for the heads-up, Iowwall. I think I'm going to pass on this, however, as I'm concentrating my current purchases on rarer items made in less well researched countries of Europe.

I just figured you might want to grab the photos

 

[David Wilson]

I just figured you might want to grab the photos

Yes indeed. Now added to my image collection.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, Angelo, and for the post, Iowwall.

Today's Nemrod breathing tubes are "sin boya", without floats (valves). First the PS/2128 Ifach curvado sin boya. The name "Ifach" comes from Parque Natural del Peñón de Ifach, a natural park situated in Calp, in the Valencian Community, Spain. Last time we looked at the PS/2128 Ifach recto sin boya, and now it is the turn of the "curved" (curvado) version with an extra bend. Here it is in 1960.

The adjective "curvado" seems to apply to the inverted U-bend at the top of the snorkel. Six decades ago, several different models were made and sold that way around the world. The design would have enabled the user to add a shut-off valve at a later stage if desired, but the main function it may have performed is in deflecting water splashes at the surface before immersion. Perhaps my readers here may have other suggestions.

1961

Spanish: "PS/2128. — IFACH CURVADO SIN BOYA. — De iguales caracteristicas que el modelo anterior, con curvatura en su extremo superior, que evita la entrada de aqua en dias de mar movido".
Rough translation: "PS/2128. — CURVED IFACH WITHOUT FLOAT (VALVE) — With the same characteristics as the previous model, with curvature at its upper end, which prevents the entry of water on rough sea days.

So my hunch about choppy waters was confirmed by the caption. The "same characteristics" means that the snorkel had a plastic tube and a very confortable mouthpiece like the straight version of the Ifach.

Here is an undated image from Facebook's Nemrod Museum.

This above image provides a close-up of the mouthpiece, which is different from the usual lugged affair.

The above from Geri Murphy's excellent snorkel roundup in the September 1980 issue of Skin Diver magazine. If you want to read the entire article, see Snorkel roundup. The mouthpiece on the Nemrod snorkel appears to be an "oval biteplate", providing more oral comfort than the lugged mouthpiece found on most snorkels.