Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Spain: Nemrod

[David Wilson]

On to the Nemrod snorkel-mask, named after Samoa (above), officially the Independent State of Samoa and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono and Apolima); and several smaller, uninhabited islands, including the Aleipata Islands (Nu'utele, Nu'ulua, Fanuatapu and Namua). Samoa is located 64 km (40 mi) west of American Samoa, 889 km (552 mi) northeast of Tonga (closest foreign country) and 1,152 km (716 mi) northeast of Fiji. The Nemrod Samoa snorkel-mask in 1964:

Spanish: "CON RESPIRADOR ACOPLADO. — Provista de boya y aro de seguridad. PS/2200 SAMOA. — Novedad 1964. — De plástico".
Rough translation: "WITH BUILT-IN SNORKEL. — Equipped with float (valve) and security rim. PS/2200 SAMOA. — New for 1964. — Plastic".

1967

So a similar snorkel-mask to the Creta model, but without a chin-piece and hence eyes and nose coverage only.

The Nemrod Medas and Benidorm snorkel-masks will be up for review midweek. Keep safe, well and warm.

 

[WeRtheOcean]

I'm upset and disappointed that my post last week didn't post. Now I'm way out of context. Well, I'm reposting it anyway.

the Ria de Vigo, the southernmost of the Rías Baixas.

This is linguistically interesting. Río and Ría look similar, but they are different words. Río, meaning river, is a fairly well-known Spanish word, as in the Río Grande (literally, "Big River") that forms so much of the US/Mexico border. Ría is harder to explain, but its nearest equivalent seems to be the Scottish term firth.

Baixa shows the influence of Portugal. In Spanish, baja means lower, as in Baja California, literally "Lower California." Baixa is the same word in Portuguese, as in Beira Baixa, that is, "Lower Beira."

So we have, essentially the Lower Firths, but with a Portuguese word even though it is in Spain.

de respiración por nariz y aspiración por la boca o viceversa indistintamente

Literally, it says "for nasal respiration and oral aspiration, or vice versa interchangeably. So it would seem that snorkelers of that time thought of respiration and aspiration as two different aspects of breathing.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, АлександрД, Luis H and jale. And for the most helpful post, WeRtheOcean.

Today's Nemrod snorkel-masks are the Medas and the Benidorm. Medas (above) is the name of a Portuguese town in the the municipality of Gondomar, with an area of 12.47 km² and 2,129 inhabitants. As for the snorkel-mask of that name in 1972:

Facebook's Nemrod Museum commented thus on the model: "This child's mask had the peculiarity of the tube being inserted on one side instead of in the central area. It was retailed within Nemrod's economic product line". So a children's rimless oval mask with a single snorkel emerging on the user's right and ending in a cap valve designed as a splash guard to deflect water on the surface but admitting water when submerged.

Further Nemrod Medas imagery:

 

[David Wilson]

Second Nemrod snorkel-mask today is the Benidorm. It is named after the Spanish town of Benidorm (above), which has been a tourist destination since 1925, when its port was extended and the first hotels were built, though it would not be until the 1950s that it became renowned as a summer destination for people coming from inland Spain, especially Madrid. Today it is known for its hotel industry, beaches, and skyscrapers and receives as many tourists from abroad as from Spain. According to the 2020 census, Benidorm has a permanent population of 70,451 inhabitants, making it the fifth-most populous town in the Alicante province and the ninth in Valencian Community. Here is the first version of the snorkel-mask of that name:

The second version:

The third version:

Facebook's Nemrod Museum: "The Benidorm model was one of the most popular built-in tube masks from the Nemrod brand. There are several known types or variants that differ fundamentally by the type of ending of the snorkel and by the fastening ring of the same to the mask, which in the oldest models was metallic and in the most modern, plastic. Oriented to children and young people, it is an economic, simple and small size mask that was marketed in black and blue for at least a couple of decades with minimal modifications".

So much for the Nemrod Benidorm, another children's mask available in black and blue with a ball-valve snorkel emerging top centre.

At the weekend we shall examine the last two Nemrod snorkel-masks, namely the Tenerife and the Sitges. Keep well, safe and warm.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, АлександрД, jale, Angelo and Luis.

Today we take a look at the last two of Nemrod's dozen snorkel-masks: the Tenerife and the Sitges. The former is named after Tenerife (above), the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of 2,034 square kilometres (785 sq mi) and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of January 2022, it is also the most populous island of Spain and of Macaronesia. Version 1 of the snorkel-mask of that name:

Version 2:

Version 3:

This snorkel-mask was in production between 1972 and 1980. So a a rounded rectangular lens, a split head strap and a single snorkel emerging top centre and ending in a shut-off ball valve. The versions differ mainly in the form of that ball valve. In the last image, note "Aqua Sub", the name assigned by Nemrod to its economy line.

 

[David Wilson]

Let us now turn to the Nemrod Sitges snorkel-mask. Sitges is the town where I stayed during the only visit I have ever paid to Spain, which was in the 1970s. Sitges (above) is a town about 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, in Spain, renowned worldwide for its Film Festival, Carnival. Located between the Garraf Massif and the Mediterranean Sea, it is known for its beaches, nightspots, and historical sites. Version 1 of the Nemrod snorkel-mask of that name:

Version 2:

Facebook's Nemrod Museum explains the difference between the two versions thus: "The Sitges model, marketed through the white label of Nemrod (Aqua-sub), had two versions. Type 2 differs from type 1 in that the terminal of the tube is rectangular and also came with a transverse strap that held the tube to the head and kept it in an optimal position".

Midweek we shall proceed to Nemrod fins. In the meantime, keep warm, safe and well. Here in the UK we are expecting snow over the next few days!

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, Luis, Angelo and jale. Let us now move on to Nemrod fins. The earliest fins manufactured by Nemrod were simply dubbed "Tipo A" and "Tipo B" (Type A and Type B) when they appeared in the late 1940s or thereabouts. Tipo A:

The caption "aletas graduables Tipo A. 1945" roughly translates to "adjustable swim fins Type A 1945". Some more imagery from later:

Spanish: "Mod. 2024. - Aletas tipo A de talonera abierta. Tamaño universal para tallas del 40 al 44. Se sujeta al pié mediante tira graduabile".
Rough translation: "Mod. 2024. - Type A open heel fins. Universal size for sizes from 40 to 44. It is attached to the foot by means of an adjustable strap".

So a pair of asymmetrical open-heel fins, different shaped blades for the left and right foot. A single large-ish fitting whose shoe size could be fine-tuned by means of the adjustable strap that came with twin buckles.

 

[David Wilson]

Nemrod's Tipo B (Type B) fins made their début in the late 1940s too, but they did not remain long in production:

The caption "aletas graduables Tipo B. 1945" roughly translates to "adjustable swim fins Type B 1945". It is hard to see the detail of this design from the single image, but we can at least tell that it is another asymmetrical open-heel fin with an adjustable strap and twin buckles. Presumably once again one-size-fits-all when it comes to fitting.

At the weekend we shall move on to Nemrod Modelo A and Modelo H (Model A and Model H) fins. A this stage of the operation, the 1950s, Nemrod avoided giving fins a proper product name; that came later. Keep warm, safe and well.

 

[WeRtheOcean]

Nemrod's Tipo B (Type B) fins made their début in the late 1940s too, but they did not remain long in production:

With such short blades, that's not surprising. They look more like what a fitness swimmer would wear in the pool while training. I can't see them being that useful in open water. Unless that image is not to scale.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, АлександрД, Luis, Angelo and jale. And for your post, WeRtheOcean; your explanation makes real sense.

On to the Nemrod Modelo A and Modelo H (Model A and Model H) fins. Modelo A came along in 1955. First version:

Second version:

As you can see, the difference between the versions is largely cosmetic, with a dimpled surface in the second case. To all intents and purposes, the Modelo A resembles in design the Tipo A fin introduced in the late 1940s, an open-heel fin with asymmetric blades.

Other Modelo A imagery:

The caption to the last image indicates that these swim fins (aletas natación) are designed for adult males (para caballero).