Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Spain: Nemrod

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, Angelo and Bigbella, and for the post, Pete.

Today's first Nemrod early diving mask is the Ifach, which may be named after the "Peñón de Ifach" (above right with beach), a massive limestone outcrop emerging from the sea in Calp nature park in the Spanish province of Alicante. Linked to the shore by rock debris, it is home to numerous rare plants, including a number of endemic species, and over 300 species of animals. It is also a nesting site for sea bird colonies.

Here is the Nemrod Ifach dive mask from the 1950s:

Spanish: "Mod. 2117 - Lentes ASTERIA modelo IFACH. De gran ángulo de visiôn pr su inclinaciôn sobre la frente y su gran cristal circular, provisto de aro metálico de seguridad. Montura de plástico".
Rough translation: "Model 2117 - ASTERIA IFACH model mask. With a wide angle of vision due to its inclination on the forehead and its large circular lens, supplied with a metal security rim. Plastic body".

And here is the Nemrod Ifach from 1961:

Spanish: "PS/217.-IFACH.-Con montura de material plástico muy blando y flexible que permite perfecta adaptación. Va montado con aro metálico de seguridad y gran cristal de forma circular. Muy indicada para turismo submarino".
Rough translation: "PS/217.-IFACH.-With very soft and flexible plastic body enabling perfect fit. It is supplied with a metal security rim and a large circular lens. Very suitable for underwater tourism".

So another dive mask made of soft plastic and fitted with a metal rim around its circular lens.

 

[David Wilson]

Second Nemrod mask today is the "Medas". Apparently, Medas (above) was a Portuguese parish in the municipality of Gondomar, district of Oporto.

As for the mask with that name, here it is during the 1950s:

Spanish: "Mod. 2115.-Gafa de cristal rectangular, modelo MEDAS, con aro metálico de seguridad. Permite la compensación de presiones sobre el oido".
Rough translation: "Mod. 2115.-Rectangular lens mask, MEDAS model, with metal security rim. Allows pressure compensation on the ear".

1960

Note the change of name from "Medas" to "Madrid", Spain's capital city.

1961

Spanish: "MADRID (Medas)-Es la máscara más ligera que permite la compensación sobre el oido. Va con aro metálico de seguridad. Se fabrica en tres colores. PS/2115.-Color negro. PS/2169.-Colores azul y amarillo".
Rough translation: "MADRID (Medas)-It is the lightest mask that allows compensation on the ear. It comes with a metal safety rim. It is manufactured in three colours. PS/2115.-Black. PS/2169.-Blue and yellow".

1962

So a rectangular mask with an unusual internal compensator device lacking the external finger wells we might be expecting from French compensator masks of the period. The name change may be a nod in the direction of the American Seamless Rubber Company, which imported the mask States-side:

Facebook's Nemrod Museum is to be credited for the image of a real-life example above. The owner writes (I translate): "Mod. MADRID (1960-1963) GR4. This mask is quite peculiar due to its small size (the front measures 135x75mm.) and despite this, it has a hole to place the nose and be able to pinch it. It was manufactured in three different colours: black, blue and yellow. At the end of the 50's this model was known by the name "MEDAS".

More early Nemrod diving masks midweek. Until then, keep safe and stay well.

 

[David Wilson]

Thank you for the likes, Angelo.

We start with the Nemrod Bermudas dive mask. "Bermudas" is Spanish for "Bermuda" (above), which a British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, approximately 1,035 km (643 mi) to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an archipelago consisting of 181 islands, although the most significant islands are connected by bridges and appear to form one landmass. It has a land area of 54 square kilometres (21 sq mi).

The Nemrod Bermudas mask made its début in 1960 and remained in its first manifestation until 1969:

A version for export to the USA was also marketed between 1960 and 1969:

So a rounded rectangular mask with a safety glass lens and metal rim with top screw.

 

[David Wilson]

A second version of the Bermudas appeared from 1969 to 1975:

Note the change from a screw-secured metal rim to a snap-on one. Another version came along in 1974 with a painted metal rim:

 

[David Wilson]

Today's second Nemrod mask is the Capri, also known as the Madeira. Capri (above) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has been a resort since the time of the Roman Republic. Madeira (below) is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal, the other being the Azores. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in a region known as Macaronesia, just under 400 kilometres (250 mi) to the north of the Canary Islands and 520 kilometres (320 mi) west of Morocco.

The Capri dive mask first appeared in 1960:

So a mask with reinforcing ribs in two versions, the PS/2118 having a circular lens, the PS/2119 an oval lens.

1961

Spanish: "PS/2118 CAPRI (Madeira)-Es la máscara más ligera y más cómodo para niños de 4 a 10 años. Va montada con cristal de forma circular y aro metálico de seguridad. PS/2119 CAPRI (Madeira)-De iguales caracteristicas que el modelo PS/2118, pero montada con cristal de forma ovalada".
Rough translation: "PS/2118 CAPRI (Madeira)-It is the lightest and most comfortable mask for children from 4 to 10 years old. It is fitted with circular lens and metallic security rim. PS/2119 CAPRI (Madeira)-Same characteristics as the PS/2118 model, but fitted with oval lens".

The oval Capri mask above was imported to the USA by the Seamless Rubber Company.

1962

So the circular and oval versions of the Capri were designed for people with smaller faces, a target group including women and children. Neither remained long in production.

I shall stop here for today, planning to return at the weekend with information about a couple more early Nemrod diving masks. Until then, keep safe and stay well.

 

[Popgun Pete]

Metal clamps allow face plates to be replaced by individuals if they can source a piece of glass cut to size or in some cases they may resort to Perspex and live with the potential for scratches and increased susceptibility to fogging. As dive masks became easier to find and their cost reduced such repairs became less attractive and damaged masks probably just get thrown away these days. My green Turnbull "Sea Raider" mask got smashed when as a kid someone did a bomb into a swimming pool just as I was coming up. Bystanders fished the glass fragments out of the pool and my Dad repaired the mask when we got home from our Christmas holidays. Luckily the broken glass never cut me, but I found a thin curved shard sitting in one ear some time later. Obviously not safety glass!

 

[David Wilson]

Thank you for the likes, Angelo, and for the post, Pete.

Our first Nemrod mask today is the Barcelona, named after the city (above) of 1.6 million on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain.

Here is the Barcelona dive mask in the 1961 Nemrod by Seamless catalogue:

As you can see, a compensator mask with internal bosses on either side of the nose space and external finger wells to enable nostril pinching for nose clearing.

According to Facebook's Nemrod Museum, there were two types, or versions, of the Nemrod Barcelona. Here is Type 1, circa 1960:

Type 2, 1960-1962:

This model had some rubber bumps inside that served to more easily adjust the frames for prescription lenses. It was manufactured in three different colors: black, blue and yellow. Here is the yellow version:

Altogether a very versatile model for its time and a good-looking one too. Yellow was a popular colour in the late 1950s and early 1960s when its conspicuous brightness was recognised in alerting other water users to a diver's presence.

 

[David Wilson]

Next up is the Nemrod Antillas diving mask. "Antillas" is Spanish for "Antilles" (above), an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east.

1961

Spanish: "PS/2144.-ANTILLAS.-Panorámica. De gran ángulo de visión por su inclinación sobre la frente. Montado con cristal muy nítido y aro metálico de seguridad sencillo, ideal para turismo submarino. Provista de membrana expulsora. Permite la compensación de presiones sobre el oído. PS/2145.-ANTILLAS.-De las mismos característicos que el modelo PS/2144, pero montado con cristal inastillable de doble lámina y aro metálico de seguridad forma U, especial para inmersión con escafandra. Provista de membrana expulsora. Permite la compensación de presiones sobre el oído".
Rough translation: "PS/2144.-ANTILLAS.-Panoramic view. With a wide angle of vision due to its inclination on the forehead. Fitted with very clear glass lens and a simple metal security rim, ideal for underwater tourism. Supplied with exhaust membrane. Allows pressure compensation on the ear. PS/2145.-ANTILLAS.-Same characteristics as model PS/2144, but fitted with double-glazed shatterproof glass lens and U-shaped metal safety rim, especially for scuba diving. Supplied with exhaust membrane. Allows pressure compensation on the ear".

So a mask in two versions, the second with toughened-glass lens for scuba use.

1962

 

[David Wilson]

Third Nemrod mask of the day is the Canarias. As you probably can guess,"Islas Canarias" is Spanish for the "Canary Islands", also known informally as the Canaries, which are a Spanish region and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Morocco. They are the southernmost of the autonomous communities of Spain. The islands have a population of 2.2 million people and they are one of the outermost regions of the European Union. The name "Islas Canarias" is likely derived from the Latin name Canariae Insulae, meaning "Islands of the Dogs", a name that was evidently generalized from the ancient name of one of these islands, Canaria – presumably Gran Canaria. According to the historian Pliny the Elder, the island Canaria contained "vast multitudes of dogs of very large size". The yellow canary bird is native to the islands and named after them.

1961

Spanish: "PS/2154.-CANARIAS.-Aparentemente infantil, pero su peculiar estructura la hace adaptable para los adultos y niños desde los cuatro años. Montura y cristal de plástico y tira de goma".
Rough translation: "PS/2154.-CANARY ISLANDS.-Apparently for children, but its peculiar structure makes it suitable for adults and children from the age of four. Plastic frame and lens and rubber strap".

1962

Facebook's Nemrod Museum distingishes two versions of the Canarias mask. Type 1:

Type 2

Type 1 has a glass lens, Type 2 a plastic lens, both designed with children in mind.

We shall return to Nemrod diving masks midweek, focusing on models introduced in 1962 or later. Until then, keep well and stay safe.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, Angelo, Jale and Luis H.

More Nemrod diving masks introduced in the early 1960s. Let us start with the Max-Vue. a model claiming to provide the widest field of vision. Here it is in 1961:

Spanish: "PS/2153. - MAX-VUE. - Un concepto revolucionario en la visión submarina. Provista de tres lentes templados inastillables, separados por dos ángulos para evitar la aberración de imágenes. Con compensador de presión y válvula expulsora. Se trata de la máscara de mayor campo visual existente".
Rough translation: "PS/2153. - MAX VUE. - A revolutionary concept in underwater vision. Supplied with three shatterproof tempered lenses, separated by two angles to avoid image aberration. With pressure compensator and exhaust valve. It is the mask with the largest field of vision in existence.

1963

1964

1965

1966

So a more elaborate mask than previous Nemrod designs, fitted not only with three panes (one at front + two at sides) but also with internal compensator bosses for the nose operated by two external levers with the fingers. As if the latter features were not sufficient, there was a purge valve in the bottom.