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

[David Wilson]

Now for the Safari sub Trieste diving mask, named after the city and seaport in northeastern Italy (above). The city of Trieste is the capital and largest city of the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the regional decentralization entity of Trieste. It is located at the head of the Gulf of Trieste, on a narrow strip of Italian territory lying between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia. The Safari sub Trieste diving mask:

Spanish: " Modelo Popular con adaptador de nariz para equilibrado de presión".
Rough translation: "Popular model with nose device to equalise pressure".

Rounded quinquelateral diving mask with a plastic frame and plastic buckles ro adjust a single head strap. Fitted with internal corrugated bosses and external finger wells to pinch the nostrils when ear clearing.

More Trieste imagery:

Just two more Safari sub diving masks to review, which will be done at the weekend.

 

[Popgun Pete]

On to the Safari sub Tahiti diving mask, named after the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia (above). It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Australia. The Safari sub mask with that name:

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A kidney-shaped diving mask with a single lens retained by a red plastic frame. Fitted with a split head strap.

Often you see this type of mask that allows pinching of the nose much easier, but has the faceplate some distance out from the eyes rather than taking advantage of the two lens design, Sure it is still a single face plate, but so was my Minimax of 50 years ago made by Beuchat. No relation to the current mask of that name and it fitted so close to my eyes that my eyelashes on occasion brushed the glass.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, Luis H and АлександрД, and for the post, Pete.

Let us start today with the Safari sub Triton diving mask. The mask may be named after a Greek god of the sea, the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, god and goddess of the sea respectively. Triton lived with his parents in a golden palace on the bottom of the sea. Later he is often depicted as having a conch shell he would blow like a trumpet. The statue above is located at Hellbrunn Palace near Salzburg, which I still recall fondly having visited it while participating in a German language course in Austria over fifty years ago. Hellbrunn Palace is an early Baroque villa of palatial size, near Morzg, a southern district of the city of Salzburg, Austria. It was built in 1613–19 by Markus Sittikus von Hohenems, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, and named after the "clear spring" that supplied it.

The schloss is also famous for its jeux d'eau (watergames) in the grounds, which are a popular tourist attraction in the summer months. These games were conceived by Markus Sittikus, a man with a keen sense of humour, as a series of practical jokes to be performed on guests. Notable features include stone seats around a stone dining table through which a water conduit sprays water into the seat of the guests when the mechanism is activated, and hidden fountains that surprise and spray guests while they partake in the tour. Other features are a mechanical, water-operated and music-playing theatre built in 1750 including some 200 automata showing various professions at work, a grotto and a crown being pushed up and down by a jet of water, symbolising the rise and fall of power. At all of these there is always a spot which is never wet: that was where the Archbishop stood or sat, to which there is no water conduit and which is today occupied by the tour guide.

The Safari sub Triton diving mask:

Spanish: "Modelo Técnico con alojamiento de nariz para equilibrado de presión. Cerco Inx".
Rough translation: "Technical Model with nose housing to balance pressure balancing. Stainless-steel rim".

An oval mask with a metal rim, corrigated compensator bosses with finger wells for nostril pinching when ear clearing and plastic buckles to adjust a split head strap.

More Triton imagery:

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[David Wilson]

Now we come to our final Safari sub diving mask, the Trivisional, whi9ch as the name suggests has three viewing windows.

The side windows resemble port holes, while the whole mask is a replica of the Hurricane Argonaute mask made in France during the 1950s:

The French caption reads roughly as follows in English: "New for 1957. All round visibility with the new “ARGONAUTE” mask. Equipped with side windows, the “ARGONAUTE” guarantees a very wide field of vision. I love the comparison made between the mask and a car windscreen and passenger's window for those who could not see the benefit of the new design straight away. So much for the new technology.

More Trivisional imagery:

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On to Safari sub breathing tubes midweek.

 

[WeRtheOcean]

So many shapes: oval, kidney shaped, rectangular, even hexagonal and quinqangular. This raises the question, is there an optimal shape toward which masks ought to converge, or is the diversity of shapes an indication that it doesn't really matter?

 

[Popgun Pete]

So many shapes: oval, kidney shaped, rectangular, even hexagonal and quinqangular. This raises the question, is there an optimal shape toward which masks ought to converge, or is the diversity of shapes an indication that it doesn't really matter?

Reflects the diversity of facial contours, not all masks fit everybody. Someone might like a particular mask design, but it is no good if it does not fit them.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the posts, WeRtheOcean and Pete.

We move on to Safari sub breathing tubes. First up is the 407 model:

So an L-shaped snorkel, which is designed to limit the amount of residual water in the tube and enable what is there to be blown out more easily. The lug-type mouthpiece is offset from the barrel at a 90-degree angle. The yellow band at the top is primarily intended to alert other water users that the snorkeller is present.

 

[David Wilson]

The second Safari sub breathing tube of the day is called "Alevin", meaning "fry" in the sense of a baby fish in Spanish. We have already reviewed a Safari sub diving mask of that name.

Spanish: "Modelo Popular Infantil. Con tubo de P.V.C."
Rough translation: "Popular children's model. PVC barrel".

So, as the product name suggests, this breathing tube was designed for young children. This snorkel's most interesting feature is perhaps its demand end, which consists of a combination elbow and mouthpiece attached to a straight barrel. The mouthpiece is a non-lug type with a full oval bite plate around the air aperture.

One of Skin Diver magazine snorkel roundups explains the function of the full oval bite plate, which can be found on a number of breathing tubes on both sides of the Atlantic: "The full oval biteplate design was popular in the 1950's and 1960's, but few are made today. The biggest disadvantage to this type of bite surface was that your teeth were blocked from covering the air hole. The teeth serve as a final barrier for stopping any spray from hitting the back of the throat, which can cause spasms and choking. Aside from that problem, the early models were extremely rigid and uncomfortable to use for any length of time. AMF Swimaster has solved this problem by making an extremely comfortable mouthpiece that is small in size and cushioned with neoprene".

More Safari sub snorkels at the weekend.

 

[David Wilson]

Now for the Safari sub Comando breathing tube. "Comando" is Spanish for "commando", a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. The snorkel:

Spanish: "Modelo Profesional. Tubo de P.V.C. Gran adaptabilidad por su boquilla de traquea".
Rough translation: "Professional model. PVC barrel. Great adaptability due to its windpipe mouthpiece".

So a flexible-hose breathing tube. Note the full oval biteplate mouthpiece. The "professional" descriptor may be in deference to the popularity of the flex-hose snorkel among scuba divers, who valued the manner in which the hose dropped out of the way when the snorkel mouthpiece was removed from the oral cavity and replaced with the scuba mouthpiece.

 

[David Wilson]

Today's second Safari sub breathing tube is the Coronado. "Coronado" is Spanish for "crowned" and also a place name, e.g. the resort city of Coronado above, located in San Diego County, California, United States, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. The Safari sub snorkel:

Spanish: "Modelo diseñado para profesionales. Con gran adaptabilidad. Boquilla de caucho y tubo de P.V.C."
Rough translation: "Model designed for professionals. With great adaptability. Rubber mouthpiece and PVC barrel."

So a breathing tube with a flexible rubber elbow and a plastic barrel. Note the standard lug-type mouthpiece, while all other Safari sub came with a full oval biteplate.

Two more Safari sub snorkels midweek.