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

[David Wilson]

Just one more item to be showcased as far as Spanish manufacturers are concerned. A snorkel-mask marked as "La Concha", Spanish for "the conch shell" (above), which is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point on both ends). The snorkel-mask:

A snorkel-mask with full-face coverage. The single breathing tube emerges from a socket at the top centre of the mask and terminates in a shut-off ball valve. The originating country (Spain) appears on the skirt of the mask, as does the model name "LA CONCHA", but no indication of the original equipment manufacturer. There may be a clue in the initials "B.V.", but the possibilities are endless.

Some time midweek we shall proceed to another country's mid-twentieth-century diving equipment manufacturers. The likeliest candidate will be Spain's neighbour on the Iberian peninsula: Portugal.