Basic gear from the former German Democratic Republic: East German masks and snorkels

[David Wilson]

This thread explores the range of commercial masks and snorkels manufactured in the former German Democratic Republic. We'll start with the DeGuFa "Pirat" (Pirate) mask:

Pirat mask

For further details, I am greatly indebted to the text and the images on the web page at VSC - sbírka potápěčské techniky, which is located on the Czech-language Vintage Scuba Collection site at VSC - sbírka potápěčské techniky. According to this web page, DeGuFa (Deutsche Gummiwaren-Fabrik, German Rubber goods Factory) manufactured their Pirat masks between 1955 and 1960. The mask was made of hard rubber in green or blue. It was not the most comfortable mask to wear on the face and lacked a compensator for squeezing the nose to equalize the pressure in the middle ear. The lens was made of laminated glass. On top of the mask was the logo of the company VEB Degufa. Here are some "Pirat" pictures from the site:

An interesting feature is the spring-like clamp retaining the lens within the body of the mask.

The "Pirat" was followed by the "Taifun" (Typhoon), which was regarded as an improved mask model:

The text of the article informs readers that the "Taifun" is lighter and has both a lower internal volume and a greater field of vision than its predecessor, the "Pirat". We shall be looking more closely at the "Taifun" in the next contribution to this thread.

 

[iamrushman]

interesting information........thanks for sharing...i would guess that equalizing by swallowing would be the technique used for this mask.

 

[David Wilson]

interesting information........thanks for sharing...i would guess that equalizing by swallowing would be the technique used for this mask.

Yes, or the bottom of the mask skirt might be pressed against the nostrils before exhaling through the nose to clear the ears. There are French patents from the turn of the 1950s/1960s introducing the concept of compensator bosses and leading to models being marketed with the feature, which was adopted in many countries' masks, including the USSR and its satellite nations.

 

[David Wilson]

Right, on to the Degufa "Taifun" mask. "Taifun" is German for "Typhoon". We'll begin again with what the Czech site has to say about this mask.

Taifun mask

Some close-ups:

The text accompanying the above images on the website read roughly in English as follows:
The Taifun diving mask was produced in ca. 1960-1964 by Guwelin (Gummi Werke Berlin). It differed a lot from current silicone masks. It was made of hard rubber, blue, green or black. It was not comfortable on the face, and it did not have a nose pinching compensator to equalise ear pressure. The lens was made of plexiglass. On the left side of the top of the mask was the name of the mask and on the right was the logo of the company Guwelin. VSC - sbírka potápěčské techniky

An English-language Hungarian advertising flyer for underwater swimming equipment included this mask in its repertoire:

It's there on the top right. If the text is too small to read, it says: "Anatomically designed diving masks injection, inject mould, with plexi window and adjustable rubber band with buckle. Type: TAIFUN: 3 sizes, without nose piece and frame." The accompanying picture shows that the mask was available in three colours (green, black, blue) as well as three sizes.

And here is an East German advertisement for the mask:

It publicises the combination of "Hydroslip Super" fins with a "Taifun" mask, both available in specialty retail stores.

So the Taifun mask was a plain mask with a split strap but without a nose pocket to facilitate ear-clearing. The next East German mask to be highlighted will have the latter feature in the form of finger wells enabling the nostrils to be squeezed.

 

[iamrushman]

Is the split strip an innovative feature of the time?

 

[David Wilson]

Is the split strip an innovative feature of the time?

The following source:
The ripping-off of Maximes mask
attributes the development of the split strap to Maxime Forjot, who was a pioneer of underwater swimming on the French Riviera before World War II. He moved to Nice for the health of his son Roland, who later founded the Marin brand of French underwater gear. Maxime not only fell in love with the Mediterranean but also played a key role in the evolution of the diving mask. Sadly he wasn't a good businessman and couldn't defend his patents against other companies of the time that copied his inventions. The article dates the arrival of the split strap to Maxime's patent of 1956, which also claimed the invention of the double seal of the featheredge mask skirt. The split strap proved to be a popular development and it was adopted by many manufacturers around the turn of the 1950s/1960s. As you might expect, Roland Forjot adopted his father's split strap to secure his Marin Stabilizator mask, which was widely available in the 1960s and was the first professional mask I owned.

 

[iamrushman]

Thank you. very interesting.

 

[David Wilson]

Before proceeding to other masks, I thought it might be appropriate to post a translation of an article about early 1960s East German masks in the Soviet diving magazine БИБЛИОТЕЧКА СПОРТСМЕНА-ПОДВОДНИКА ВЫПУСК (Underwater Sportsman). The article is itself a Russian translation of a German piece from the magazine Seesport (Marine sport). If you want to read the article in Russian, you will find it at http://www.scubadiving.ru/biblioteka/Knigi/sportsmen_podvodnik_009.pdf. The relevant pages are 104-107.

The article contains a review of the two masks we have explored so far, the Pirat and the Taifun. It also mentions three other East German junior masks, whose names translate as "Goldfish", "Mermaid" and "Penguin" but I have no further information for. What I like about the article is its attention to detail, particularly the way it sets up a robust system of mask comparison that includes such parameters as fields of horizontal and vertical vision. In the West, there is a tendency to omit or avoid such details while focusing on the "low volume" of a mask without providing any statistics to evidence the feature. Anyway, here's the full article in my rough English translation:

MASKS

(A Critical Review)

A mask will improve vision underwater. It is mainly used when scuba diving or snorkelling. Not only will a mask improve vision underwater, but it will also protect the eyes and nose from the harmful effects of seawater. A mask, therefore, is an underwater sportsman’s inseparable companion. Masks may vary in shape, colour and rubber quality. An underwater sportsman will be mainly interested in mask specifications such as water resistance, field of vision, rubber elasticity, watertightness, glass quality etc.

Four types of mask have been marketed in the GDR thus far: a mask for men called Pirat (“Pirate”); masks for boys and girls (“Goldfish”, “Mermaid”); a children’s mask (“Penguin”).

Although these types of masks have been made for many years, they have some drawbacks. The excessive thickness of the mask walls and the thick (about 6 mm) edge of the glass lens make these masks very heavy, while the new Taifun mask at 250 g is less than half their weight. We will consider below the characteristics that make the new Taifun mask model worthy of special attention.

Water resistance. Dynamic pressure, especially when moving along head downwards, presses against the mask unpleasantly, causing a painful sensation in the upper lip because the part of the mask adjacent to the forehead has high resistance. Furthermore, due to an unwanted tilting point, there is a risk of mask failure. How older mask types reach this point can be seen from Fig. 1.

When the speed of motion changes, the force P changes too and so does the tilting point, which depends on the values, the dimensions (distances) a₁. and a₂. Dimension a₁ in masks, where the lower edge of the lens is level with the tip of the nose, cannot be reduced to a reasonable limit. To reduce forward resistance of the mask, therefore, dimension a₂ should made as small as possible.

As can be seen from Fig. 2, the lens of the Taifun mask has quite a large angle of inclination. Force P acting on the lens can be resolved according to the parallelogram rule on P₁ and P₂ less than P₁. Force P₂ holds the mask on the face, removing pressure from the head strap and reducing the tipping point.

Field of vision. A distinction must be made between vertical and horizontal fields of vision. Fig. 3 shows the horizontal field of vision. The symbol α in this figure represents the angle between the right line of sight of the right eye and the left line of sight of the left eye, while the symbol β represents the largest angle between the rightmost viewpoint of the left eye and the leftmost viewpoint of the right eye. This angle, which is also called the angle of overlap, denotes the angle of greatest horizontal vision. Within this zone, an underwater sportsman is at least capable of noticing any object.

The following table provides a comparison of the angles of vision of the older masks Pirat “Goldfish”, “Mermaid” and the new mask, Taifun size 2 (The Taifun is available in three sizes: 1 for children, 2 for boys and girls, 3 for men).

Mask fastening. The strap is split in the middle, reducing uncomfortable pressure on the back of the head and ensuring that the mask fastens reliably. By distributing contact over a larger area, the perception is that there are two straps. If the two halves of the strap move 45° apart, the strap will no longer be able to slip out of position while the swimmer moves along face downwards.

The Taifun mask is fitted with clear 3mm-thick glass.

Mask care. Do not keep your mask in the sun unless you have to; protect it from skin creams and oils because these substances destroy the rubber. We do not recommend keeping the mask in direct sunlight, because the action of ultraviolet rays greatly accelerates the rubber aging process.

You may wash the mask in a dilute solution of soda or soap, but never use petrol or oil. In the cold winter season, when the mask is normally out of use, store it in a cool, dark, dry place. Comply with these rules and you will extend the life of your mask.

(“Seesport” magazine, GDR)

Hans Krüger

 

[iamrushman]

I'm impressed by the extreme details included with this article and review....thanks for sharing.

 

[David Wilson]

Thank you, iamrushman. One explanation for the precise measurements when it came to these mask specifications is that East German sport wasn't just a recreational activity for individuals to enjoy. It was integrated into the efforts of the East German state to win the diplomatic recognition it craved from western countries and to enhance its own prestige in the international arena. This meant that the East German organisations running sport were "paramilitary" in character; armed forces all around the world are known to demand military precision when procuring key equipment.

Let's proceed to another East German diving mask and with it another puzzle. Here is that Hungarian flyer again:

We're going to have a closer look at the mask labelled "Modell". The caption reads: 2 sizes, window fixed in metal frame, with nose piece.

Modell mask

There appear to be no markings, so I cannot say whether the name "Modell" first arose when production transferred to Hungary or before. "Modell" is German for "model".

The mask was available in green as well as black:

and there was a version with a top bolt:

The compensator bosses resembled those in the ex-Soviet Glubinka mask:

but the East German mask had fewer corrugations in its compensator bosses and the finger wells may have been deeper.

Next on the agenda will be the mask labelled "Kompensator" on the Hungarian flyer.