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The Balaton reminds me of one of the original Sportsways fins, which I got as a kid for my birthday. I didn't like them, and traded them for original Duck Feet, which I really liked and used for a long time.Thanks for posting, Trapezus, a great little video presenting an interesting mixture of nationalities: A Hungarian diver with a German regulator (Barrakuda), a French mask (Match) and American fins (Voit), if the kit list at the end is to be believed.
Over the vintage diving era, Hungarians had plenty of basic gear at their disposal, including the following fins:
View attachment 195040BalatonView attachment 195041Najade
View attachment 195042Tihany View attachment 195043Martelon Triden
The Balaton was made in Hungary, while the Tihany and the Triden were imported and rebranded from the GDR (Guwelin of Berlin) and the UK (Britmarine of Sandwich) respectively. The Najade, which also originally came from East Germany, is now made in Hungary and is now the only full-foot rubber fin approved for international finswimming championships.
Can you tell us anything about the history of diving equipment manufacturers in Turkey, Trapezus? I know that Adalılar Kauçuk of Istanbul now uses Mares' original moulds to reintroduce the Italian company's Sea King and Concorde fins to a new generation of snorkellers and freedivers. What, for example, do you know about the Turkish diving equipment manufacturer Yilmaz, which used to make its own gear, such as the fins below:
View attachment 195044