David Wilson
Contributor
I used to cross the Pond from the UK to the American Upper Midwest once every year, taking in a different side-trip each time. One of those summer side-trips during the 1990s took me to N'awlins, where I was subjected to a degree of heat and humidity I'd never encountered before in my life, and only once experienced since when I visited Hong Kong and was regularly drenched to the skin by the warm Monsoon rain there.
As for the durability of European diving masks, I own one Typhoon Blue Star and two Typhoon Super Star diving masks (one bought recently on eBay), all made in England (see below). They will now be about sixty years old and their skirts are as feather-soft today as they were when purchased new back in the mid twentieth century, despite being made from blue coloured rubber, which 1950s/1960s diving manuals warn will perish quicker than black rubber. I can only conclude that these masks are made from better-quality material and have benefited from being stored in a cool, dry place, away from sources of heat and without having had anything placed on top of them. The "Goldilocks" British climate, never too hot or cold, never too wet or dry, helps conserve such artefacts.
As for the durability of European diving masks, I own one Typhoon Blue Star and two Typhoon Super Star diving masks (one bought recently on eBay), all made in England (see below). They will now be about sixty years old and their skirts are as feather-soft today as they were when purchased new back in the mid twentieth century, despite being made from blue coloured rubber, which 1950s/1960s diving manuals warn will perish quicker than black rubber. I can only conclude that these masks are made from better-quality material and have benefited from being stored in a cool, dry place, away from sources of heat and without having had anything placed on top of them. The "Goldilocks" British climate, never too hot or cold, never too wet or dry, helps conserve such artefacts.
