Next to giant dive knives, big glass masks showed how cool a diver you were. Alec shows several rubber masks with huge wrap around glass like the windshield of his 1956 Buick Special.
*** In this episode of Vintage Scuba ***
– Dacor mask with side windows and bottom purge valve
– ScubaPro with optional front purge valve
– “Full View” by AMF Swimaster made in Italy
– “Max-Vue” Nemrod by Seamless with wire nose pinchers, $14.95 USD in 1963
– 1961 “Aqua-Lung” with wrap around glass and dual purge valves, $11.95 new
SCUBA TECH TIPS playlists
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SEA HUNT REMEMBERED playlists
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Rating: 5.00
Hi Alec! Very nice vintage mask review. However, my mask is not bigger, it is the same size as yours! I have had mine (the wraparound with one piece of glass) since 1963 and I still use it. I protected the rubber after every dive with a coating of car polish. It seemed to have sealed the rubber from air oxidation. However, now I would like to get a new rubber housing and drop in the original wraparound glass. Do you know how I could get this done? For my needs it is the best mask, but over the last 56 years the rubber is getting cracked and I need a new rubber housing. Where is the original mold? Any suggestions for me to restore this wraparound mask?
Damn, I had one of those "full view" masks…weighed a ton and gave me a stiff neck all the time :-}
I bought mine when I started diving in Gibraltar, early 70's.
I bought it thinking that I'd be able to see a lot more than with a standard mask…nope!
Thanks for the memories.
Thanks to Jacques Cousteau on Sunday evenings many got into SCUBA /Snorkelling. Top brand for starters was US Divers cosponsored by Cousteau himself. The Purge Masks, Fins & Regulators were good quality and moderately priced. This was 1971 & 72. SCUBA was huge back then with help from 007 James Bond's Thunderball and his Rolex Submariner. Great ole time memories your mask collection brings back to me. Many left sport/hobby because of motion picture Jaws, me too so scary, kidding. Great Presentation !
Great video Alec, I just found it and I have many of the classic maks you have. I just got done refurbishing a Nemrod "MAX VIEW", what a monster, but great vis. I just had it out in the Red Sea last weekend. It's so big that it pushes my straight mouth piece to one side or the other. My favorite is still the Cressi "Pinocchio.
You said that the newer masks have better field of view due to being closer to the face, although I still find my field of view to be quite restrictive using new masks.
There is a new mask claiming to be the first to offer 180 degree FOV. It looks very similar to your very first mask, but perhaps this one is a little better? I'd be curious if you've ever tried it:
http://www.aakdiving.com/180mask.html
I'd love to see the full collection Alec, have you used any full face masks? Some take intercoms too – tho why you'd want that beats me.
Hello Alec!
Long time viewer but new diver, I'm from Florida but I recently moved to the mountains. No LDS for at least 100 miles. Are there any pointers as far as not being able to try anything on or testing you could give?
Hi Alec, happy to see you back home and into vintage scuba again. Hope you all all had a neat time in South Africa.. Well since you been gone I finally got to visit my wreck bucket list number one for 2018, DS Konsul Fisser, 420 feet german vessel from ww2 and 5843 tons. Video on my channel. Anyway I digress, so my question is this, how did you clean them back in the day. I guess you didn't burn them or threat them with toothpaste then? Also, do you have vintage full face masks, not talking about that strange mask that kinda looks like it was taken out of a sex catalog, but more like those ocean reef type you see today? Also I noticed in one of your videos from Africa when renting gear, do you not smell the gass during pre-dive checks? I do and if the gass has a smell, I aint diving, purhaps something for the scuba tech tips? Nice to have you back 😉
Thanks for this intressting video. Why the new masks don't have a purge?
Greetings from Switzerland Marco
hi Alec, it is interesting that the first masks must have been developed as a small version of a hard hat diving headgear? because without a mask the advantage of scuba sorry(skin-diving) gear would have been lost. I don't think you have ever mentioned if you ever hard hat dove? One other question, You mentioned in one of your tech tips that you still serviced many of the old two hose regulators. since you retired does scuba 2000 still work on the old stuff? I just bought a royal aqua-master lung by US divers and realize that it needs a new duckbill and mouthpiece valves. Any Canadian sources you know of? thanks Owen m
Great video! I would like to mention the glass in the last mask must have distorted your vision. I only see freedive masks like that but they are made of plastic. It would be nice if they could bend glass without that effect.
The mask with the metal nose pinchers reminded me that I had one in my early days, I was told it was an ex navy divers mask, and I have no idea where it disappear'd, perhaps in the back of the cupboard when I upgraded….. glad you got back safe from S.A. with all the Lions roaming around…………..
Thanks Alec. It’s always interesting to see how equipment has changed over time
I've always think it's amazing that scuba went from making your own equipment and few people doing it to now any one (almost) can go diving with ease
Wow. !!! I started diving in 1977 with the Dacor triview it was great very heavy still great memories .