Unknown fins

[Creed]

Anyone recognize this model of fin? Thanks.

[Bryan]

Cressi-Sub I believe

[clevelanddiver]

Yep Cressi-Sub. Saw a pair in an old healthways book I have.

[simonbeans]

Actually they are probably Cressi Rondine. Sold thru Healthways. However, Oceanways is selling them now by the name of Aquapro. They are very nearly the same fin. They were nice, but had a weak spot. Where the open toe came together with the foot pocket was notorious for tearing. They came in many models. Some were yellow, blue and black.
Allan

[Nemrod]

Those are Rondine fins as Allan states. They were once very common. K Mart used to sell all of the Healtways gear in my neck of the woods including tanks and regulators and they had those fins. I bought some and lost them some place along the way. Rondine fins are well respected full foot fins. Not especially powerfull but a nice all around fin. They used to come in blue and yelow and black and maybe other colors. Mine were blue. I have seen them in various dive shops over the years and other department stores.

Yes, you could go into J.C. Pennys, Montgomery Wards or K Mart and walk out with a complete scuba outfit, pre Evil PadI there were no scuba police asking for cards. I don't recall if Sears ever had any scuba gear.

Nemrod

[luis]

I have a pair of those fins. I got them many years ago to use them in the pool. I always prefered booties and open heal fins.

You could buy USD Scuba gear at Sears & Roebuck. I think they even sold some DA Aqua Master under their own labels.

[JES]

Here's a quote from Dr. Sam Miller that he posted on VSS:

"J.C. Higgins" aka "Sears" or "Sears and Roebuck" which was it's proper title in the late 1950s.

Sears and Roebuck marketed US Divers regulator(s) rebranded to J.C. Higgins for a period of only three years, 1956, 1957 and 1958.

In the 1956 catalog the regulator is listed as part # 6 H 2765 and retailed for $54.95.

In the 1957 catalog the regulator was listed as part # 6 K 2783 and listed for $62.47.

Like wise in the 1958 catalog the regulator was listed as part# 6 H 2783 and also retailed for $62.47

Therefore there are two different part numbers for the regulators, which gives rise to the question did Sears and Roebuck market one or two regulators?

DW, DW Mistral ? or possibly modified closeout model of the DX, DY ?

Why the increase in cost from $54.95 to $62.47, a $7.52 increase? $7.52 was a considerable sum during that time frame.

It is also noted and acknowledged that all three years the regulators had essentially the same description "has over pressure breathing device" ??

Sears and Roebuck did not market regulators or underwater recreation equipment in 1959, but resumed marketing in 1960 with pool fins, mask and snorkels only.

J.C. Higgins was a real person. But his name was John Higgins...Sears and Roebuck added the "C" for a better sounding marketing name.

Montgomery Wards did not market Scuba equipment until 1961; Dacor and Drager

J.C Penny did not market Scuba until 1971, Voit.

Best I can do on this-- SDM

[21]

[quote="simonbeans"]Actually they are probably Cressi Rondine. Sold thru Healthways. However, Oceanways is selling them now by the name of Aquapro. They are very nearly the same fin. They were nice, but had a weak spot. Where the open toe came together with the foot pocket was notorious for tearing. They came in many models. Some were yellow, blue and black.
Allan[/quote

_____________________________________________________________

Simone beans (aka Allan) you are 100% correct!

They first appeared on the American market in the mid 1950s when Gus De la Valle ( one of the founders of Scuba Pro) migrated to the US from Italy via Haiti. He came armed with the exclusive rights to market Cressi products in the US...and one of the most popular items was the Cressi Rodine fins.

They fit well, were comfortable, and provided ample propulsion for Scuba diving ( aka in the 1950s Lung or Aqua Lung diving)--However it did have a design flaw as stated by Simon Beans - they would tear after prolonged use.

Cressi made a number of different models of fins over the last fifty or more years- but only one Rondine. The "Rondine" always will have the familar out line of a bird on the face of the fin blade since the day they were introduced to the diving world.

Rondine is the Italian name for the bird "Swallow."

They were designed for Cressi by the famous Italian diver/hero Dr. Luigi Ferraro who also designed amoung other diving items the Pinocchio mask and the US Diver's Jaguar spear gun. He was a unique one of a kind person-- you can read about him and his winning the Italian Medal d'Oro (equal to the Congressional Medal of Honor) in Borghese's book "Sea Devils" and "Frogmen's first battles" by Schofield & Carisella. Unfortunately he passed on a few months ago at the age of 92!

When I was researching the History of fins which began over 40 years ago many trails led to Dr. Ferraro. Eventually gathered up my courage and I wrote him in English - he responded in English and a correspondence relationship was established. By the time we got into the details of the Rondine fin he had requested that I have my letters translated in to Italian since his English translator had moved - much to my suprise he didn't read English! I had a had a patient at that time who had been living in the US since lated 1940s so I enlisted his assistance in composing the letters and the questions.

Dr. Ferraro responded to my questions about the Rondine fin in great detail. I presented the letter to my translator/ patient who along with his Italian born wife were mystified the response and the the content of the letter...It was jumbled; it contained phases about the ocean, fish, flowers,birds etc.

I then presented it to the owner of my favorite Italian eatery Luigi's in Anaheim. He was baffled. He stated he had a cousin who had been born in Italy and was a diving instructor. Luigi gave me his business card that contained his name and address and idenified him as a new NAUI instructor.

I wrote the cousin, pulling rank as NAUI #27, and received an immediate response. Yes, Dr Ferraro had written about ocean, fish, flowers, birds etc..

The Italian name for a Swallow is a Rondine ( Pro--Ron di ee)

The italian name for a fin blade is the same as a flower pedal-- like a rose "pedal."

The rest of the letter was about the ocean and fish in the ocean, possible mutal friends and diving in general.

I still have the letters in my file and treasure them as one would of a picture of a great great grand father- for that is what Dr. Ferraro was the Great great Grand father of diving and father of the Rondine fin.

Hope that this clarifies the Rondine Fin with not too much of a confusion factor.

Now aren't you glad that you belong to Vintage Double Hose forum?

[Nemrod]

You could buy USD Scuba gear at Sears & Roebuck. I think they even sold some DA Aqua Master under their own labels.


For a number of years my father was a manager over several Wards stores. Therefore Sears was the enemy. That they may have sold USD gear makes sense, it would fit into their good, better and best marketing strategy. The Mistral would be good, the DA better and the RAM best--I suppose.

I am not in the market for any but I wonder if there is a current source for the Rondine fins? Wasn't there a Super Rondine?

James

[diverdown1955]

Cressi Rondine Gigantic , I purchased a pair in 1958, when my Voit Vikings had a blow out. Cressi Rondine Gigantic had the instep strap to snug them up.They worked great and I nearly cryed when the heel tore out in 1979.....for a really flawed fin I thought they served me pretty faithfully. Well now lets see, that was 21 years of hard use and I paid a whopping $19.95 for them. I would hazard a guess my Cressi super frogs won't last half as long with alot less use.

Flawed?

diverdown1955

[Sea Explorer]

Well I must disagree I believe that you have imposter Rondine fins. If I am not mistaken the fins say made in the USA on the backside of the blade. They are definitely intended to look like Rondine fins. All of the Rondine fins I have seen say made in Italy and the birds are slightly different(hint look at the eyes to start. You can compare the fins in the photo. The ones you have are on the left followed by:

Cressi
Healthways
Cressi

There were other styles of Rondine besides the ones in the photo but you get the idea.
-Ryan

[Creed]

Well I must disagree I believe that you have imposter Rondine fins. If I am not mistaken the fins say made in the USA on the backside of the blade.

Ryan, you have good eyes. You were indeed correct that it has "Made in USA" on the bottom. I think they'll end up on display on my garage wall.

[luis]

My Cressi Rondine’s were made in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I can barely read the label were they were made on the back.

My understanding is that Cressi was having them made by Cobra Sub in Brazil. We (at Divers Service Center) were importing them directly into Puerto Rico.

All I can say for sure is that I carried many huge boxes filled with those #@$#% fins. The only reason we were able to sell so many is because they were cheap. We were paying a small fraction of what any other fin would cost.

[Sea Explorer]

Luis demonstrated another important identifier, all of the Rondine fins are clearly marked as "Rondine" as can be seen in Luis's photo. The design was clearly identified regardless of the manufacture. Including Luis's design I have seen no less than six variations by at least three manufactures marked in the same way. -Ryan

[Greg Barlow]

In the 1970's, Sears sold Voit gear through mail order. Their water sports catalogue listed many different pieces of gear. My parents bought a number of my "gifts" from those well worn pages. Still have most of it....

Greg