Very cool. I have seen pics of divers in the Tegur suits, on line. Nice!
A couple of pictures found online:
The snorkel masks I've seen in the flesh were more like toys than serious diving equipment. Yours appear to be better quality than those. Well, maybe not the Riviera....
Why were the ball checks outlawed?
Here's the actual French decree giving the reasons for the ban:
www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jo_pdf.do?id=JORFTEXT000000300898A rough translation:
Order of 2 August 1989, suspending the manufacture, importation and marketing, and ordering the withdrawal, of diving masks incorporating a built-in tube equipped with a ping-pong ballNOR: ECO8900081A
The Minister of State, Minister of Economy, Finance and Budget, the Minister of Industry and Regional Planning, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of State, Minister of Economy, Finance and the budget, responsible for the budget, and the Secretary of State to the Minister of State, Minister of National Education, Youth and Sports, responsible for youth and sports.
Having regard to Act No. 83-660 of 21 July 1983 on consumer safety, and in particular Articles 1 and 3 thereof;
Having regard to Decree No. 84-272 of 11 April 1984 determining the sanctions applicable in case of infringement of the provisions of Act No. 83-660 referred to above;
Having regard to the Customs Code;
Whereas diving masks with a built-in tube do not allow mouth breathing to be dissociated from nose breathing,
Whereas this design promotes raised levels of carbon dioxide inside the mask, which increases the risk of asphyxiation,
Whereas the presence of a ping-pong ball intended to shut off the open end of the tube is unreliable in operation and likely to aggravate the aforementioned risks,
Whereas masks with a built-in snorkel fitted with a ping-pong ball, under normal conditions of use, present a risk to user safety,
Whereas these masks are primarily sold during summer,
Whereas this represents a clear and immediate danger,
It is resolved that:
Article 1. Manufacture, import, marketing and distribution, with or without charge, of masks with built-in snorkels fitted with ping-pong balls shall be suspended for a period of one year.
Article 2. These products shall be removed wherever they are found.
Article 3. Costs relating to these provisions shall be borne by the manufacturer or the importer.
Article 4. The Director General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control, the Director General for Customs and Indirect Taxation at the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Budget, the Director General for Industry at the Ministry of Industry and Regional Planning and the Director of Sports shall each be responsible for carrying out this Order, which will be published in the Official Journal of the French Republic.
Done at Paris on 2 August 1989.
And here's a typical period ad for the Riviera twin-snorkel mask, which I agree is the most toylike model in my snorkel-mask collection:
DRW