Rondine Fins

The Rondine fins were Luigi Ferraro's first invention in the diving equipment sector to succeed at an international level. In the 50s, fins were very different from those we know today. Even though they assisted movement to a certain extent, they were short, uncomfortable, painful and, most of all, not very efficient. They were based on a patent lodged by Louis de Corlieu in 1933 describing hand paddles and fins for which he got his inspiration from the fins that Polynesian fishermen manufactured with leaves. They were offered to the French Navy in 1934 and to the British Admiralty in 1935 who refused them as they did not see their potential. The Italian Royal Navy, on the other hand, were the first to realise their operational capabilities, adopting them for its underwater commandos, the Gamma Group of the X Mas. Ferraro was one of them who, wearing his fins, carried out extraordinary operations during the Second World War earning the Gold Medal for Military Valour.

Firstly, based on these experiences, Ferraro drafted the theoretical outline of the fins' operation, which he published in "Mondo Subacqueo" in 1950. This was the first magazine in the world specific to the diving sector and was a single publication. The first chapter "The swimming fins" of the book "Dominare gli Istinti" by G.Cafiero - Ed. Ireco, is dedicated to this study.

In 1952, following careful studies, calculations and prototypes, a fin benefiting from the technological revolution was invented: the Rondine. It combined physical, chemical and mechanical innovations guaranteeing performance that was decidedly superior to the fins in use up to that time. However, their success was especially due to their fitting solution: a small shoe made of soft rubber, which accommodates the whole foot. It guarantees maximum comfort, merging the foot and the fin into one. All contemporary full foot pocket fins derive from the ergonomic principles Ferraro applied to the Rondine fins.