The history of scuba diving begins in the 1930s, when Jacques Cousteau, a French engineer, produces the first underwater film. Simone Cousteau and her husband loaded black and white still camera films into a movie camera. The first underwater movie was produced. Emile Gagnan, an engineer in industrial gas control systems at L'Air Liquide et Cie designed the Aqualung. In 1943, it becomes commercially feasible to dive. The prototype units were tested by the Cousteau Family in 1943.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau, a French native, was born in Marseilles. His childhood included snorkeling in warm waters near his home. After graduating from high school, he decided to enter the navy. During his time with the navy, he was a naval guns instructor and a master diver. He fell in love with the underwater world after which he began to swim down to investigate the seabed. He also created an underwater camera.
Emile Gagnan
Emile Gagnan is the man behind many of the innovations that are used in modern SCUBA diving. Aqualung was created by Emile Gagnan in the 1950s. This breathing apparatus allows the diver to inhale underwater air. With this invention, scuba diving became safer and more accessible.
Henry Fleuss
Henry Fleuss is one of the pioneers in scuba diving history. He invented the self-contained breathing system and many other innovations. His designs were patented by Siebe, Gorman & Co. in 1878. He worked for many companies, including Siebe, Gorman & Co. His invention was revolutionary in that it allowed the diver the freedom to work without the assistance of a pump and a large crew.
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini is probably the most well-known name when you think about scuba diving. He was an escape artist and performed incredible escapes. He also demonstrated how he could escape from a straitjacket. Locks and suspended objects. His escape techniques have been immortalized on motion pictures.
Mark V diving helmet
Mark V diving gear has a rich history. It was designed by the US Navy in 1916. It was then used until 1984. It is the world's first diving helmet. There are however other helmets which date back to 1820s and even earlier.
William Beebe
William Beebe’s story about scuba diving goes beyond tales of adventures in the ocean. He was also a scientist and made many dives in the ocean for scientific research. He established a marine laboratory at Nonsuch Island, Bermudas, and studied the aquatic life. He studied the behavior of sea creatures and developed a unique diving helmet and breathing apparatus. Beebe was also the first person to descend into deep sea using a bathysphere. This device lowered people to depths of 3,028 feet (923 metres). This record stood until 1949.