What year was scuba discovered? Many will answer that it was the 1860s. But, when was scuba invented? Let's start with the earliest scuba equipment. Emile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau were all key players in the development of scuba diving. Although they helped to open up navigation freedom, who is responsible for its evolution? Who is responsible for the first scuba regulator?
Jacques Cousteau
In the 1960s, Jacques Cousteau participated in a program called Conshelf Saturation Dive. This program was designed to prove that it was possible to live underwater for long periods of time. The five divers involved in the experiment were documented in a film called World Without Sun. Since the emergence of scuba equipment, the goal of ocean exploration has been greatly enhanced. Today, robot undersea robotics do this work. Cousteau's documentary won a third Academy Award for Best Documentary.
Emile Gagnan
Scuba was developed by Emile Gagnan in France, who was working on valve designs for Paris's compressed gas company. He saw that divers could be at risk of suffering from nitrogen narcosis. This is a condition in which people can become insane and experience extreme pain. Gagnan, Cousteau and their team designed a machine to allow people to live underwater. They realized that oxygen-pressure regulation would be key to survival.
1860s
Henry A. Fleuss was a London-based diving engineer who invented scuba in the 1860s. Fleuss invented a diving mask with an air spout, which could be filled by compressed air. It also included a bag that could be filled with a caustic potash solution. The sealed circuit system enabled divers to breath air for up to 3 hours.
Scuba regulator from the 1860s
In 1860s, scuba regulators were quite different to the modern technology. They were designed by Auguste Denayrouze (Benoit Rouquayrol). Benoit Rouquayrol invented the demand valve. It was originally used in poisonous mines and smoky rooms. But it was later made suitable for diving. In 1865, the Rouquayrol-Denayrouze apparatus became a mass-produced product and was adopted as a French Navy standard. However, the French diving community did not accept this regulator's invention.
Davis Submerged Escape Device
R. H. Davis developed the Davis Submerged Rescue Equipment, or Davis Scuba, in 1914. It consisted of a rubber breathing and buoyancy bag, a canister of barium hydroxide, and a steel pressure cylinder containing 56 litres of oxygen at 120 bar. This was connected to a breathing bag and charged by the pressure in water surrounding it. The Davis scuba rig was the first commercially-available rebreather, and it was used for submarine escapes in the First World War. It was also used industrially.
1860s scuba glasses
In the 1860s, diving gear was less sophisticated than it is today. Before the advent of scuba goggles, divers would rely on wooden or glass diving helmets, which were ineffective against the water's pressure. Otis Barton from a wealthy family was one of the two who tried underwater exploration. Barton had used a makeshift diving helmet to explore the Massachusetts waters, and was supported by rocks.
Deane brothers scuba system
The Deane brothers were the first to test their underwater apparatus, in 1829. The scuba apparatus consisted of a helmet as well as a breathing apparatus. The Deane brothers invented the scuba system and quickly became a huge success. Their invention led to the first diving manual, The Method of Using Deane Brothers' Patent Diving Apparatus, which detailed the functions of the apparatus, as well as provided instructions for safety.
1860s scuba reservoir
Benoit Rouquayrol invente the first scuba reservoir using compressed air in the 1860s. He had already created the 'demand regulater' to be used in underground mines, smoke-filled rooms, and other places. Auguste Denayrouze, an 1864 entrepreneur, adapted Rouquayrol’s design for underwater diving. The principle behind this device still holds true today. A similar system is used by modern scuba regulators.