When was scuba developed? Many people will tell you that it was in 1860s. But when did scuba become a reality? Let's begin with the oldest scuba equipment. Emile Gagnan, Jacques Cousteau and other early pioneers all played an important role in the evolution of scuba dive. They are responsible for the development of freedom of navigation. Who also created the first scuba regulator.
Jacques Cousteau
In the early 1960s, Jacques Cousteau was part of a program called the Conshelf Saturation Dive, which aimed to determine the feasibility of living underwater for extended periods. 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, robotic underwater robots perform this work. Cousteau won the third Academy Award in Best Documentary.
Emile Gagnan
Scuba was invented in the 1940s, when a French engineer named Emile Gagnan was working on valve designs for a compressed gas company in Paris. 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 and Cousteau collaborated to design a machine that would enable people to survive underwater. They knew that oxygen-pressure regulation would be the key to survival.
1860s
Henry A. Fleuss (a London-based dive engineer) invented Scuba in the 1960s. 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. Divers could breathe in air for as long as three hours thanks to the sealed circuit.
1860s regulator for scuba diving
The 1860s scuba regulators weren't much different from current technology. They were designed and developed by Auguste Denayrouze, Benoit Rouquayrol, and Auguste Denayrouze. The demand valve designed by Benoit Rouquayrol was initially used in smoky areas and poisonous mines. However, it was later modified for diving. In 1865, the Rouquayrol-Denayrouze apparatus became a mass-produced product and was adopted as a French Navy standard. The invention of this regulator was not universally accepted by the French diving community, however.
Davis Submerged Escape Device
R. H. Davis created the Davis Submerged Rescue Device, also known as Davis scuba in 1914. It included a rubber breathing, buoyancy, and pressure cylinder, which contained 56 litres (at 120 bar) of oxygen. This cylinder was connected to the breathing bag, and was charged by the pressure in the water surrounding the user. 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 goggles
The 1860s were a time when diving equipment was not as sophisticated and advanced as it is now. 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 and his family were wealthy enough to have tried out underwater exploration. Barton had worn a makeshift dive helmet and weighed his body with rocks as he swam around Massachusetts waters.
Deane brothers Scuba System
The Deane brothers first began testing 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 was the catalyst for the creation of The Method of Using Deane Brothers Patent Diving Apparatus, the first diving manual. It detailed the functions of the device and provided safety guidelines.
1860s scuba reservoir
Using compressed air as a scuba reservoir was first invented in the 1860s by Benoit Rouquayrol. 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. Today, the principle behind this device is the same. A similar system is used by modern scuba regulators.