When was the invention of scuba? Many people will tell you that it was in 1860s. But when did scuba become a reality? Let's start by looking at the first scuba equipment. Emile Gagnan (Jacques Cousteau), and many other pioneers have played important roles in the evolution scuba diving. They helped pave the way for freedom of navigation, but who is responsible for its development? And who is responsible for the earliest scuba regulator?
Jacques Cousteau
Jacques Cousteau, who was part of a program called Conshelf Saturation Dive in the 1960s that sought to determine if living underwater for extended periods of time was possible, participated in this program. Five divers took part in the experiments. They were documented in a film called World Without Sun. Since the introduction of scuba equipment, ocean exploration has seen a significant increase in its potential. Today, robotic underwater robots perform this work. Cousteau won the third Academy Award in Best Documentary.
Emile Gagnan
Scuba was discovered by Emile Gagnan, an engineer from France who was developing valve designs for a Paris-based company that produced compressed gas. He discovered that scuba divers were at risk of developing nitrogen narcosis. This condition causes extreme pain and makes people crazy. 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 - a London-based diver engineer - invented Scuba in 1861. Fleuss' design included a diving snorkel with a spout to hold compressed air. The bag could also be filled with caustic potash. This sealed circuit allowed divers to inhale air for up three hours.
Scuba regulator from the 1860s
In 1860s, scuba regulators were quite different to the modern technology. They were designed and developed by Auguste Denayrouze, Benoit Rouquayrol, and Auguste Denayrouze. 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. The invention of this regulator was not universally accepted by the French diving community, however.
Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus
R. H. Davis created the Davis Submerged Rescue Device, also known as Davis scuba in 1914. It was composed of a rubber breathing and buoyancy device, a canister containing barium hydroxide and a steel pressure tube containing 56 litres 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 to do industrial diving.
1860s scuba goggles
The 1860s was a time when diving gear was not as sophisticated as today's. Before the advent of scuba gear, divers used wooden or glass diving helmets that were not effective against the water's pressure. Otis Barton, a wealthy man, was one of two families that had tried underwater exploration as a hobby. Barton had swum around the waters of Massachusetts with a makeshift diving helmet and weighed himself down with rocks.
Deane brothers' scuba diving system
The Deane brothers first began testing their underwater apparatus in 1829. The scuba system was composed of a helmet, a breathing apparatus, and a mask. The Deane brothers' system was a great invention. Soon, the brothers were able to start a thriving business. Their invention lead to The Method of Using Deane Brothers Patent Diving Apparatus. It was the first diving manual.
1860s scuba reservoir
Benoit Rouquayrol invente the first scuba reservoir using compressed air in the 1860s. Rouquayrol had already invented the "demand regulator" for underground mines and smoke-filled rooms. Auguste Denayrouze applied Rouquayrol’s design to underwater diving in 1864. Today, the principle behind this device is the same. The modern scuba regulator uses a similar system.