Aqua-Lung is the first open-circuit, self-contained underwater breathing device. It has enjoyed worldwide success and fame. This equipment is often referred to as the "demand valve" or "twin-hose diving regulator". Aqua-Lung's breathing apparatus works in a similar way to a traditional scuba tank. The regulator is connected to a demand valve, which regulates the flow of air in and out of the lungs.
Jacques Cousteau
Jacques Cousteau and the aqua lung - a remarkable story in Scuba tech! The original Aqualung was created during World War II. Cousteau was a French national who developed the underwater breathing device in 1943. His inspiration came from a device perfected by Captain Yves Le Prieur in 1925. While the Aqua-Lung was initially a limited-functioning device, the Germans requisitioned automobile gas to use on the battlefield. Cousteau adapted an existing regulator to create the Aqua-Lung, and then invented the autonomous diving system.
Cousteau discovered underwater archeology after advancing scuba tech. He led the first self-contained diving expedition in 1946 and recovered the Roman shipwreck Mahdia. In the following year, he converted a British minesweeper into an oceanographic research vessel. He was unable to raise funds and his passion for diving led him to write The Silent World, which became an award-winning film.
Aqua-Lung has been the most important innovation in diving. Developed by Jacques Cousteau in 1959, it has allowed divers to swim freely and comfortably under water. The Aqua-Lung has become a staple for many people, and Cousteau helped develop many other tools for oceanographic exploration. Cousteau actually invented the first underwater cameras in 1959. Cousteau’s innovations revolutionized scuba diving.
Emile Gagnan
In 1945, Emile Gagagnan and Jacques Yves Cousteau patented the Aqua-Lung diving regulator. Aire Liquide in France purchased the rights and manufactured the regulator. Later, the U.S. sold it. Divers Corporation. It was the most recent development of the French CG45 regulation and was manufactured in Canada. This regulator was very successful.
Initially, the Aqua-lung was called Aqua-lung. It was first sold in France in 1946. Then, it was brought to the U.S. in 1952. In 1958, Air Liquide purchased U.S. Aqua Lung America was established in 1958 by Air Liquide, which purchased U.S. Divers. Air Liquide eventually made the company a division and it is now the world's largest diving company. Aqua-lung is an integral part of almost all sets of Scuba gear today.
Emile Gaugnan and Jacques Cousteau were the two Frenchmen who invented Aqua-Lung. Both men served as spies during World War II for the French Resistance. Robert Ballard kept his interest in the ocean even after the war. He eventually met Emile Gagnan, a fellow Frenchman who was working for L'Air Liquide. They learned high-pressure pneumatic design as engineers. Gagnan's idea grew into a fully-automated compressed-air scuba system, the Aqua-Lung.