The origins of scubadiving began in the 1930s when Jacques Cousteau - a French engineer - produced the first underwater video. 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 was born in Marseilles, France, and spent his early life snorkeling in the warm sea around his hometown. After graduating from high school, he decided to enter the navy. He served as a naval gunnery instructor, and later became a master diver. He became fascinated by the underwater world, and began to dive down to explore it. 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, a breathing system that allows a diver breathe in underwater water, was the result of his efforts in the 1950s. This invention made scubadiving safer and more accessible.
Henry Fleuss
Henry Fleuss was a pioneer in scuba diving history. He is also credited for many other innovations, including the self-contained breathing apparatus. He worked in several companies, such as Siebe, Gorman & Co., before he patented his designs. His invention was revolutionary as it allowed the diver not to depend on any pump or crew to operate independently from the surface.
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini is probably the most well-known name when you think about scuba diving. His incredible escapes included one from a box under water! 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
The Mark V diving helmet has a rich history in scuba diving. It was first designed for the US Navy in 1916 and was used until 1984. It is considered to be the first diving helmet. There are however other helmets which date back to 1820s and even earlier.
William Beebe
William Beebe's scuba diving story is not just a tale of adventures under the sea. He was a scientist who made numerous dives into the sea for scientific study. He built a marine laboratory on Nonsuch Island in the Bermudas and studied the underwater life there. He created a unique diving helmet, and breathing apparatus to study the behavior and habits of sea creatures. Beebe also was the first to make a descent into deep water using a bathysphere. A device that lowers a person to 3 028 feet (923 m) in depth. This record lasted until 1949.