When was the invention of scuba? Many people will say the 1860s, but when was scuba really invented? Let's begin with the oldest scuba equipment. Emile Gagnan (Jacques Cousteau), and many other pioneers have played important roles in the evolution scuba diving. They are responsible for the development of freedom of navigation. And who is responsible for the earliest scuba regulator?
Jacques Cousteau
In the 1960s, Jacques Cousteau took part in a program called Conshelf Saturation Dive. It was intended to test the feasibility of living underwater for prolonged periods. Five divers took part in the experiments. They were documented in a film called World Without Sun. The ultimate goal of ocean exploration is now possible thanks to the development of scuba equipment. Nowadays, robotic undersea bots perform this task, and Cousteau’s documentary won Academy Award #3 for Best Documentary.
Emile Gagnan
Scuba was created by Emile Gagnan (a French engineer) in the 1940s. He was working on valve designs at a Paris-based compressor gas company. He realized that scuba divers were in danger of developing nitrogen narcosis, a condition that makes people behave crazy and suffer from intense pain. Gagnan and Cousteau worked together to create a machine that could allow people to survive underwater. They knew that air-pressure regulation of oxygen would be the keys to survival.
1860s
Henry A. Fleuss (a London-based dive engineer) invented Scuba in the 1960s. Fleuss created a diving helmet with a spout which could be filled with compressed oxygen. It also featured a bag with which you could fill it with a caustic Potash solution. This sealed circuit allowed divers to inhale air for up three hours.
1860s regulator for scuba diving
1860s scuba regulators were a far cry from the current technology. They were designed by Auguste Denayrouze (Benoit Rouquayrol). Benoit Rouquayrol's demand valve was first used in smoky rooms and poisonous mines, but was later adapted for use in diving. In 1865, the Rouquayrol-Denayrouze apparatus became a mass-produced product and was adopted as a French Navy standard. However, this regulator was not accepted by all French divers.
Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus
R. H. Davis developed the Davis Submerged Rescue Equipment, or 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 cylinder was connected directly to the breathing bags and was powered by the pressure in the surrounding water. 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 in industrial diving.
Scuba goggles from the 1860s
The 1860s were a time when diving equipment was not as sophisticated and advanced as it is now. Divers used to use wooden or glass helmets for protection against water pressure before the invention of scuba goggles. However, two wealthy families had experimented with underwater exploration in their youth, and Otis Barton was one of them. Barton had worn a makeshift dive helmet and weighed his body with rocks as he swam around Massachusetts waters.
Deane brothers' Scuba System
In 1829, the Deane brothers began to test their underwater apparatus. 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 resulted in the first diving manual, The Method of Using Deane Brothers Patent Diving Apparatus. This detailed the functions of their apparatus and also provided safety instructions.
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. The principle behind the device remains the same today. Modern scuba regulators use a similar system.