What year was scuba discovered? 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. Although they helped to open up navigation freedom, who is responsible for its evolution? And who was the first to regulate scuba diving in the world?
Jacques Cousteau
In the 1960s Jacques Cousteau was part a program called Conshelf Saturation Dive. The goal of the Conshelf Saturation Dive was to establish if it was possible to live underwater long enough. 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 invented in the 1940s, when a French engineer named Emile Gagnan was working on valve designs for a compressed gas company in Paris. He discovered that scuba divers were at risk of developing nitrogen narcosis. This condition causes extreme pain and makes people crazy. Gagnan was joined by Cousteau in the design of a machine that would allow people to survive under water. They knew that air-pressure regulation of oxygen would be the keys to survival.
1860s
Henry A. Fleuss was a London-based diving engineer who invented scuba in the 1860s. Fleuss created a diving helmet with a spout which could be filled with compressed oxygen. The bag could also be filled with caustic potash. The resulting sealed circuit system allowed divers to breathe air for up to three hours.
1860s scuba regulator
The 1860s scuba regulators weren't much different from current technology. They were designed by Auguste Denayrouze (Benoit Rouquayrol). Benoit Rouquayrol designed the demand valve. At first, it was used in smoky places and poisonous mining areas. It was later modified to be suitable for 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 Device
The Davis Submerged Rescue Apparatus, or Davis scuba, was invented by R H. Davis in 1914. It contained a rubber breathing & buoyancy bag, a barium hydroxide canister, and a steel pressurecylinder with 56 litres of oxygen at 120 bars. 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 useful for industrial diving.
1860s Scuba Goggles
The 1860s were a time when diving equipment was not as sophisticated and advanced as it is now. Before the invention of scuba glasses, divers relied on wooden or plastic diving helmets. These were unsuitable for the water's pressure. Otis Barton, a wealthy man, was one of two families that had tried underwater exploration as a hobby. Barton had worn a makeshift dive helmet and weighed his body with rocks as he swam around Massachusetts waters.
Deane brothers' scuba diving system
The Deane brothers first began testing their underwater apparatus in 1829. The scuba equipment consisted of a helmet with a breathing device. 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
Benoit Rouquayrol invented compressed air to create a reservoir for scuba diving in the 1860s. Rouquayrol had already invented the "demand regulator" for underground mines and smoke-filled rooms. Auguste Denayrouze modified Rouquayrol's design for underwater diving in 1864. The principle behind this device still holds true today. The modern scuba regulator uses a similar system.