The story of scuba diving began in the 1930s with the production of the first underwater film by Jacques Cousteau. A French engineer, Cousteau, was responsible for the creation. Simone Cousteau and her husband loaded black and white still camera films into a movie camera. The first underwater movie was produced. The first commercially viable scuba system comes along in 1943, when Emile Gagnan, an industrial gas control systems engineer at L'Air Liquide et Cie, designs the Aqualung. The Cousteau family tests the prototype units in 1943.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French citizen, born in Marseilles. He spent his childhood snorkeling in the warm waters around Marseilles. After graduating high school he decided to join the navy. During his time with the navy, he was a naval guns instructor and a master diver. After his time in the navy, he was fascinated by the underwater world and started to swim down to explore the seabed. 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 diving safer and easier for everyone.
Henry Fleuss
Henry Fleuss was a pioneer in scuba diving history. He developed the first self-contained breathing apparatus and is credited with many other innovations. He worked for several companies, including Siebe, Gorman & Co., and patented his designs in 1878. His invention was revolutionary in that it allowed the diver the freedom to work without the assistance of a pump and a large crew.
Harry Houdini
When you think of scuba diving, you probably think of Harry Houdini. He was an escape artist and performed incredible escapes. He also demonstrated how he could escape from a straitjacket. Locks and suspended objects. Motion pictures have captured his escape skills.
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 the first diving helmet. There are many other helmets that date back to the 1820s or earlier.
William Beebe
William Beebe's story of scuba diving is more than a tale about adventures under the water. He was a scientist who made many diving trips into the ocean to study scientific phenomena. He created a marine lab on Nonsuch Island in Bermudas and studied underwater life. He studied the behavior, then developed a diving helmet. Beebe also achieved the first ever descent into the deep sea with a bathysphere. It was a device that allowed a person to be lowered to depths of 3 028 feet (923 meters). This record was held until 1949.