When was scuba invented? Many will claim that it was in the 1860s. But when was scuba actually invented? Let's look at the earliest scuba equipment. Emile Gagnan, Jacques Cousteau and other early pioneers all played an important role in the evolution of scuba dive. They are responsible for the development of freedom of navigation. Who is responsible for the first scuba regulator?
Jacques Cousteau
In the 1960s, Jacques Cousteau participated in a program called Conshelf Saturation Dive. This program was designed to prove that it was possible to live underwater for long periods of time. The film World Without Sun documented the five divers' experiments. The goal of ocean exploration has become much more achievable since the advent of scuba gear. Nowadays, robotic undersea bots perform this task, and Cousteau’s documentary won Academy Award #3 for Best Documentary.
Emile Gagnan
Scuba was first invented by Emile Gagnan, a French engineer who was designing valves for a Paris-based compressed gas company. He saw that divers could be at risk of suffering from nitrogen narcosis. This is a condition in which people can become insane and experience extreme pain. Gagnan collaborated with Cousteau to develop a machine that could be used to enable people to swim underwater. They knew that air-pressure regulation of oxygen would be the keys to survival.
1860s
Scuba was invented in the 1860s by Henry A. Fleuss, a diving engineer working for a company in London. Fleuss created a diving helmet with a spout which could be filled with compressed oxygen. The bag could also be filled with caustic potash. This sealed circuit allowed divers to inhale air for up three hours.
1860s regulator for scuba diving
In 1860s, scuba regulators were quite different to the modern technology. They were designed by Benoit Rouquayrol and Auguste Denayrouze. The demand valve designed by Benoit Rouquayrol was initially used in smoky areas and poisonous mines. However, it was later modified for diving. In 1865, the Rouquayrol-Denayrouze apparatus became a mass-produced product and was adopted as a French Navy standard. The French diving community didn't accept the invention of this regulator.
Davis Submerged Escape Mechatronus
R. H. Davis created the Davis Submerged Rescue Device, also known as Davis scuba in 1914. It consisted of a rubber breathing and buoyancy bag, a canister of barium hydroxide, and a steel pressure cylinder containing 56 litres of oxygen at 120 bar. The pressure of the water around the user charged the cylinder, which was connected to the breathing bag. 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 for industrial diving.
1860s scuba goggles
In the 1860s, diving gear was less sophisticated than it is today. Before the advent of scuba goggles, divers would rely on wooden or glass diving helmets, which were ineffective against the water's pressure. However, two wealthy families had experimented with underwater exploration in their youth, and Otis Barton was one of them. Barton had used a makeshift diving helmet to explore the Massachusetts waters, and was supported by rocks.
Deane brothers Scuba System
The Deane brothers were the first to test their underwater apparatus, in 1829. The scuba apparatus consisted of a helmet as well as a breathing apparatus. The Deane brothers invented the scuba system and quickly became a huge success. Their invention led to the first diving manual, The Method of Using Deane Brothers' Patent Diving Apparatus, which detailed the functions of the apparatus, as well as provided instructions for safety.
1860s scuba reservoir
Benoit Rouquayrol invente the first scuba reservoir using compressed air in the 1860s. Rouquayrol already had the 'demand regulator', which he used in underground mines or smoke-filled rooms. In 1864, Auguste Denayrouze adapted Rouquayrol's design to underwater diving. Today, the principle behind this device is the same. A similar system is used by modern scuba regulators.