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. He and his wife Simone load a black and white still camera film into a movie camera, and it is the first underwater movie to be 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 prototype units were tested in 1943 by the Cousteau clan.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau, a French native, was born in Marseilles. His childhood included snorkeling in warm waters near his home. After graduating high school, he entered the navy. He became a naval gunnery teacher and a master diver while serving in the navy. He became fascinated by the underwater world, and began to dive down to explore it. He also created an underwater camcorder.
Emile Gagnan
Emile Gagnan was the inventor of many modern innovations in SCUBA diving. Aqualung was created by Emile Gagnan in the 1950s. This breathing apparatus allows the diver to inhale underwater air. With this invention, scuba diving became safer and more accessible.
Henry Fleuss
Henry Fleuss, a pioneer of scuba dive history, is Henry Fleuss. He invented the self-contained breathing system and many other innovations. He worked for several companies, including Siebe, Gorman & Co., and patented his designs in 1878. It was revolutionary in that it allowed the diver work alone without the need for a pump or large crew.
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini is the most common person you associate with scuba diving. The master escape artist was known for performing a number of amazing escapes, including one from a container underwater. He also showed how to escape from locks and straitjackets. He was immortalized in motion-pictures for his escape skills.
Mark V diving helmet
Mark V diving helmets have a long and rich history in scubadiving. It was created for the US Navy and used until 1984. It is the original diving helmet. There are many other helmets that date back to the 1820s or earlier.
William Beebe
William Beebe's diving adventures are more than just tales of adventure under the sea. He was a scientist, who did many dives into the water for scientific research. He set up a laboratory for marine research on Nonsuch Island in Bermuda and studied the sea life. He created a unique diving helmet, and breathing apparatus to study the behavior and habits of sea creatures. Beebe also made the first known descent into the deep ocean using a bathysphere, a device that lowered a person to a depth of 3,028 feet (923 meters). This record stood for 49 years.