When was scuba developed? Many will answer that it was the 1860s. But, when was scuba invented? Let's take a look at the early scuba equipment. Emile Gagnan (Jacques Cousteau), and many other pioneers have played important roles in the evolution scuba diving. They were instrumental in paving the way to freedom of navigation. But, who is responsible and why? And who is responsible for the earliest scuba regulator?
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 ocean exploration goal has greatly improved since the invention of scuba equipment. Today, robot undersea robotics do this work. Cousteau's documentary won a third Academy Award 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 realized that scuba divers were in danger of developing nitrogen narcosis, a condition that makes people behave crazy and suffer from intense pain. 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
Scuba was invented in the 1860s by Henry A. Fleuss, a diving engineer working for a company in London. Fleuss' design included a diving snorkel with a spout to hold compressed air. It also featured a bag with which you could fill it with a caustic Potash solution. 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 invented the demand valve. It was originally used in poisonous mines and smoky rooms. But it was later made suitable for diving. In 1865, the Rouquayrol-Denayrouze apparatus became a mass-produced product and was adopted as a French Navy standard. However, the French diving community did not accept this regulator's invention.
Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus
R. H. Davis was the inventor of Davis Submerged rescue apparatus, or Davis scuba. It contained a rubber breathing and buoyancy pack, a canister with barium hydroxide, and an iron pressure cylinder that contained 56 litres at 120 bar. 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 used to do industrial diving.
Scuba goggles from the 1860s
In the 1860s diving gear wasn't as sophisticated as it is today. Divers used to use wooden or glass helmets for protection against water pressure before the invention of scuba goggles. Otis Barton, a wealthy man, was one of two families that had tried underwater exploration as a hobby. Barton had swum around the waters of Massachusetts with a makeshift diving helmet and weighed himself down with rocks.
Deane brothers Scuba 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 made a very successful invention, and their business exploded. 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 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. Auguste Denayrouze modified Rouquayrol's design for underwater diving in 1864. The principle behind this device is still the same. The modern regulator for scuba diving uses a similar system.