When was scuba developed? Many will answer that it was the 1860s. But, when was scuba invented? Let's start by looking at the first scuba equipment. Emile Gagnan Jacques Cousteau, and others have played important parts in the development of scuba divers. 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 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. The five divers involved in the experiment were documented in a film called World Without Sun. Since the introduction of scuba equipment, ocean exploration has seen a significant increase in its potential. 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 realized that scuba divers were in danger of developing nitrogen narcosis, a condition that makes people behave crazy and suffer from intense pain. Gagnan collaborated with Cousteau to develop a machine that could be used to enable people to swim underwater. They realized that oxygen regulation by air pressure would be crucial to survival.
1860s
Scuba was invented in the 1860s by Henry A. Fleuss, a diving engineer working for a company in London. Fleuss invented a diving mask with an air spout, which could be filled by compressed air. It also contained a bag that could hold a caustic potassium solution. The resulting sealed circuit system allowed divers to breathe air for up to three hours.
1860s regulator for scuba diving
Scuba regulators from the 1860s were far removed from modern technology. They were designed by Auguste Denayrouze (Benoit Rouquayrol). 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 invention of this regulator was not universally accepted by the French diving community, however.
Davis Submerged Escape Device
R. H. Davis was the inventor of Davis Submerged rescue apparatus, or Davis scuba. It was composed of a rubber breathing and buoyancy device, a canister containing barium hydroxide and a steel pressure tube containing 56 litres oxygen 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 for industrial diving.
Scuba goggles from the 1860s
Dive gear in the 1860s wasn't as advanced 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 floated around Massachusetts in a makeshift diving mask and weighed himself 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' invention was a success and the brothers soon had a flourishing business. Their invention led them to create the first diving manual The Method of Using Deane Brothers Patent Diving Apparatus. The manual detailed the functions of each apparatus as well as safety precautions.
1860s scuba reservoir
Benoit Rouquayrol first developed compressed air as a scuba reservoir in the 1860s. Rouquayrol had already invented the "demand regulator" for underground mines and smoke-filled rooms. Auguste Denayrouze applied Rouquayrol’s design to underwater diving in 1864. The principle behind this device still holds true today. Modern scuba regulators use a similar system.