The origins of scubadiving began in the 1930s when Jacques Cousteau - a French engineer - produced the first underwater video. Simone Cousteau and her husband loaded black and white still camera films into a movie camera. The first underwater movie was produced. Emile Gagnan, an engineer in industrial gas control systems at L'Air Liquide et Cie designed the Aqualung. In 1943, it becomes commercially feasible to dive. The Cousteau family tests the prototype units in 1943.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau grew up in Marseilles, France. He spent his childhood swimming in the warm ocean around his home. After graduating from highschool he entered the navy. He served as a naval gunnery instructor, and later became a master diver. He fell in love with the underwater world after which he began to swim down to investigate the seabed. He also developed an underwater photography camera.
Emile Gagnan
Emile Gagnan is behind many of today's innovations in SCUBA diving. Aqualung, a breathing system that allows a diver breathe in underwater water, was the result of his efforts in the 1950s. The Aqualung was invented to make scuba diving safer and more accessible for everyone.
Henry Fleuss
Henry Fleuss is an innovator in scubadiving history. He is also credited for many other innovations, including the self-contained breathing apparatus. He worked at several companies, including Siebe, Gorman & Co., where he patented the designs in 1878. His invention was revolutionary because it allowed the diver to work independently of the surface, without having to rely on a pump or a large crew.
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini is probably the most well-known name when you think about 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. His escape skills were immortalized in motion pictures.
Mark V diving helmet
The Mark V diving helmet has a rich history in scuba diving. It was originally designed for the US Navy in 1916, and it was still used until 1984. It is considered the original diving helmet. But, there are still other helmets from the 1820s.
William Beebe
William Beebe's tale of scubadiving is more than just an account of his adventures. He was also an explorer who took many dives to the sea for scientific research. He set up a laboratory for marine research on Nonsuch Island in Bermuda and studied the sea life. He studied the behavior, then developed a diving helmet. Beebe also became the first to dive into the deep ocean with a bathysphere. The device was capable of lowering a person down to 3,028ft (923m) below the surface. This record stood for 49 years.