Jacques Cousteau
Jacques Cousteau devoted all his energy to ocean exploration, even after World War II. He bought a Calypso minesweeper and took it on a round-the-world trip, including the Antarctic Circle. He did experiments and collected data. These were used to design the Calypso-Phot underwater camera and SP-350 deep-sea two-man submarine.
Cousteau began research by inventing the aqua-lung, a new breathing system. This apparatus allowed him to breathe air in a controlled manner, but was limited to shallow dives. Cousteau was determined to find out the depths beneath the oceans. He needed a better method to regulate airflow. He developed the demand regulator through his experiments, which allowed air only to move according to demand. This invention would enable divers to extend their air supply and help them avoid decompression syndrome.
Yves le Prieur
Yves le Prieur's contributions to scubadiving date back to early 1900s. In 1946, he created a fullface mask that had a loose face plate. This was to be used as a demand regulator's diaphragm. His next invention, the diving regulator.
1933 was the year that the first scuba diver apparatus was invented. This device combined the Fernez-Le-Prieur air supply system with the demand regulator invented by Denayrouze and Rouquayrol. This device revolutionized the diving industry by making underwater breathing equipment affordable and accessible. This was the birth of recreational scuba.
Guy Gilpatric
Guy Gilpatric contributed a lot to the history and evolution of scuba diving throughout his life. He was the author of the first sport diving guide, and his Saturday Evening Post articles were amongst those that covered scuba dive. He was fascinated by the sea and the natural world and decided to travel the Mediterranean to write about it. The book is credited as inspiring Jacques Cousteau. He would go on later to create modern scubadiving.
The early 20th century saw the development of the modern scuba diving system. Guy Gilpatric, an American marine biologist, invented a system that allowed divers air to be breathed in without the need for surface air. Later, Yves Le Prier invented a self-contained underwater breathing system. He sold the system to Owen Churchill, and the scuba rig quickly gained popularity. Guy Gilpatric then developed rubber goggles with glass lenses, face masks, snorkels, swim fins, and a high-pressure air tank.
Yves Gagnan
Scuba divers used to depend on their helmets, diving bells, or air hoses from above at the beginning of this century. Yves Gagnan, a Parisian engineer, helped to design a demand valve. The new device offered compressed air on demand, and was capable adjusting to the water pressure. This discovery made it possible to explore all the oceans for everyone.
Gagnan was in Burgundy (France) in 1900. After graduating from college he worked for Air Liquide, where he studied high pressure pneumatics design. This helped to develop the scuba equipment we now use.