When was scuba invented? Many will claim that it was in the 1860s. But when was scuba actually invented? Let's look at the earliest 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. Five divers participated in the experiment, which was documented in a film called World Without Sun. The ultimate goal of ocean exploration is now possible thanks to the development of scuba equipment. Today, robotic undersea robots perform this work, and Cousteau's documentary won the third Academy Award for Best Documentary.
Emile Gagnan
Scuba was discovered by Emile Gagnan, an engineer from France who was developing valve designs for a Paris-based company that produced compressed gas. He saw that divers could be at risk of suffering from nitrogen narcosis. This is a condition in which people can become insane and experience extreme pain. Gagnan and Cousteau worked together to create a machine that could allow people to survive underwater. They knew that oxygen-pressure regulation would be the key to survival.
1860s
Henry A. Fleuss - a London-based diver engineer - invented Scuba in 1861. Fleuss designed a diving mask that could be filled using compressed air. It also included a bag that could be filled with a caustic potash solution. The resulting sealed circuit system allowed divers to breathe air for up to three hours.
1860s scuba regulator
1860s scuba regulators were a far cry from the current technology. They were designed and developed by Auguste Denayrouze, Benoit Rouquayrol, and Auguste Denayrouze. 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. This regulator was not widely accepted by the French diving community.
Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus
R. H. Davis was the inventor of Davis Submerged rescue apparatus, or Davis scuba. It contained a rubber breathing & buoyancy bag, a barium hydroxide canister, and a steel pressurecylinder with 56 litres of oxygen at 120 bars. 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 industrially.
1860s scuba goggles
The 1860s were a time when diving equipment was not as sophisticated and advanced as it is now. Before the advent of scuba gear, divers used wooden or glass diving helmets that were not effective against the water's pressure. Otis Barton is one of two wealthy families who had explored underwater exploration when they were young. Barton had used a makeshift diving helmet to explore the Massachusetts waters, and was supported by rocks.
Deane brothers Scuba System
In 1829, the Deane brothers began to test their underwater apparatus. The scuba system consisted of a helmet and a breathing apparatus. The Deane brothers made a very successful invention, and their business exploded. 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 adapt Rouquayrol’s designs to underwater diving in 1864. The principle behind the device remains the same today. The modern scuba regulator uses a similar system.