Invention of Scuba Diving
Many people have contributed to the invention of scuba diving over the past few decades. The scuba gear that we know today is a far cry from the hollowed out reeds of yesterday.
Historians have found proof that archaic swimmers once used hollow reeds under the water in order to assist with breathing. In many ways, these reeds were the first snorkels every conceived. History also shows us that various Persian divers often used the thin shells of tortoises in place of underwater eye goggles, and they seemed to work very well. Another interesting idea came in the form of barrels that were often used as diving bells. All of these inventions were great for the time, but none of them would allow a diver to stay under the water for very long. Thus, the invention of scuba diving had to branch out in another direction.
Around the year 1771, a British engineer by the name of John Smeaton created the air pump. This pump included a hose that was attached to the pump and to the diving barrel. The idea behind the pump was to allow air to flow from the barrel to the diver. A many by the name of Sieur Freminet came up with the rebreathing apparatus in 1772 that allowed the air inside of the barrel to be recycled making diving a whole lot easier. However, Freminet did not think his invention through thoroughly, and he died twenty minutes after his dive thanks to a lack of oxygen.
It was not until 1942 that the famous Jacque Cousteau came onto the scene. Cousteau created the demand regulator and he also improved the diving suit. By tinkering with a car regulator, Cousteau was able to invent a demand regulator that allowed fresh air for the diver every time a breath was taken. As soon as this apparatus was perfected, Cousteau began to sell it under the name “Aqua-Lung.” Some say that the invention of scuba diving began many years ago with those primitive reeds, while others credit Cousteau entirely for the modern gear that we have today.
Clearly, scuba gear has come a long way from the original reed, diving barrel, or hose and recycled air contraption that killed one inventor. For centuries now people have been anxious to jump into the water and explore the deep, which may be the one reason why we have all the complex gear that we do today.
Every time you jump into the water, consider the invention of scuba diving and those inventors that lost their lives trying to come up with a way to breathe under water.