The beginning of scuba diving's history begins in 1930s when Jacques Cousteau (a French engineer) creates the first underwater movie. He and his wife Simone load a black and white still camera film into a movie camera, and it is the first underwater movie to be produced. The first commercially viable scuba system comes along in 1943, when Emile Gagnan, an industrial gas control systems engineer at L'Air Liquide et Cie, designs the Aqualung. The Cousteau family tests the prototype units in 1943.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was born in Marseilles, France, and spent his early life snorkeling in the warm sea around his hometown. After graduating from highschool he entered the navy. He was a naval gunnery officer and a master diver during his time in the navy. He was fascinated by the ocean and began diving to explore it. He also developed an underwater 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. This invention made diving safer and easier for everyone.
Henry Fleuss
Henry Fleuss is a pioneer in the history of scuba diving. He developed the first self-contained breathing apparatus and is credited with many other innovations. His designs were patented by Siebe, Gorman & Co. in 1878. He worked for many companies, including Siebe, Gorman & Co. His invention was revolutionary in that it allowed the diver the freedom to work without the assistance of a pump and a large crew.
Harry Houdini
When you think of scuba diving, you probably think of Harry Houdini. His incredible escapes included one from a box under water! He also showed how to escape from locks and straitjackets. His escape skills were immortalized in motion pictures.
Mark V diving helmet
Mark V diving helmets have a long and rich history in scubadiving. It was first created for the US Navy, in 1916. It continued to be used until 1984. It is the original diving helmet. There are many other helmets that date back to the 1820s or earlier.
William Beebe
William Beebe’s story about scuba diving goes beyond tales of adventures in the ocean. He was a scientist, who did many dives into the water for scientific research. He established a marine laboratory at Nonsuch Island, Bermudas, and studied the aquatic life. He created a unique diving helmet, and breathing apparatus to study the behavior and habits of sea creatures. Beebe also was the first to make a descent into deep water using a bathysphere. A device that lowers a person to 3 028 feet (923 m) in depth. This record stood until 1949.