A Short History of Scuba Diving

The history of scuba diving goes back as far as 100 AD when people were using hollow reeds to stay underwater for extended periods of time. But the advances in the history of scuba diving are filled with names and places many people may not have heard of but it is also filled with a very familiar name of someone who not only lent his name to the history of scuba diving but also to the history of natural preservation in general. It all begins back in the 1300’s when the Persian people started experimenting with clear shells as goggles so that they could see better underwater and, using a hollow reed to breath, they started off the long history of scuba diving.

The 16th century saw the invention of the diving bell which was a device capable of capturing enough air for the diver to remain underwater for a little more than the equivalent of one long breath. The history of scuba diving remained uncharted territory until John Smeaton invented the air pump. The air pump would pump air into the diving bells allowing the divers to stay underwater for extended periods of time. In an attempt to allow the diving bells to be self sufficient under water the French inventor Sieur Freminet invented the concept of recycling air in a diving bell in 1772. Freminet’s invention concept was important in the history of scuba diving but his method still needed a little work as Freminet died while testing his device under water. But the history of scuba diving soldiered on and it was a couple of hundred years before the next great pioneer came to light.

They Call Him Jacques

The history of scuba diving took a significant turn for the better when the breathing regulator was invented. The breathing regulator is the device you place in your mouth that allows air from the tank on your back to pass through a hose and into your lungs. Without the regulator air would simply escape into the water or shoot into the diver’s lungs too fast causing serious damage or even death. The inventor of this most important device in history of scuba diving? The great Jacques Cousteau. The man we all saw on television for years as the premier expert on underwater life and exploration is also the father of modern scuba diving. If it were not for the work of Jacques Cousteau the history of scuba diving would have played out very different.

The history of scuba diving is a story about not only advances in science but also the great desire to explore the oceans and lakes of the world. Man is always driven by a desire to explore the unknown and scuba diving is not different.