The history of scuba diving begins in the 1930s, when Jacques Cousteau, a French engineer, produces the first underwater film. Simone, his wife, loaded a black-and white still camera film into an underwater camera. It is the first underwater film to be made. In 1943, Emile Gagnan (an industrial gas control system engineer at L'Air Liquide et Cie) designs the Aqualung, which is the first commercially viable scuba unit. In 1943, the prototype units were tested by the Cousteau family.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau grew up in Marseilles, France. He spent his childhood swimming in the warm ocean around his home. After graduating from high school, he decided to enter the navy. He became a naval gunnery teacher and a master diver while serving in the navy. After his time in the navy, he was fascinated by the underwater world and started to swim down to explore the seabed. He also developed an underwater photography camera.
Emile Gagnan
Emile Gagnan is behind many of today's innovations in SCUBA diving. Aqualung, which allows divers to breathe underwater air, was born from his 1950s work. With this invention, scuba diving became safer and more accessible.
Henry Fleuss
Henry Fleuss, a pioneer of scuba dive history, is Henry Fleuss. He is also credited for many other innovations, including the self-contained breathing apparatus. He worked for several companies, including Siebe, Gorman & Co., and patented his designs in 1878. His invention was revolutionary because it allowed the diver to work independently of the surface, without having to rely on a pump or a large crew.
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini will be the first person that comes to mind when you think of scuba dive. The master escape artist was known for performing a number of amazing escapes, including one from a container underwater. He demonstrated how to escape from a lock, straitjacket and suspended objects. His escape skills were immortalized in motion pictures.
Mark V diving helmet
Mark V diving gear has a rich history. It was created for the US Navy and used until 1984. It is the world's first diving helmet. Other helmets are available from the 1820s and before.
William Beebe
William Beebe's story of scuba diving is more than a tale about adventures under the water. He was a scientist, who did many dives into the water for scientific research. He constructed a marine laboratory in Nonsuch Island, Bermudas to study the underwater world. He developed a diving helmet and breathing apparatus that mimic the behavior of sea animals. Beebe also became the first to dive into the deep ocean with a bathysphere. The device was capable of lowering a person down to 3,028ft (923m) below the surface. This record lasted until 1949.