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322
322 BC
The first recorded history of a device that lowers Alexander the great into the water. He used what is now known as a diving bell. Alexander the greaat was able to reach a depth of about 25 meters. A diving bell is a heavy vessel you sit in and you are lowered into the water with the help of rope. -
Jan 22, 1538
Diving bell
A Germar writer witneased the first use of a diving bell in which a man were lowered in the bell with a candle and came up dry and the candle not extinguished. For this diving bell he used a large kettel pot that he sat in and was lowered to a depth of about 50 meters. -
Better bell
After previous attempts the scientist Edward Bendall created the most sucessful diving bell at the time. Edward Bendall created his diving bells to recover a wrecked ship in a massechucets harbour. He recovered a ship cannon and decided to test the cannon after he heard rumors that there was treasure in them. There was and at high tide people picked up coins. -
Air pump
The first air pump was developed by Von Guericke. He was one of the first men to believe that a vacum could exist. Von Guericke used his air pump to create a vaccum between 2 spheres. -
Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle examined a snake with a bubble moving arround it's eye and saw how distressed the snake was. (first observation of the bends) The bends is a condition when someone doesn't take enough time to decompress. Nitrogen bubbles can form in your blood stream and cause pulminary problems and can cause you to become very sick. -
Rebreather
The first rebreather was developed but the creator died from a lack of oxygen. What the rebreather today does is it absorbes the carbon dioxide from the air you breathe and suppliments the air with oxygen. The rebreather is used by many people today for recreational and military use. -
Dive School
Because of sucessful attempts with diving helmets and suit the first diving school is started by the royal navy. The diving school used very bulky and heavy helmet and suit to train. The suits were made with leather and could dive to depths of about 60 ft. -
Breathing apparatus
The first detachable breathing apparatus is developed. There is a low pressure tank that is fed by a hose and the diver can detach the hose at will and dive for a few minuets. This is also when the first demand respirator is developed. This device paved the way for how scuba works today. -
Mark V
The Mark V diving helmet is developed and is used frequently for underwater work. The Mark V is attached via an umbellical. It is fed air from the surface through a free flowing valve. The diving helmet is used today for salvage diving because it protects the diver's head from being injured and if the diver becomes unconcious the helmet can continue to deliver air to the diver. -
Goggles
Guy Gilpatric creates rubber goggles with glass lenses for skin diving. Fins are patented by Louis de Corlieu, in 1933. These later transform into the fins and goggles we know today. -
Saturation dive
The first intentional saturation dive is attempted and the divers decend to a depth of 101 for a period of 27 hours. Saturation diving is where divers stay under for extended periods of time and breathe certain mixtures of gasses so that they can stay down for these long periods of time. -
Regulator
Jacques-Yves Cousteau begins to develop the first modern regulator. This regulator is special because it uses a demand valve which dilivers air to the diver only when they inhale. This type of reglator was much more efficent than the previous continous flow helmets because it didn't constantly pump air constantly. -
Aqua lung
Jacques-Yves Cousteau makes several deep sea dives with his friends proving its effictiveness. Because of this event scuba becomes more popular and acessable to more people. -
Naui/ Padi
As accident rates for scuba divers climb, the first national training agencies are formed to train and certify divers; NAUI is formed in 1960, PADI in 1966. NAUI and PADI are now reconized all arround the world and THE place to go for formal diving instruction. -
50 years
The 50th anniversary of the invention of modern scuba diving is celebrated around the world. PADI, the largest of the national training agencies, certifies 515,000 new divers worldwide. -
Present day
Diving has improved drastically and advanceces in technology allow us to go places we could have only dreamed of before. Because of the advancements in underwater exploration many people now have the opportunity to become certified and enjoy the sensation of breathing underwater.
