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Feb 1, 1534
332 BCE
Attempts at being able to breathe under water, a fundamental part of SCUBA, have been going on for a very long time, such as using hollow reeds. However this is the first instance in which a real form of 'scuba' was used when Alexander the Great used a primitive form of diving bell. -
Period: Feb 1, 1534 to
Progression of SCUBA diving
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Feb 1, 1535
First diving bell
Guglielmo de Lorena created what could be considered the first real diving bell, it had just enough oxygen to let the diver breathe for short amounts of time. -
In the Presence of Royalty
Charles V, along with countless other citizens observed as two men used a bronze diving bell in the Tagus River (Toledo) to stay submurged for 20 minutes. -
New Bell
Sir Edmund Halley, Pattented a new form of diving bell, the actual inventor is a little bit of a shady area, however the bell's design included, thick glass to let light in, it was coated with lead sheets, the barrel was able to be replenished air, three auxiliary ballast weights, individual bells, fastened to diver’s shoulders and connected with a pipe to the main bell, that allowed him to walk away for unlimited time without returning for rebreathing. -
New technology to be applied
Von Guericke created the first effective air pump -
Medical
Robert Boyle investigated decompression sickness or 'the bends' using a snake. -
Treasure
William Phipps used the diving bell designed by Galilei and Papin to excavate a sunken treasure from a wrecked ship. -
Diving Engine
John Lethbridge created a 'diving engine', which was an underwater oak cylinder. -
Diving Suit
English inventor, Becker demonstrates his new invention: a full, leather diving suit and large, spherical metal helmet with a window. Three tubes lead from the helmet to the surface, one for exhaled air and the other two for fresh air pumped down by several large bellows -
New Bells
Edmund Halley invented two types of bells: a wooden bell, assisted with two barrels with fresh air that reached the bell with a tube, and a lead bell. The latter had seats for several divers. Halley, along with 4 others stayed submerged for 90 minutes at 18 meters of depth. -
The French
A Frenchman named Freminet produces a crude brass diving helmet with eye holes. Air is supplied by a bellows into a small air reservoir, then pumped down to the diver. -
Submarine
The first submarine was used in a military attack -
Improvements
John and William Braithwaite made improvements on the Freminet helmet. -
Helmet
Klingert made improvements on Freminet's helmet design. -
Modern Diving bell
John Smeaton improved the diving bell, including a bell made from cast iron; the first efficient hand-operated pump to sustain the air supply via a hose; an air reservoir system and nonreturn valves to keep air from being sucked back up the hoses when the pump stops. -
Submarine
Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat, builds an early submarine, the Nautilus -
Fire
Charles Anthony and John Deane patent a Helmet for Fire fighters -
SCUBA suit
Englishman William H. James designs a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, where the user wears a helmet and carries a supply of oxygen. -
Fire to water
Charles Anthony and John Deane market their helmet with a diving suit. -
Death by SCUBA
Charles Condert develops a type of scuba in which air is stored in a copper pipe worn around the body, he dies while testing this. -
Siebe Improved Diving Dress
Augustus Siebe, a German instrument maker, refines and improves the Deane's diving suit design and introduces the "Siebe Improved Diving Dress" -
through 1842
Siebe's suit was used for underwater recovery missions, bringing diving into more popularity. -
Schooling is Important
The Royal Navy established the first diving school -
Improvements
An improved scuba outfit is developed by Frenchmen Benoit Rouquayrot and Auguste Denayrouze, it was created to get air from the surface through a tube, as well as to have a minute supply in the suit. -
Recycle
English seaman Henry Fleuss invents a compact, lightweight scuba that uses pure compressed oxygen and a system to "reuse" the air that the diver exhales by removing the carbon dioxide from it and recirculating it back to the diver over and over again. -
Decompression Sickness
Paul Bert publishes a textbook, La Pression Barometrique, based on his studies of the physiological effect of changes in pressure. Bert shows that decompression sickness is caused by the formation of gas bubbles in the body, and suggests that gradual ascent will prevent decompression sickness -
Photography
Louis Boutan invented the first underwater camera -
Studious
Detailed studies on the cause and symptoms on decompression sickness were published by John Scott Haldane, Arthur E. Boycott and Guybon C. Damant. -
Draeger
Draeger of Germany introduces an oxygen re-breather. -
Decompression Tables
The U.S. Navy tested decompression tables published by John Scott Haldane, Arthur E. Boycott and Guybon C. Damant. -
V
The Mark V Diving Helmet was introduced by the U.S. Bureau of Construction & Repair. -
Color
W. H. Longley became famous for the first underwater color photos. -
Breathe
A very successful self-contained underwater breathing unit is introduced by Yves Le Prieur -
Bathysphere
A bathysphere attached to a barge by a steel cable to the mother ship has been used for William Beebe descended to 435 meter -
Facemasks
Rubber goggles with glass lenses are developed by Guy Gilpatric -
Improvement
Yves Le Prieur develops a demand valve with a high pressure air tank. -
Swim Fins
Swim fins are patented by Louisde Corlieu in France -
Naval
During World War II, closed circuit scuba equipment are used by Italian divers to place explosives under British naval and merchant marine ships -
Car
Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnan redesigned a car regulator that would automatically provide compressed air to a diver on his slightest intake of breath. -
Lung
Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnan designed and tested the first Aqua-Lung. -
Bathyscaphe
A completely self-contained new type of vessel called the bathyscaphe was designed by August Picard and his son Jacques to go deeper than any bathysphere -
J
The Reserve Valve, later commonly known as "J" valve was developed -
Instructor
The first formal instructor certification program was created by Al Tillman and Bev Morgan -
Wetsuit
At the University of California the first wetsuit is introduced by scientists -
Certification
YMCA organized the first nationally scuba diver certification program and the Underwater Society of America was formed -
NAUI
Al Tillman and Neal Hess create the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). -
NASDS
The National Association of Skin Diving Schools (NASDS) was founded by John Gaffney -
PADI
The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) was founded by John Cronin and Ralph Ericson -
SSI
Bob Clark founded Scuba Schools International (SSI). -
Stabilization
Scubapro introduces the Stabilization Jacket -
DAN
Divers Alert Network (DAN) was founded at Duke University to promote safe diving -
Orca Edge
The first commercially available dive computer, the Orca Edge, was introduced. -
Titanic
The wreck of the Titanic was found. -
Recreation
The use of mixed gases, like Oxygen and Helium, full face masks, underwater voice communication, propulsion systems, computer, etc. became more common in the 1990s. -
TDI
Bret Gilliam and Mitch Skaggs formed Technical Diving International (TDI) -
SDI
Scuba Diving International (SDI) was created -
Future
Technology and the community for SCUBA is continuously growing and improving.
