Scuba Gear Invention
When was scuba diving gear invented and history?
Cut hollow reeds were used by ancient swimmers to breathe air which enhanced our abilities underwater acting as the first rudimentary snorkel.
Rudimentary eye goggles made from the thinly sliced and polished shells of tortoises were used around 1300 by Persian divers.
Divers were able to travel under water with more than one breath of air for the first time by the 16th century using wooden barrels which acted as primitive diving bells.
With the invention of the air pump by John Smeaton who was a famous British engineer in 1771, air could be pumped to the diver by connecting a hose between the air pump and the diving barrel.
The first self contained air device was invented in 1772 by the Frenchman Sieur Freminet. The device recycled the exhaled air from inside of the barrel and was known as a re-breathing device. This device was a complete failure and Sieur Freminet died from lack of oxygen after using his own device for 20 minutes.
A cylindrical iron belt attached to a copper helmet was another self-contained breather made by the William James in 1925 who was a remarkable English inventor. About 450 PSI of air was held by this self-contained breather which proved to be sufficient for a seven-minute dive.
A closed circuit oxygen re-breather which was initially supposed to be used to repair iron doors of flooded ships chambers was invented in 1876 by an Englishman Henry Fleuss. His invention was used by him for another purpose- that is, for a thirty foot deep dive underwater due to which he died from the pure pressure of the oxygen(which is toxic to humans under pressure).
Another piece of equipment, commonly referred to as the rigid diving suit, was invented by Benoît Rouquayrol and Auguste Denayrouze in 1873 which had safer air-supply. However, it was not extremely beneficial due since it weighed approximately 200 pounds.
In 1921, Henry Houdini, who was a famous magician and escape artist, invented equipment for a diver’s suit which allowed divers who were in a dangerous situation to rid themselves of the suit quickly, while they were still underwater, in order to escape with more ease and reach the surface. Henry Houdini was able to do this due to his previous knowledge with escaping tricks underwater such as escaping from handcuffs, lockboxes and even straightjackets from levels beneath the water.
An autonomous diving suit as well as the modern day demand regulator were invented by Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan. A demand regulator that would automatically freshen the air when a diver breathed and a redesigned car regulator were invented in 1942. The Aqua -Lung began being sold a year later, in 1943 by Jacques Cousteau and Emilie Gagnan.
Scuba diving today
Modern scuba diving gear comprises of a single or multiple gas tanks which are strapped on to the diver’s back. These tanks are connected to an air hose and the demand regulator. The function of the demand regulator is to control the flow of air so that the air pressure within the lungs of the diver is equal to the pressure of the water.
- Nikita Gupta
Tags: scuba, scuba diving, scuba gear, scuba gear invention
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