In the 1930s, Jacques Cousteau, a French engineer and filmmaker, created the first underwater film. His wife Simone and Jacques Cousteau load black-and-white still camera film onto a movie camera. This is the first underwater movie ever produced. Emile Gagnan from L'Air Liquide et Cie designs the Aqualung. This is the first commercially viable scuba equipment. The Cousteau family tests the prototype units in 1943.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French citizen, born in Marseilles. He spent his childhood snorkeling in the warm waters around Marseilles. After graduating from highschool he entered the navy. He became a naval gunnery teacher and a master diver while serving in the navy. He fell in love with the underwater world after which he began to swim down to investigate the seabed. He also created an underwater camcorder.
Emile Gagnan
Emile Gagnan is responsible for many of the innovations in modern SCUBA dives. Aqualung, a breathing system that allows a diver breathe in underwater water, was the result of his efforts in the 1950s. This invention made scubadiving safer and more accessible.
Henry Fleuss
Henry Fleuss is a pioneer in the history of scuba diving. 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 in that it allowed the diver the freedom to work without the assistance of a pump and a large crew.
Harry Houdini
When you think of scuba diving, you probably think of Harry Houdini. His incredible escapes included one from a box under water! He also demonstrated how to escape from a straitjacket, locks, and suspended objects. His escape skills were immortalized in motion pictures.
Mark V diving helmet
Mark V diving helmets have a long and rich history in scubadiving. It was designed by the US Navy in 1916. It was then used until 1984. It is considered to be the first diving helmet. But, there are still other helmets from the 1820s.
William Beebe
William Beebe's diving adventures are more than just tales of adventure under the sea. He was a scientist who made numerous dives into the sea for scientific study. He constructed a marine laboratory in Nonsuch Island, Bermudas to study the underwater world. He studied the behavior, then developed a diving helmet. 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 stood up until 1949.