History of Scuba Diving

Do you know anything about the history of scuba diving? Scuba stands for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Dating back to civilizations of old, people have been engaging in breath-hold diving or free-diving. The artifacts in museums that bear the pictures of divers are evident of diving activities as early as in ancient Greek. Many used to be good hunters of sponges, spearfish, etc.

Breath-hold was probably the first method. Subsequently, the idea of snorkeling was born. Using air-filled bags, hollow reeds and diving bells, they were able to improve and spend a longer time in water. The diving bell was a popular device. It is actually a water-tight and air-tight chamber that is connected by hoses or cables that supply the divers with a constant stream of air. However, all these methods have their limitations.

The first attempts at using diving suits started in England and France. These suits were made of leather and air was pumped from the surface. However, they could only withstand a certain degree of pressure. Later, metal was used to create helmets which made it more pressure-tolerant. This allowed divers to go deeper which of course opened doors for greater discovery of the sea depths.

In 19th century, modern scuba diving emerged after years of research. Two inventors, Paul Bert and John Scott Haldene made some successful observations and discoveries about water pressure and the human body's limit towards compressed air diving. It was also during this time that new technologies were available for the production of air pumps, scuba regulators, etc. This marked the beginning of scuba diving.

In the 20th century, we are able to create different sophisticated scuba diving equipment. Masks, air tanks, scuba gear, swim fins, propellers etc are now common equipment used. This activity used to be confined to the military. In the recent decades from 1950 onwards, the public became intrigued by scuba diving which explains why you see scuba gear shops opening up all over the world at popular island resorts.

Learn how to scuba dive from one of the most popular and informative scuba diving club for less than the price of a fast food meal today! Within the club, you will find tons of reports and videos that guide you to become an expert diver.

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