Jacques Cousteau
Jacques Cousteau devoted all his energy to ocean exploration, even after World War II. He purchased the Calypso a minesweeper to sail around the globe, including the Antarctic Circle. He did experiments and collected data. These were used to design the Calypso-Phot underwater camera and SP-350 deep-sea two-man submarine.
Cousteau began to research the aqua lung, which is a new breathing apparatus. While this apparatus allowed Cousteau the ability to inhale air in a controlled fashion, it was limited to shallow dives. In order to discover the depths of the oceans, Cousteau knew that he needed a better way to regulate the flow of air. After much experimentation, Cousteau developed the demand regulator. This allowed air to only move on demand. This invention was designed to help divers increase their air supply, and avoid decompression illness.
Yves le Prieur
Yves le Prieur and scuba diving go back to the early 1900s. In 1946, he designed a fullface helmet with a removable front plate. This mask was a type of diaphragm that could be used to regulate the demand. His next invention, the diving regulator.
The first scuba dive apparatus was patented in 1933. The device combined the Fernez-Le-Prieur's air supply system and the demand regulator created by Rouquayrol and Denayrouze. This device revolutionized the diving industry by making underwater breathing equipment affordable and accessible. This was the birthplace recreational scuba.
Guy Gilpatric
Guy Gilpatric made many contributions to the history of scuba dive during his lifetime. The first sport diving manual was written by him, and his articles for The Saturday Evening Post were among the first to cover scuba diving. His love of the sea and natural world led him to write about the Mediterranean. The book is credited as inspiring Jacques Cousteau. He would go on later to create modern scubadiving.
In the early 20th Century, the inventions of modern scuba diving gear were made. Guy Gilpatric (an American marine biologist) invented a system which allowed divers to breath air without having to use surface air. Later, Yves Le Prier invents an underwater system for self-contained breathing. Owen Churchill bought the system, and the scuba-rig gained rapid popularity. Guy Gilpatric developed rubber goggles that included glass lenses, swim fins and snorkels.
Yves Gagnan
The first century saw scuba divers relying on the use of diving bells, helmets, and air hoses. Yves Gagnan was a Parisian engineer who helped develop a demand-valve system. This new device provided compressed air on demand and was capable of adjusting to the pressure of the surrounding water. This discovery enabled people of all levels to explore oceans.
Gagnan was born 1900 in Burgundy in France. After graduating from college, Gagnan began work at Air Liquide. He studied high pressure pneumatic design. This was the beginning of modern scuba equipment.