Jacques Cousteau
Jacques Cousteau devoted the rest of his life to ocean research after World War II. He bought a Calypso minesweeper and took it on a round-the-world trip, including the Antarctic Circle. He performed experiments and collected data which he used to create the Calypso-Phot underwater camera and the SP-350 deep-sea, two-man submarine.
Cousteau began to research the aqua lung, which is a new breathing apparatus. This apparatus allowed him to breathe air in a controlled manner, but was limited to shallow dives. Cousteau was determined to find out the depths beneath the oceans. He needed a better method to regulate airflow. After much experimentation, Cousteau developed the demand regulator. This allowed air to only move on demand. This invention would aid divers in increasing their air supply while avoiding decompression sickness.
Yves le Prieur
Yves le Prieur and scuba diving go back to the early 1900s. In 1946, he created a fullface mask that had a loose face plate. This was to be used as a demand regulator's diaphragm. His next invention was the diving regulator.
The first scuba dive apparatus was patented in 1933. This combination of the Fernez-Le-Prieur system for air supply and the demand regulator developed by Rouquayrol, Denayrouze, and Rouquayrol created the first scuba diving apparatus. This device revolutionized the diving industry by making underwater breathing equipment affordable and accessible. This was what led to recreational scuba.
Guy Gilpatric
Guy Gilpatric made many contributions to the history of scuba dive during his lifetime. He was the author of the first sport diving guide, and his Saturday Evening Post articles were amongst those that covered scuba dive. His passion for the sea and its natural beauty led him explore the Mediterranean and to write about it. It is believed that the book inspired Jacques Cousteau to develop modern scuba diving.
In the early 20th-century, the invention of modern scuba diving equipment began. Guy Gilpatric an American marine biologist invented a system that allowed divers access to air without the use or surface air. Later, Yves Le Prier developed an underwater breathing system. The scuba rig was quickly popularized by Owen Churchill after he sold it to him. Guy Gilpatric later developed rubber goggles featuring glass lenses, face masks and snorkels as well as swim fins and a high pressure air tank.
Yves Gagnan
At the start of the century, divers relied on diving bells and helmets to get their air from the surface. Yves Gagnan, a Parisian engineer, helped to design a demand valve. The new device offered compressed air on demand, and was capable adjusting to the water pressure. This discovery made it possible for people of all levels to explore the oceans.
Gagnan, a Frenchman, was born in Burgundy in 1900. After graduating college, he started working at Air Liquide. There he learned high-pressure pneumatic designing. This helped to develop the scuba equipment we now use.