Ancient swimmers utilized hollow reeds to breathe underwater. In the 4th century BC, Aristotle described the earliest usage of “diving bells”. This practice allegedly employed cauldrons that were flipped and pushed into the water to create an air pocket where the diver could breathe. This archaic “technology” reappeared in the 16th century with the use of wooden diving bells.
In 16th-century England and France, complete leather diving costumes were utilized to dive up to 60 feet. Manual pumps drew air from the surface. Metal helmets might endure considerably more water pressure, enabling divers to dive further.
In 1771, John Smeaton invented the air pump. It pumped air to the diver through a hose linked to a diving barrel. This mechanism enabled the diver to recycle breathed air from within the diving barrel. Despite being the first self-contained air apparatus, lack of study and development led to his death within 20 minutes due to oxygen deficiency.
Henry Fleuss designed a closed-circuit oxygen rebreather in 1876. He used it for a 30-foot dive after it was meant for repairing an iron door on a swamped ship. Fleuss, like James, perished from the experiment — oxygen poisoning. The rigid diving suit was devised by Benoît Rouquayrol and Auguste Denayrouze in 1873, before the closed-circuit oxygen rebreather. In the suit, the air supply was protected.
Beginning in the 19th century, two major research streams — scientific and technological — accelerated undersea exploration. Paul Bert, from France, and John Scott Haldane, from Scotland, both pioneered scientific research. As a result of their research, safe limits for compressed air diving have been established. Meanwhile, advances in technology like compressed air pumps, carbon dioxide scrubbers, and regulators allowed individuals to remain below longer.
The fundamental scuba diving equipment has evolved through time to keep both leisure and professional divers safe and efficient underwater. Scuba diving has gone a long way since it began as freediving years ago, yet it remains one of the most popular and exciting pastimes.