Early Diving
The ancient Greeks practiced commercial and military diving with little or no equipment. In the Iliad, Homer describes the use of divers in the Trojan Wars; Greek laws regulating those who dived for sunken treasure are found as early as the 3rd century B.C. Before the introduction of modern apparatus, divers submerged with the aid of a rope and a stone weight; using the rope as a guide for position, the naked diver quickly scooped up whatever commodity was being sought.
The Development of Early Diving Equipment and Technology
As early as the 17th century, inventors sought means so divers could stay underwater for extended periods. At that time, various types of strange diving dress and underwater armour attempted to supply fresh air through a surface pipe kept above the water by a float.
Augustus Siebe devised the first practical diving equipment early in the 19th century in England. His first suit was of the open type, consisting of a helmet attached to a jacket made of waterproof material. Air was pumped to the helmet through a pipe from the surface; air pressure serving to keep the water level below the diver’s head and the air finally escaping through open vents at the bottom of the jacket. The diver had to maintain a generally upright position; a fall could result in drowning because the air in the suit was likely to rush out through the vents.
Later the closed type of diving suit was developed. Instead of the earlier open vents, the closed type of suit had valves that let air out without letting water in, regardless of the diver's position. The limitations imposed on the helmet diver’s lateral movement, because of the connection to the surface, led to early interest in alternative equipment that would permit freer movement.
Eventually, the Aqua Lung or SCUBA apparatus was developed by Jacques Yves Cousteau and Emil Gagnan out of necessity due to World War II. In 1943 successful tests were made of the new compressed-air Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, and it has been widely used since.
Today, divers sport sleek wetsuits, high-tech masks, underwater electronic rebreather control systems, and decompression computers. This is a far cry from the early days of diving from the military “frogmen” to deep exploration divers in wacky helmets and oversized masks and suits.
The evolution of deep sea technical and exploration diving has come a long way, especially with the special equipment provided by Shearwater Research.
The ancient Greeks practiced commercial and military diving with little or no equipment. In the Iliad, Homer describes the use of divers in the Trojan Wars; Greek laws regulating those who dived for sunken treasure are found as early as the 3rd century B.C. Before the introduction of modern apparatus, divers submerged with the aid of a rope and a stone weight; using the rope as a guide for position, the naked diver quickly scooped up whatever commodity was being sought.
The Development of Early Diving Equipment and Technology
As early as the 17th century, inventors sought means so divers could stay underwater for extended periods. At that time, various types of strange diving dress and underwater armour attempted to supply fresh air through a surface pipe kept above the water by a float.
Augustus Siebe devised the first practical diving equipment early in the 19th century in England. His first suit was of the open type, consisting of a helmet attached to a jacket made of waterproof material. Air was pumped to the helmet through a pipe from the surface; air pressure serving to keep the water level below the diver’s head and the air finally escaping through open vents at the bottom of the jacket. The diver had to maintain a generally upright position; a fall could result in drowning because the air in the suit was likely to rush out through the vents.
Later the closed type of diving suit was developed. Instead of the earlier open vents, the closed type of suit had valves that let air out without letting water in, regardless of the diver's position. The limitations imposed on the helmet diver’s lateral movement, because of the connection to the surface, led to early interest in alternative equipment that would permit freer movement.
Eventually, the Aqua Lung or SCUBA apparatus was developed by Jacques Yves Cousteau and Emil Gagnan out of necessity due to World War II. In 1943 successful tests were made of the new compressed-air Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, and it has been widely used since.
Today, divers sport sleek wetsuits, high-tech masks, underwater electronic rebreather control systems, and decompression computers. This is a far cry from the early days of diving from the military “frogmen” to deep exploration divers in wacky helmets and oversized masks and suits.
The evolution of deep sea technical and exploration diving has come a long way, especially with the special equipment provided by Shearwater Research.