Scuba Diving

History

In prehistoric times, humans began exploring the oceans as a means of finding food. Ancient divers held their breath to harvest fish, crustaceans, and ocean plants. In addition, many coastal civilizations used shells and coral as decorative items and currency. Artifacts indicate that some coastal cultures were diving as early as 5000 BCE.

Records from ancient Greece indicate that divers were sometimes used in military engagements. In 414 BCE, the Greek historian Thucydides recorded instances of divers attacking ships at sea by cutting anchors or attacking the underside of the ships' hulls. After ocean battles, divers also collected wreckage and treasure from sunken ships.

The next major advance in diving technology was the diving bell, a watertight chamber designed to hold air while submerged. Italian inventor Guglielmo de Loreno is credited with creating the first functional diving bell in 1535 CE. In the 1600s, the air pump was developed, and diving engineers combined air pumps with diving bells to extend diving times.

During the 1700s, inventors in France and England experimented with "re-breathing" devices that recycled exhaled air. Using leather diving suits, divers were able to reach depths of up to 60 feet. Most experiments with re-breathing devices failed, as divers did not understand the effects of decompression on the human body.

In 1823, inventors Charles Anthony and John Dean patented an airtight metal and glass helmet for firefighters. In the 1830s, inventor August Siebe combined the metal helmet with a leather diving suit. The Siebe design was a success and became the standard for diving technology until the turn of the century. The British Royal Navy established the world's first diving school in 1843.

In the early twentieth century, scientists began studying the effects of decompression on humans. In the 1920s, engineers from the US Navy designed a new type of diving apparatus intended to help divers withstand the effects of decompression.

In the 1940s, ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his associate Emile Gagnan used a car regulator to create an aquatic breathing system that provided compressed air with each inhalation and thereby solved the decompression problem. The aquatic lung created by Cousteau and Gagnan was eventually mass-produced and sold. In 1953, Cousteau wrote The Silent World, a book about the development of the aqualung.

The aqualung was the first example of a modern SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus). Over the next several decades, technological advancements led to lighter diving suits and more efficient gas tanks for longer submersion.

Thanks to the work of early diving engineers, scuba diving, or sport diving, has become a popular form of recreation across the world. In addition to recreation, scuba divers perform industrial and military functions, and have contributed to the scientific understanding of ocean ecosystems.

Equipment

Mask: A diving mask allows a diver to see clearly underwater, and also prevents water from reaching the eyes and nose. Many diving mask manufacturers also produce prescription masks for divers who wear eyeglasses.

Diving Fins: Fins provide propulsion and protect the diver's feet. Diving fins may be made of flexible rubber or, for greater propulsion, hardened plastic or fiberglass.

Scuba Suits: Scuba clothing comes in three basic varieties, classified by degree of water resistance. Wetsuits are the most basic type of diving suit. Wetsuits provide some protection and thermoregulation but do not seal out water. Semi-dry suits provide more thermoregulation than basic wetsuits and are partially water resistant. Dry suits are entirely waterproof and are excellent for thermoregulation. When exploring cold water systems, divers use dry suits to avoid hypothermia and to prolong dive times.

Dive Watch/Depth Regulator: Divers need a way to measure both depth and the amount of time they spend in the water. There are a variety of dive watches available through specialty dive stores and sports equipment vendors.

Buoyancy Control Device: The buoyancy control device helps the diver make quick depth adjustments while diving. Most buoyancy devices use gas from the dive tanks to inflate.

Tank and Regulator: The dive tank, sometimes called the cylinder, holds compressed air and delivers it to the diver's mouthpiece. The regulator controls the air delivered from the cylinder and delivers enough compressed air to match the pressure of the water. Regulators allow divers to avoid decompression sickness.

By 2019, technological advancements meant that scuba divers had more options for logging and tracking information about their dives using mobile applications for smartphones and tablets. These applications allow divers to easily enter new data about their dive and the dive site while also communicating with other divers. Additional applications provide updates about weather and tides as well as tools such as compressed air calculators.

Types of Diving

Open Water: Open water diving is the most common type of scuba diving, and is the type covered by basic scuba diving certification. Open water diving is the type practiced most by enthusiasts of underwater nature photography and reef diving. Advancements in underwater camera and video technology has further attracted people hoping to fully capture their diving experiences, and dedicated classes on underwater photography are also often offered. However, concerns about the future of the sport have increased as global warming has had negative effects on underwater ecosystems, including coral bleaching.

Night Diving: Night diving requires special training in avoiding the dangers of the water at night. Night diving is the best way to view certain types of wildlife, and also provides a different view of underwater coral.

Wreck Diving: Wreck diving involves exploring underwater ship wreckage. Before attempting to navigate underwater wreckage, divers should seek professional training to learn how to navigate safely in tight underwater spaces.

Cave Diving: Cave diving involves the exploration of underwater caves and caverns. Cave diving can be dangerous, as it is possible for divers to become disoriented or claustrophobic while underwater.

Scuba Diving for Fun vs. Profit

Advanced scuba divers may earn a living by becoming licensed dive instructors. Divers may work for an athletic club or other learning institution, offer private lessons, or work as tour guides on diving expeditions.

Some experienced divers eventually take on careers as rescue divers, who are called in to help people after shipwrecks or diving accidents. Rescue divers are required to obtain certification in advanced diving techniques.

Divers are also employed by research organizations as underwater photographers or filmmakers. In addition, scientific research organizations sometimes hire professional divers as guides, and to help locate wildlife or specific types of underwater terrain.

Learning More

Books

Coleman, Clay. The Certified Diver's Handbook: The Complete Guide to Your Underwater Adventures. International Marine Press, 2004.

Graver, Dennis K. Scuba Diving. Human Kinetics Publishing, 2003.

Jackson, Jack. Complete Diving Manual. International Marine, 2005.

Orr, Dan and Eric Douglas. Scuba Diving Safety. Human Kinetics Publishing, 2007.

Organizations

Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) <www.padi.com>

National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) <www.naui.org>

National Association of Scuba Diving Schools (NASDS) <www.divesafe.com>