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By; Eva Gruber
Earth is a blue planet – one with an abundance of water. 70% of it’s surface is covered in oceans. It is the “Last Frontier” for wilderness and true exploration. We still know relatively little about the diversity of life that inhabits it, as for most of human history it has remained out of our grasp.
Having ancestors that emerged from the water hundreds of millions of years ago, I think there is still a part of us that yearns for the freedom and serenity that being underwater provides. And over the course of history, people have strived towards ingenious methods to remain below the surface, eye-to-eye with marine life.
Snorkeling was (and still is) often the tantalizing introduction to the world beneath the surface.
It started with a hollowed-out reed. However, it also soon became apparent that this was very restricting. A reed longer than two feet was not possible due to the water pressure restricting oxygen flow. A vessel or bag full of air brought to depth was also not a great option as it only contained a couple breaths, and there was the problem of carbon dioxide…
The first successful tries to stay at depth were the result of diving bells – cumbersome, heavy contraptions that were lowered a few feet below the surface. They were essentially upside-down bell jars that open to the water below, but full of air. The diver could surface in the opening, grab a breath, and leave the bell to explore or collect from the surrounding bottom, then return for a breath until there was no more left to breathe.
The first records of this is from the 4th century BC, by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. This use of simple physics persisted through the 16th century.
In 1616, Franz Kessler designed and built a diving bell that wasn’t attached to anything on the surface by ropes. The chamber consisted of a wooden barrel, covered in leather, that reached the diver’s ankles. Two windows allowed the diver to see out. However, it is likely that few people, if any, ever actually used Kessler’s invention.
Photo Credit: Gio von Wryneck
But, the push to develop a method of remaining underwater was strong due to the promising and rewarding world of marine salvage. There were plenty of shipwrecks that remained out of reach of humans for far too long, often filled with coveted riches. If only someone could think of a way to reach them…they would be very well-rewarded.
In 1677, a salvage of two Spanish shipwrecks was incredibly successful, recovering a significant amount of silver and gold using a larger diving bell that allowed two divers to remain underwater for over an hour.
They would pop under the bell for a breath, then emerge to salvage the wreck. The two divers were paid in an interesting way – each time they re-emerged, they were allowed to keep whatever they could fit in their hands and mouths.
In England and France in the 16th century, diving bells were improved on and expanded to full suits which could be used to depths of 60 feet. Breathable air was supplied from the surface using manual pumps.
The famous astronomer Edmund Halley (of Halley’s Comet fame) further improved the diving bell design in 1691, making it larger and including a primitive separate air supply for refilling. Air would be sent down in weighted barrels.
It could hold up to three men, and a further innovation: a separate diving suit with its air supply connected to the diving bell. This expanded the maneuverability of divers at depth.
In 1797 in Poland, Karl Heinrich Klingert was the first to develop a full-body diving suit made of a metal helmet, wide metal girdle, and pants and a vest made of waterproofed leather. With the use of a pump turret, air could be supplied to the diver via a long, weighted tube.
The next greatest leap in diving technology came in 1837 with the advent of “heavy footers” – diving suits made to encase the diver in thick waterproof leather, a heavy metal helmet, and weighted boots. The diving helmets developed for this were used for over a century. The diving helmet suit made it possible for divers to move underwater more freely.
In 1878, Alphonse and Theodore Carmagnolle in Marseille, France, developed an armored suit with twenty small portholes and articulated limbs, which they were granted a patent for. It weighed 838 pounds.
This was the first human-shaped atmospheric diving suit (ADS) – meaning that the pressure inside the suit was one atmosphere – the same as at the surface – and therefore the diver wouldn’t have to worry about the dangers of decompression.
Sadly, the suit never worked properly and the joints were never completely waterproof. The original suit is now on display at the French National Navy Museum in Paris.
The same year, Henry Fleuss of London became the very first scuba diver with his invention of the first self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) using compressed oxygen. He was granted a patent in 1878, and it eliminated the need for a diver to rely on surface-supplied air.
A rubber mask was connected to a rubber air bag, copper oxygen tank, and a scrubber for removing CO2 so that exhaled air could be re-breathed. This device was originally developed to save trapped miners, but immediately was recognized for its potential underwater. While it did limit the divers working depth due to the danger of oxygen toxicity, this was a revolutionary design.
In 1893, Louis Boutan develops the first underwater photograph. Below, a self-portrait he took at over 170 feet depth wearing one of the early dive suits.
While marine salvage and repair continued to be the main use of divers, the tides slowly starting shifting towards curiosity to its possible uses in the military and warfare.
The British Navy was the first to train and recruit divers for their purposes, and the US Navy followed suit in a training program in 1882. However, there was little official interest in this new technology and it wasn’t until 1898 that USS Maine sunk that US divers could prove their use and value. It was then that they were able to recover the ships’ cipher code, keeping it from falling into the hands of the enemy.
However, again a concrete diving program was put on the back burner until 1912, when Chief Gunner George Stillson set up an experimental diving program at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He himself began experimenting with dive tables and reaching new depths. He set a world-acclaimed record in 1914 when he dove to a depth of 274 feet. This spurred Congress into investing more money into the diving program, and a few years later another record was made to a depth of 304 feet.
With the advent of submarine technology, and more accidents happening underwater, people became aware of the need of trained divers available for rescues. Spurred on by this pressure, the Navy developed better gas mixtures, diving techniques, and methods for saving men trapped on submarines.
In 1917, the US Bureau of Construction and Repair introduces the Mark V diving helmet which becomes standard for US Navy divers until the 1970s.
In 1934, the first regulator appears – initially developed for use by firefighters it was soon adapted for underwater exploration.
World War II comes around in 1942, and in France Emile Gagnan is introduced to Jacques Cousteau. The two begin to work on the first modern demand regulator. During the war, various nations use “frogmen” – the earliest tactical combat scuba divers – in various capacities. One of the most fascinating being in the use of “human torpedos” – underwater propelled vehicles that a diver would use to approach an enemy ship, attach a limpet mine, and then ride away.
After the war, Jacques Cousteau is ordered to create the underwater research unit for the French Navy. He develops a scuba diving set which he calls the “aqualung” – which allows him and men on his underwater research team to spend more time underwater, allowing for more filming and exploration.
In 1952, the first modern wetsuit is invented, and that same year Cousteau’s Aqualung goes on sale in the US. Follwing this, public interest in scuba diving takes hold, and National Geographic Magazine publishes an article about Cousteau and his underwater adventures.
Cousteau’s first film, The Silent World, receives worldwide acclaim in 1956, and the underwater world is exposed to even more people. PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is founded in 1966.
Since then, scuba diving has seen rapidly advancing technology in the form of better rebreathers, dive computers, and gas mixtures, allowing for safer and more efficient dives.
Who knows what the future will hold for diving and underwater exploration! I, for one, can’t wait to see.