Please can you help us?!

[Kymberneon1]

Hello! I am in search of some information for my roommate's 9 year old son. He has to have information for his class regarding who actually invented the sport of scuba diving.....this information is needed in class by tommorrow....Please e-mail me directly if you can help with the name of the inventor! Thank you so much!

KymJones@LivinLoud.com

 

[Rick Murchison]

Mankind has been carrying some sort of "Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus" (SCUBA) under water for centuries. The Greeks experimented with wineskins, for example. When we think of SCUBA equipment today, we are usually thinking of the compressed air tank and air delivery apparatus (called a regulator) developed by Emile Gagnon and Jaques Cousteau. Cousteau is generally credited with bring SCUBA to the recreational diver at the close of World War II.
Rick

 

[Tom]

Yeah - but what was the name of the Greek guy?

Didn't they try laying on thier back and breathing through reeds too? But I guess that would be the first snorkel.
Sounds like something to try in a stock tank.

Tom

 

[Kymberneon1]

Thank you so much both of you! You were a tremendous help! Found the name of the Greek: Franz Kessler! :0) Have a great night!

Kym

 

[vr]

Franz Kessler is not a Greek name. It soumds more Austrian, possibly German.

You'll find some information on diving's history at http://www.mtsinai.org/pulmonary/books/scuba/contents.htm There are also some other resources listed at http://diverlink.com/history.htm though most deal with much more recent history

 

[Kymberneon1]

Well....duh!! Too tired to be doing fourth grade homework tonight! Anyway....we did find more info...here is what Encarta said on the matter:


***In 1616 German inventor Franz Kessler built a diving bell that extended to the diver's ankles. His design created a larger air pocket for divers to breathe, and the lowered water level made it easier to see the ocean floor.

The GREEK that they had previously referred to was Aristotle himself! ;-) So again, thank you all for your help...project is completed and we have one happy fourth grader tucked in bed knowing more than ever about scuba diving! Thanks!! Have a great night!

Kym and Joshua (The happy fourth grader!!)

 

[Mario S Caner]

In 415 BC there is evidence that Greek divers destroyed booms in Syracuse. Aristotle wrote his book Problemata around 360 BC, where he refers to using equipment, but doesn't mention clearly what the equipment looked like. In the same book Aristotle also mentions a diving bell used by Alexander the great in the seige of Tyre (which is now Lebanon)

The PADI recreational diving encyclopedia on CD-Rom has a wealth of information in it regarding this and many other subjects.