A Brief History of Scuba Diving

Scuba diving is a marine sport that is pretty muchway to Xerxes' fleet, cutting every ship off from its
enjoyed by water babies. Actually, SCUBA is anmoorings. He used a reed as his snorkel so that he
acronym for "Self Contained Underwater Breathcouldn't be seen. Afterwards, he swam nine miles
Apparatus".(approximately 15 kilometers) and joined his fellow
Through the development of technology, scubaGreeks.
diving continues to evolve. At the moment, divingMove on to the 16th century when people started
activities pertaining to scuba include:using diving bells which were the first effective
- recreational divingapparatus used in staying under water for a long
- public safety divingperiod of time. The bell was held at a stationary level
- technical diving which includes ice diving, wreckwhich is few feet away from the surface. The
diving, cave diving and deep divingbottom was open to water while the top contained
- military divingair compressed with the water pressure.
- commercial divingThe diver stood upright and held his head in the air.
- scientific divingThen he could leave the bell so that he could collect
History of scuba-diving goes back centuries. Men andsponges or explore the bottom of the sea.
women have practiced holding their breathAfterwards, he returned to the bell to get air. He
underwater way before the apparatus for the sportcould keep on doing this till the bell was no longer
was invented.breathable.
Indirect origins come in the form of ancient artifactsAt that time, England and France were manufacturing
found in Greece showing divers hunting for spongesfull diving suits. These were made from leather and
and sometimes engaged in military endeavors. Theused to submerge under 60 feet. The air was
most popular would be the story of Scyllis datingpumped from underneath the surface through manual
back in the 500 BC as quoted by the famous Greekpumps. Later on, metal helmets were made in order
historian Herodotus.to hold greater water pressure for divers who went
The story goes that during the Grecian navaldeeper.
campaign, Scyllis was held captive by Xerxes I, the19th century, scientific researches led by French Paul
Persian King. Upon knowing that Xerxes wasBert and Scottish John Scott Haldane concluded the
attacking the Greek fleet, Scyllis grabbed a knife andeffects of water pressure within the body. From
jumped overboard.these study, compressed air pumps, regulators and
Persians couldn't find Scyllis. They assumed that hecarbon dioxide led to the creation of the Scuba diving
drowned. At night, Scyllis resurfaced and swam all theapparatus we know today.