Jacques Cousteau
Jacques Cousteau devoted his life to ocean exploration after World War II. He bought a Calypso mining boat and traveled around the world in it, including to the Antarctic Circle. He performed experiments and collected data which he used to create the Calypso-Phot underwater camera and the SP-350 deep-sea, two-man submarine.
Cousteau began to research the aqua lung, which is a new breathing apparatus. This apparatus allowed Cousteau, although it could only be used for shallow dives, to control his airflow. Cousteau discovered that there was a better way for air to flow to help him explore the depths. The demand regulator was the result of his experiments. Air can only flow on demand. This invention would aid divers in increasing their air supply while avoiding decompression sickness.
Yves le Prieur
Yves le Prieur's contributions to scubadiving date back to early 1900s. In 1946, he created a fullface mask that had a loose face plate. This was to be used as a demand regulator's diaphragm. The diving regulator was his next invention.
In 1933, the first scuba diving apparatus was patent. This device combined the Fernez-Le-Prieur air supply system with the demand regulator invented by Denayrouze and Rouquayrol. This device changed the face of scuba diving by making underwater respirators affordable and more accessible. This was the birth of recreational diving.
Guy Gilpatric
Guy Gilpatric, a diver himself, has made many contributions to the history scuba diving. His articles in The Saturday Evening Post about scuba divers were among the first. He also wrote the first sport diving manual. His love of the sea and natural world led him to write about the Mediterranean. It is believed that the book inspired Jacques Cousteau to develop modern scuba diving.
In the early 20th-century, the invention of modern scuba diving equipment began. Guy Gilpatric an American marine biologist invented a system that allowed divers access to air without the use or surface air. Later, Yves Le Prier invents an underwater system for self-contained breathing. Owen Churchill purchased the system. The scuba diving rig was soon popular. Guy Gilpatric then developed rubber goggles with glass lenses, face masks, snorkels, swim fins, and a high-pressure air tank.
Yves Gagnan
Divers had to rely on air hoses to reach the surface, as well as diving bells and helmets at the beginning century. Yves Gagnan, a Parisian engineer, helped to design a demand valve. The new device could provide compressed air on demand and adjust to the pressure in the water. This discovery allowed people from all walks of life to explore the oceans.
Gagnan was born 1900 in Burgundy in France. After graduating from college he worked for Air Liquide, where he studied high pressure pneumatics design. This led to the creation of the scuba equipment we use today.