The patenting of devices and the scuba outfit

The next development was the patenting of devices for open-circuit scuba, providing a supply of air for the use of the diver, rather than treating the oxygen to allow rebreathing of the same supply. In 1925, Commander Le Prieur of the French Navy developed a self-contained unit with cylinders of compressed air rather than oxygen. The apparatus was basically an open-circuit scuba. However, its defect lay in the fact that the flow of air was regulated manually by the diver. This feature resulted in excessive use of the limited air supply.

The Aqualung

The final step toward a scuba outfit that would meet the needs of water sportsmen came in 1943, when Commander Cousteau, another French naval officer, brought out the Cousteau-Cagan aqualung. This device also utilized cylinders of compressed air, but was equipped with a demand regulator which adjusted the air pressure automatically and supplied air to the diver as needed. Basically this equipment was identical to Rouquayrol’s except that it had a much larger air supply. The cylinder of the aqualung held high pressure air (2,000 pounds per square inch) rather than the lower pressure air (500 pounds per square inch) available to Rouquayrol. The greater air supply naturally gives the diver a much longer time beneath the surface. Since 1943 many individuals and companies have developed demand regulators based on Rouquayrol’s principles, and with minor changes this type of open-circuit equipment is in wide use today.

Scuba diving is one form of water sport that has commercial possibilities. Propeller and ship bottom inspections are natural scuba functions. Recovery of equipment and almost any form of underwater work are possible with scuba at depths down to 200 feet, although at that depth the underwater time is extremely short. In some areas scuba divers have worked with oyster and clam fishermen. In addition to the sheer enjoyment of underwater swimming and exploration, scuba has added new dimension to spearfishing, underwater photography, salvage and wreck exploration, and the collection of specimens for marine biology study.

The establishment in 1954 of the United States Naval School, Underwater Swimmers, in Key West, Florida, has done much to increase the safety of scuba diving. Many alumni of the school now in civilian life are instructing others in safe scuba diving, and the Y.M.C.A. has based much of its scuba training on the work done at that school.

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