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History of recreational scuba diving

History of recreational scuba diving and the man who invented Aqua-Lung

History of recreational scuba diving in Bali is a long one. The first recorded dive taking place in the 1930s. However, it was not until the 1970s and 1980s that the island began to establish itself as a popular destination for scuba diving. This was in part due to the efforts of local divers and dive operators who worked to promote the island’s rich marine life and clear waters. In the 1990s, Bali’s dive industry continued to grow. More and more divers discovered the island’s beautiful coral reefs and diverse marine life. Today, Bali remains a popular destination for scuba diving. There are many dive shops and operators offering a wide range of diving experiences. It’s a great place for beginner dives to advanced technical diving.

The Sea Around Us: The Life and Legacy of Jacques-Yves Cousteau

In remembrance of Jacques-Yves Cousteau The man who invented diving and scuba devices. Of course, including the Aqua-Lung. We are grateful that diving has become available to everyone, recall the history of recreational scuba diving.

Recreational scuba diving grew out of related activities such as Snorkeling and underwater hunting. For a long time, recreational underwater excursions were limited by breath-hold time. The invention of the aqualung in 1943 by Émile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves Cousteau and the wetsuit in 1952 by University of California, Berkeley physicist, Hugh Bradner and its development over subsequent years led to a revolution in recreational diving. However, for much of the 1950s and early 1960s, recreational scuba diving was a sport limited to those who were able to afford or make their own kit, and prepared to undergo intensive training to use it.

Until the early 1950s, navies and other organizations performing professional diving were the only providers of diver training. But it was only for their own personnel and only using their own types of equipment. The first scuba diving school was opened in France to train the owners of the Cousteau and Gagnan designed twin-hose scuba. The first school to teach single hose scuba was started in 1953, in Melbourne, Australia, at the Melbourne City Baths. RAN Commander Batterham organized the school to assist the inventor of the single hose regulator, Ted Eldred. However, neither of these schools was international in nature.

Beneath the Surface: The Development of Scuba Diving Certification and Safety Standards

There were no formal training courses available to civilians who bought the early scuba equipment. Some of the first training started in 1952 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. There Andy Rechnitzer, Bob Dill and Connie Limbaugh taught the first scuba courses in the United States. Then in 1953 Trevor Hampton created the first British diving school, the British Underwater Centre and in 1954 when Los Angeles County created an Underwater Instructor Certification Course based on the training that they received from the scientific divers of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Early instruction developed in the format of amateur teaching within a club environment. It was exemplified by organizations such as the Scottish Sub Aqua Club and the British Sub Aqua Club from 1953, Los Angeles County from 1954 and the YMCA from 1959.

January 1957: 15 national diving federations agreed to found Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS). CMAS succeeded the Comité des Sports Sous-Marins (Underwater Sports Committee) of the Confédération Internationale de la Pêche Sportive (CIPS) (International Confederation of Sport Fishing), which was founded on 22 February 1952.

An international congress of diving federations representing all underwater disciplines met in Brussels on 28 September 1958. National Delegates attended from following countries: Belgium, Brazil, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Italy, Monaco, Portugal, Switzerland, the United States of America and the former Yugoslavia. Following a decision at that congress, a meeting was held in Monaco on 9–11 January 1959, which officially established the World Underwater Federation, with an acronym based on its French title as CMAS.

A founding member and key proponent of CMAS was the French underwater explorer and diving pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. He was chosen to be the inaugural President with Luigi Ferraro, Italian underwater pioneer, appointed as Vice-President.

Professional instruction started in 1959 when the non-profit NAUI was formed. It later effectively was split, to form the for-profit in 1966. The National Association of Scuba Diving Schools (NASDS) started with their dive center based training programs in 1962 followed by SSI in 1970. Professional Diving Instructors College was formed in 1965, changing its name in 1984 to Professional Diving Instructors Corporation (PDIC).

First edition of the Diving Manual by BSAC (British Sub-Aqua Club) appeared at January 1959 and cost ten shillings. It was written by George Brookes and Alan Broadhurst.

Exploring the Blue Frontier: A Look at the History of Recreational Scuba Diving

As the sport became more popular, manufacturers became aware of the potential market. Equipment began to appear that was easy to use, affordable and reliable. Continued advances in SCUBA technology, such as buoyancy compensators, improved diving regulators, wet or dry suits, and dive computers, increased the safety, comfort and convenience of the gear encouraging more people to train and use it.

Technical diving and the use of rebreathers are increasing, particularly in areas of the world where deeper wreck diving is the main underwater attraction. Generally, recreational diving depths are limited by the training agencies to a maximum of between 30 and 40 meters (100 and 130 feet). Beyond this, a variety of safety issues such as oxygen toxicity and nitrogen narcosis significantly increase the risk of diving using recreational diving equipment and practices, and specialized skills and equipment for technical diving are needed.

The world’s largest recreational diving membership and diver training organization is Professional Association of Diving Instructors ( ). As of March 2017 is reported to have issued 25 million scuba certifications.


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