A Brief History of Diving Tech: 9 Milestones
Diving has evolved extensively since the Pre-Industrial Era...we've come a long way. Here are some notable achievements in scuba diving tech history.
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1772 - First Diving Dress
Siuer Fréminet designed the first diving dress which used a compressed-air reservoir. Documents indicate Fréminet used this successfully for ten years.
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1808 - First Rebreather
The first rebreather was patented by a mechanic in Napoleon's Imperial Navy, although there is no documentation of a prototype.
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1838 - First Regulator
A twin hose demand regulator was invented by Dr. Manuel Theodore Guillaumet. Users could dive for 30 minutes without a dive suit, but they had to be in cold water.
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1893 - First underwater camera
Louis Boutan takes the first underwater picture after successfully inventing an underwater camera.
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1914 - Modern Fins Invented
Louis De Corlieu invents the modern day fin during the first world war for the French Navy.
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1952 - First Wetsuit
Hugh Bradner invented the modern day wet at UC San Diego out of neoprene, the same material used today.
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1966 - PADI starts
The Professional Association of Diving Instructors was started in Illinois by John Cronin and Ralph Erickson over a bottle of scotch.
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2006 - Atmospheric Diving Suit
A US Navy Diver was able to reach 2000ft while wearing an ADS.
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2014 - New O2 Storing Material
As shared by [Jessica Vyvyan-Robinson](http://scubadiverlife.com/2014/10/10/new-oxygen-storing-substance-change-future-scuba/), a Danish team of researchers have created a material similar to hemoglobin in the blood which binds to oxygen from the lungs.
