Scuba diving is often looked upon as a window into a different world. People often wonder what its history is, some famous dive sites, and about its dangers. Its history is full of interesting facts.
II. History.
a. When, where, and by whom scuba diving was started? .
1. The first way people were able to be under the water was by breath-hold diving.
2. an example of an early breath-hold dive- around 500 B.C. During a naval campaign, the Greek Scyllis was taken captive by the Persian king. Scyllis learned of his plan of overtaking a greek flatilla.captured a knife and jumped over board. Persians thought he had drowned.he had been using hollow reed as snorkel. That night Scyllis cut all of the king's ships from their moorings and swam 9 miles back to rejoin the greeks off cape artemisium.
3. People then discovered that this method wasn't much use when trying to go to the deeper parts of any body of water because at a certain depth, it becomes impossible to breathe through a tube.
4. Diving bells invented 16th century- supplied with air from the surface- perhaps the first effective way of staying underwater for any length of time- basically it was a room with compressed air lowered into the water- bottom part was open, top part was closed. Pressure from the water on the top part of the room kept air compressed- so that a diver standing up would have head in air-diver left the diving bell to collect sponge/explore and came back for air.repeated until air was no longer usable.
5. In the 19th century, 2 scientists (Paul Bert from France and John Scott from Scotland) made headway in the investigation of water pressure on the body, and the safety limits when people are diving with compressed air.
b. Why?.
1. Ever since it was invented, scuba diving has been used for several purposes. .
2. these reasons were- to sink ships, to hunt for food, uncover artifacts, repair ships, and to even discover more about marine life.
