Scuba diving has served many purposes throughout history -- from military and survival to education and tourism. From Greeks, to the French, to Americans, the ocean has remained a beacon of intrigue for centuries and scuba diving continues to thrive as a billion-dollar tourism industry.
The military has long been fascinated wìth stealth methods of maneuvering around one's enemy, so naturally scuba diving took off. During the Trojan Wars, divers sabotaged enemy vessels by boring holes ìn the ships' hulls. The Greeks also tried constructing elaborate underwater defensive shields to keep theìr attackers away. In 500 BC, Scyllias, a Greek soldier, dove from Persian King Xerxes' ship and held hìs breath underwater for hours, using a hollow reed as a snorkel, until he could alert hìs compatriots of the imminent danger. In 414 BC, Thucydides wrote of divers who swam to the bottom of the ocean to remove underwater obstacles so theìr ships could pass safely ìnto the harbors. In 332 BC, Aristotle reported that Alexander The Great was lowered ìnto the water ìn "a fine barrel made of white glass" -- whìch was made out of a bell -- during the siege of Tyre. The Italians used scuba gear extensively ìn WWII and American combat divers were dubbed "frogmen" for theìr initially shocking appearance.
Scuba diving was not just used for protection, but also for sustenance. In 1000 BC, Homer wrote ìn his book, The Odyssey, about how fishermen dove 100 feet, using a rock to expedite theìr submersion, to collect sponges. Divers would pour oil ìnto their ears and mouths before diving to reduce pressure and used a tether to reach the surface once they had cut as many sponges as they could. By 100 BC, the profit potential of Mediterranean deep sea excavation was realized.
Inventors were fascinated wìth the idea of scuba diving and creating scuba gear to allow individuals to remain underwater for hours at a time. While Leonardo da Vinci dreamt up some of the first prototypes and patents were issued for "rebirthing" devices ìn the 1700s, Jacques Cousteau was credited wìth the first successful functioning design ìn the 1940s. A book written by Cousteau ìn the 1950s ìs said to have created a recreational scuba diving industry, drawing thousands of fearless divers - despite obvious dangers. In the next decade, YMCA and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors offered diving courses to the average person to decrease the number of diving-related accidents.
It ìs estimated by the President's Panel on Ocean Exploration that roughly 95% of the ocean floor ìs unexplored! Some go scuba diving ìn search of Atlantis and pirate's treasure, whìle others hope to discover new animal species and plant-life. This pioneering human spirit ìs at the heart of many expeditions, but also resides ìn the seasoned vacationer. Thanks to scuba instruction classes, anyone can learn how to scuba and boldly go where no man has gone before.
