History of the Scuba Tank

Even though the Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) tank is fairly common today, it has only been around in its present form for a fairly short time. However, mankind has spent nearly 2,000 years trying to develop a way for divers to spend more than a few short moments underwater.

  1. Ancient History

    • In the first millennia B.C., the Greeks invented the diving bladder, an oiled leather pouch with a cord around its neck. To take a breath, the diver needed to loosen the cord.

      Aristotle recorded divers using a device that resembled the diving bell, an airtight chamber suspended by cables into the water. The pressure from the water would keep the air trapped in the bell. Divers would swim up under the bell and take a breath, which let them spend more time under water.

    Renaissance

    • In the 15th century, Leonardo Da Vinci envisioned the air tank, along with other devices to explore underwater. He never actually acted on his idea, though. His drawings showed a diver equipped with snorkels and an air tank carried at the chest.

    Industrial Age

    • Actual gas tanks did not appear until the late 19th century. In 1876, Henry Fleuss designed a self-contained diving rig that used compressed oxygen. However, the use of compressed air and oxygen led to cases of decompression sickness. As diving knowledge grew, the danger from decompression lessened.

    World War II

    • In 1937, George Commeinhes invented a two-cylinder underwater breathing apparatus. However, the start of WWII forced him to halt developing and refining it.

      The first scuba tank appeared in 1940. It combined an air cylinder with a re-breather, allowing the diver to use less air from the tank, therefore letting the diver spend more time underwater.

      In 1943, Jacques Cousteau invented the aqua lung, an open-circuit breathing apparatus. Gas flows from the scuba tank to the diver and out into the water. It didn't have the same risks as there were with the "closed-circuit" re-breather scuba tanks.

    Post-War

    • After the war, the public learned of the new scuba tank technology. Interested people began searching for ways to purchase the new tanks. In 1950, the Cousteau-designed aqualungs went on sale in Britain; however they were very expensive. In 1952, they reached the civilian markets in the U.S. A 1953 National Geographic article increased public awareness, and soon manufacturers were producing the equipment as quickly as possible.

      Scuba tanks have remained much the same since their development in the 1940s. Other than improvements in materials and gases, the tank itself remains largely the same.