Although it may seem totally untrue, the first diving teams have been in practice for many years. Currently, each of the diving materials are at the forefront, but their origins date back hundreds of years.
The first mask
Diving is one of the oldest aquatic sports that exist, which is why since time immemorial they have tried to find a solution so that the human eye could see correctly underwater. In that case, the craftsmen of ancient Greece managed to make, possibly, the first diving masks, composed of wood and coupled glass.
Already in the Middle Ages, fishermen in the Persian Gulf put on a mask made of polished turtle shell that would end up being completely transparent like glass, according to the Moroccan traveler Ibn Batuta strong>in the year 1331.
Although it was not until 1935 when the first ones, made of rubber and glass were produced industrially in France, they have evolved to the ones we see today. day we can use it if we want to practice scuba diving.
The history of the snorkel
The snorkel as we know it today has a truly inspiring and fascinating origin. Back in the year 360 BC. C., Aristotle in his work Problemata where everything related to the explanation of man under water is discussed, related how men equipped with an "elephant trunk", They explored theseabed.
Many years later, the Roman Pliny the Elder (32-79 AD), in his book "Natural History" (written in 77 AD) tells how soldiers in Their actions in the water used a snorkel in which one end is put in the mouth and the other end is kept afloat attached to a skin filled with air.
Air stored inside containers
For centuries, humanity looked for a way to use containers that contained air to be able to breathe underwater. From this search, the Greek bells or "lebetas" emerged. Aristotle relates how, in the year 360 BC. From C., the men who were dedicated to collecting various species used large weighted bells to breathe the air inside. The divers in apnea entered to breathe and They came out of their interior to continue working, without having to return to the surface each time.
Do you want know more? Read: Diving bells
The use of countless types and designs of bells lasted for hundreds of years, with the technique of apnea diving, whose effectiveness was limited. to the ability to hold their breath of those who practiced it. The air contained in the bell decreased in percentage of O2 and increased in CO2, depending on the number of divers using it, the volume it contained and the depth at which it was located.
The air was maintained at ambient pressure, as it was open at the bottom and water entered and compressed the air inside. There were individual bells of different sizes: with which the diver could move a few meters walking along the bottom, like that of the German Kessler; fixed on vessels of larger size and, therefore, autonomy, which could be used by several at the same time to collect objects.
The world of diving is truly fascinating. Its history and since truly immemorial times, work has been done to ensure that the dives, regardless of the place in which they are carried out, were as satisfactory as possible.
