The story of scuba diving goes way back, centuries in fact, but it took a long time before modern diving actually developed.

In the beginning, people discovered simple ways to breathe underwater. One of the first experiences dates back to 500 BC when a Greek solider used a hollow reed to breath underwater for hours. Enter, the world’s first snorkel!

Later, it was believed that Aristotle himself used a barrel as a diving bell to hide during the siege of Tyre.

In the 1940s, our very own Jacques Cousteau and engineer Emilie Gagnan began creating equipment. With that, recreational diving was born.

In 1966, PADI was born and the rest, as they say, is diving history.

For more on the highlights of scuba’s history visit PADI’s historic journey here.