Here we have two men that have escaped from the clutches of the bad guys who are bewildered at their sudden disappearance.
The two escapees were resourceful enough
to use hollow reeds as snorkels and hide under water.
Take close note to the man in the foreground who is using a rock for negative buoyancy which will keep him pinned down to the bottom.
All of the black and white drawings in this section of the Scuba Breather website are actual U.S. patented designs. Let's take a look at some and evaluate them.
The color drawings are designs that actually did work, and were used at some time in history, allowing man to
"breathe underwater".
This design delivers compressed air to the divers mouthpiece by the pumping of his legs. As his legs move back and forth, air will get compressed from the pump attached to his back.
Does this thing actually work? Although extremely questionable, this device probably does work - but it is simply not practical.
Quite the contraption!
Seems like a typical snorkel. Actually, the key patented feature here is an extra tube that will exhaust the used, carbon dioxide laden air. Common snorkels do not have this feature - so the diver is re-breathing "oxygen depleted air". This drawback is noticeable to most divers, but it is tolerable.
Having this snorkel directly in front of the face is questionable. If the snorkel was placed off to the side (like the snorkels that are available nowdays), it would be much more comfortable to use.
A diver catching Florida lobster.
Some people may think this is not "fair fishing."
In reality, it's much more difficult than you think! To catch a lobster by hand requires skill, patience, and countless hours of practice.
A diver in a full pressure suit getting air from a surface supplied hand operated compressor sitting on the shore or in a boat. Probably the most effective dive system available at that time - designed by Jacques Cousteau, 1952.
Some people feel like their pets need to get in on the act.
Seems like animal cruelty to me!
Yes, this was a U.S. patented item.
Now we've seen it all!
Diving for untold treasures.
See the story about Mel Fisher where he, after endless searching, found over 40 tons of gold and silver from a 1622 Spanish galleon wreck off the coast of Florida.
Diving bells. The bell at the left is open at the bottom and filled with air, allowing divers to leave, work, and return for a breath of air.
The bell at the right was and still is in use today for extremely deep decents into the ocean. The divers aboard cannot leave from inside, but can observe the outsides through a thick glass port window. They also can perform limited work by the use of mechanical manipulator arms built onto the outside of the bell and operated by personnel on the inside. A system similar to this was used to observe the Titanic ocean liner once she was found 11,000 feet deep in the Atlantic. Take note to the floodlights used on the bell. At the depths we are talking about, 100% of the suns light is blocked out!
The breathing air for this system is a carbon dioxide scrubbing re-breather system where the scrubbing catalyst is used up as time bears on.
Diver using a typical snorkel.
It's fun, easy, very inexpensive, and a good way to start. But the real adventures start when you can go deeper and stay down there for extra close inspection of the wild life.
A diver using a surface supplied breathing air system.
This particular system is running a compressor from battery power which is stored in the floating unit on the surface.
Compared to other electrical devices, it takes a lot of power to run a compressor.
Dive systems which utilize a gasoline powered engine to run a compressor should be avoided at all cost. There is a severe carbon monoxide poisoning hazard when using a gasoline or diesel engine within close proximity to the intake of a breathing air compressor.
A similar surface supplied diving system is being used in the below drawing.
This young chap is using a re-breathing system. Exhaled carbon dioxide laden air is scrubbed with chemicals then returned to the diver for inhalation.
These systems are used by Navy Seals for underwater espionage, as the unit does not give off tell tale bubbles.
The disadvantage of course, is that the scrubbing chemical needs to be replaced or regenerated after each dive, making it totally impractical for sport diving.
One look at this contraption is enough to make anyone forget about diving! Actually it looks more like a nuclear weapon.
We have to realize that the U.S. patent office grants patents on their originality or uniqueness - not on their practically or even their ability to function!
This item actually warrants some commendable mention.
What we have here is a system utilizing a surface supplied air compressor. But this system is capable of de-coupling the breathing air line from the divers equipment and breathing is continued by the use of an air storage tank on his back! The diver can then move about for a short time until the storage tank runs low on air, then he can reattach the airline for another tank refill - impressive.
The diver here is collecting beer cans that can be cashed in for 1 cent each.
Future -
Traffic in the ocean depths gets so hectic that "traffic control" stations are needed.
Apply now for a job!
Another cockamamie mess just to breath air underwater.
This bright fellow got his head into a glass bubble which he will never be able to get off of his head - the rest was history...
Another snazzy snorkel.
Actually the spear gun is more impressive.
This looks like a cozy thing to have wrapped around you face! Caution: not to be used by people who are claustrophobic.
Another surface supplied diving system - designed in 1909.
This system is different than some of the other surface supplied diving systems we've seen. Here, a loose fitting glass bell is worn over the head of the diver. Fresh breathing air is brought down to the diver by one of the hoses, and simultaneously fills the entire bell with air. Note here that no air tight seal around the divers head exists. As long as the diver keeps his head upright, water will not enter the bell because of the counteracting pressure of the air. The diver can now breath air because his entire head is encapsulated in an air atmosphere. The second hose is for exhaust air.
Designed in 1887!
Believe it or not, these systems are gaining popularity in modern diving. The only difference being the dependability of the compressor system and the comfort of the head gear. The diver must always keep his head in an upright position.
