Education – All Things Diving

Robert Boyle publish his law of ideal gas

Boyle's book, New experiments physico-mechnical Touching The Spring of the Air and its effects

Boyle’s law was first published in 1662 by Robert Boyle in his book titled; New Experiments Physico-Mechanical, Touching the Spring of the Air, and its Effects. His theory is a fundamental principle of physics that applies to all diving as well as other common things.

Boyle’s law states that, at a constant temperature, the product of the pressure and volume of a given mass of an ideal gas in a closed system is always constant.This have allowed us to understand many aspects of diving. Simple things like equalization, as well as a foundation of further research that lead to the decompression theory we know and use today.

Research on helium oxygen breathing mixtures starts

It was in the year 1924 that research on helium oxygen mixtures as a breathing gas really started. Tests were conducted in laboratory on animals by the chemist Joel Henry Hildebrand with R. R. Sayers and W. P. Yant from the Bureau of Mines. However it was not until 1939 when the first dive using helium-oxygen mixtures took place.

First decompression tables released to the public

1908 Haldane's Decompression table I in ft and psi

Haldane tables were adopted by the Admiralty Deep Diving committee of the Royal Navy after his report in 1908. It was also decided that they would be published and released to the public.

Haldane and the first staged decompression tables

1910 Portrait photo of John Scott Haldane

In 1908, The Prevention of Compressed-air Illness published by John Scott Haldane, Arthur Boycott and Guybon Damant covers the detailed studies of Leonard Hill and their own on the cause and symptoms of decompression sickness. The publication also has the first table proposing staged decompression with stops to stop and avoid decompression sickness.

Divers Alert Network or DAN is founded

Divers Alert Network or DAN was founded in 1980 as a non-profit organization. Then named NDAN or National Diving Accident Network, its main goal was the establishment of a 24-hour emergency hotline for with quick access to physicians who specialized in the recognition, care, transport and recompression therapy of diving injuries.

ANDI or American Nitrox Divers, Inc. is founded

In 1988, ANDI or the Association of Nitrox Divers Inc. is formed to fill the education gap needed for the safe use of other breathing gases than air. Dick Rutkowski the man behind ANDI is the NOAA Diving/Hyperbaric Training and Diver Treatment Facility founder and first director.

The first diving manual written by Charles Deane

1836 Book Cover Method of using Deane's patent diving apparatus

In 1836, Charles Anthony Deane wrote and published the first diving manual. In the manual he explains the use of his diving apparatus. Warning readers about copies of it that could be dangerous and unwarranted. The manual also covers subject such as signals, maintenance and operation of the surface air supply.

Boyle demonstrate unknowingly the theory of decompression sickness

Robert Boyle, using a viper under vacuum noted for the first time the formation of bubbles in living tissues. This is from the lowering ambient pressure that forces gas out of the tissues. This discovery made in 1760 stayed ignored for almost 200 years.

Abbe Jean de Hautefeuille writes “The art of breathing underwater”

Cover of the 1681 book fom Jean de Hautefeuille, L'art de respirer sous l'eau

Abbe Jean de Hautefeuille a priest, inventor and physicist write the book named “L’art de respirer sous l’eau”. French title for the Art of breathing underwater. In this book written in 1681, he explains for the first time why it is impossible for humans to breathe from the normal surface pressure while submerged.