First published in 2007, the Diving Almanac celebrates the achievements of a unique group of people that share a passion for underwater adventure and discovery. Ten years later, the Diving Almanac has become the world’s only central body of information for diving records, personalities and history, and it is 100% FREE.
LABAN, André
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 14, 2017
Underwater photographer; filmmaker; world’s first underwater painter; musician; longtime crewmember and diver of the Cousteau Society; chemical engineer; co-designer and [...]
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First underwater painter
By Jeffrey Gallant | Apr 11, 2017
André Laban (France), a chemical engineer, cinematographer, cellist, and pioneer diver of Équipe Cousteau, started painting underwater in 1966. Laban was a member of [...]
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COUSTEAU, Jean-Michel
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 1, 2017
Explorer; environmentalist; educator; film producer; architect; President of Ocean Futures; longest active diver in the world; produced over 75 films; member of the world's first scuba [...]
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Longest active diver [Men]
By Jeffrey Gallant | Apr 7, 2018
Jean-Michel Cousteau (USA, France) made his first Aqua-Lung dive near Toulon (France) at the age of 7 in 1945. He has since led hundreds of expeditions [...]
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COUSTEAU, Philippe
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 1, 2017
Environmentalist; explorer; film producer; lead cinematographer for multiple Cousteau Society films; pilot; dove for the first time in 1945 at the age of four using a miniature version of the [...]
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![Longest underwater human chain [Ocean]](https://divingalmanac.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Human_Chain_4.jpg)
Longest underwater human chain [Ocean]
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 29, 2017
386 — The group of divers led by Pavan Arilton, owner of Dixie Divers in Deerfield Beach (Florida), was linked in a human chain off the Deerfield Beach [...]
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MIRON, Ionel, Ph.D.
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 15, 2017
Associate Professor at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Iasi, Romania; biologist; aquanaut (Romania LS-1); Director of the SALMO Lacustris Dive Programme; pioneer of [...]
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![Longest stay in an underwater habitat [Europe]](https://divingalmanac.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1994_romania_habitat_2.jpg)
Longest stay in an underwater habitat [Europe]
By Jeffrey Gallant | Apr 23, 2017
36 days | Lacustris Programme (Romania) — Aquanauts Liviu Miron & Constantin Mihai set the European record of 36 days [...]
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HUGHES, Peter
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 11, 2017
Pioneer of the dive liveaboard industry; conservationist; founder of Peter Hughes Diving (Dancer Fleet) in 1986; founder of DivEncounters Alliance; has operated eight dive resorts [...]
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Anthony’s Key Resort is founded on Roatan
By Jeffrey Gallant | Jun 14, 2018
[1968] Julio Galindo Sr. and his wife, Cheryl Galindo, welcome their first guests on the island of Roatán, Honduras. Anthony’s Key Resort has since become [...]
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de CORLIEU, Louis Marie
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 2, 2017
Inventor of swim fins; demonstrated his first fin prototype to a group of French naval officers, including Yves Le Prieur, in 1914; received his first European patent for [...]
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![First underwater movie [Filmed on scuba]](https://divingalmanac.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/epaves_1943_4.jpg)
First underwater movie [Filmed on scuba]
By Jeffrey Gallant | Jun 14, 2018
Épaves | 1943 — Jacques-Yves Cousteau directed and produced Épaves, the first underwater movie filmed by scuba divers. Filming began [...]
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Largest octopus
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 9, 2017
The giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) weighs up to 272 kg (600 lbs) and can reach lengths up to 7.3 m (24 ft) from opposing arm tips. Average weight is 23-40 kg [...]
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![First underwater movie [Filmed by freedivers]](https://divingalmanac.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Hass_movie_R1.jpg)
First underwater movie [Filmed by freedivers]
By Jeffrey Gallant | Apr 9, 2017
Pirsch unter Wasser | 1940 — Hans Hass directed and produced Pirsch unter Wasser (Underwater Stalking), the first underwater movie [...]
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Clearest water
By Jeffrey Gallant | Feb 9, 2017
80 m (262 ft) or the approximate visibility of distilled water. A few locations are claimed to equal the visibility of distilled water, including the Weddell Sea (Antarctica), New Zealand’s [...]
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World’s deepest fish?
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 29, 2018
Depending on where you get your information, the Mariana snailfish, a.k.a. Swire's snailfish, is not the world's deepest fish nor is there a depth limit beyond which fish can live [...]
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Farthest point from land
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 23, 2017
2,688 km (1,670 mi) — The oceanic pole of inaccessibility, a.k.a. Point Nemo (48°52.6′S 123°23.6′W), lies in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Pitcairn Islands and [...]
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TAYLOR, Valerie
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 22, 2017
Pioneer underwater explorer; filmmaker and photographer; shark expert; first to film the white shark; ocean conservationist; helped get the white shark and the grey [...]
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First biofluorescent reptile
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 3, 2017
Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) — In September 2015, scientists reported observing biofluorescence in a reptile for the first time when the shell [...]
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Outstanding women every scuba diver should know
By Jeffrey Gallant | Feb 11, 2017
These trailblazing underwater women have inspired so many divers to follow their passion and make a difference [...]
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The records chapter showcases over 650 underwater feats and firsts by humans, machines and animals. If you are looking for the world’s deepest scuba diver, freediver, fish or submersible, they’re all here. The 16 categories include scuba diving, freediving, submersibles, oceanography, biology, and underwater art.
First underwater painter
By Jeffrey Gallant | Apr 11, 2017
André Laban (France), a chemical engineer, cinematographer, cellist, and pioneer diver of Équipe Cousteau, started painting underwater in 1966. Laban was a member of [...]
Read More
Longest active diver [Men]
By Jeffrey Gallant | Apr 7, 2018
Jean-Michel Cousteau (USA, France) made his first Aqua-Lung dive near Toulon (France) at the age of 7 in 1945. He has since led hundreds of expeditions [...]
Read More
Longest underwater human chain [Ocean]
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 29, 2017
386 — The group of divers led by Pavan Arilton, owner of Dixie Divers in Deerfield Beach (Florida), was linked in a human chain off the Deerfield Beach [...]
Read More
Longest stay in an underwater habitat [Europe]
By Jeffrey Gallant | Apr 23, 2017
36 days | Lacustris Programme (Romania) — Aquanauts Liviu Miron & Constantin Mihai set the European record of 36 days [...]
Read More
First underwater movie [Filmed on scuba]
By Jeffrey Gallant | Jun 14, 2018
Épaves | 1943 — Jacques-Yves Cousteau directed and produced Épaves, the first underwater movie filmed by scuba divers. Filming began [...]
Read More
Largest octopus
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 9, 2017
The giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) weighs up to 272 kg (600 lbs) and can reach lengths up to 7.3 m (24 ft) from opposing arm tips. Average weight is 23-40 kg [...]
Read More
First underwater movie [Filmed by freedivers]
By Jeffrey Gallant | Apr 9, 2017
Pirsch unter Wasser | 1940 — Hans Hass directed and produced Pirsch unter Wasser (Underwater Stalking), the first underwater movie [...]
Read More
Clearest water
By Jeffrey Gallant | Feb 9, 2017
80 m (262 ft) or the approximate visibility of distilled water. A few locations are claimed to equal the visibility of distilled water, including the Weddell Sea (Antarctica), New Zealand’s [...]
Read More
World’s deepest fish?
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 29, 2018
Depending on where you get your information, the Mariana snailfish, a.k.a. Swire's snailfish, is not the world's deepest fish nor is there a depth limit beyond which fish can live [...]
Read More
Farthest point from land
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 23, 2017
2,688 km (1,670 mi) — The oceanic pole of inaccessibility, a.k.a. Point Nemo (48°52.6′S 123°23.6′W), lies in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Pitcairn Islands and [...]
Read More
First biofluorescent reptile
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 3, 2017
Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) — In September 2015, scientists reported observing biofluorescence in a reptile for the first time when the shell [...]
Read More
![Deepest dive on scuba [Ocean | Men]](https://divingalmanac.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Gabr_Ahmed_10_Title.jpg)
Deepest dive on scuba [Ocean | Men]
By Jeffrey Gallant | Apr 4, 2017
332.35 m (1,090 ft) — Ahmed Gabr (Egypt), Dahab, Egypt, September 18, 2014. Time to descend to 335 m (1,100 ft) was 14 minutes but the actual [...]
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Slowest fish
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 22, 2017
Dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae) — 152 cm per hour (0.001 km/h) or 60 in. per hour (0.0009 mph). Size: 4.2 cm (1.7 in). The dwarf seahorse swims in an upright position using its [...]
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Most active submersible in service
By Jeffrey Gallant | Apr 19, 2017
Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) Alvin (a.k.a. DSV-2) — Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). On December 12, 2017, Alvin had [...]
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First link-up between submersible and ISS
By Jeffrey Gallant | Apr 19, 2017
January 26, 2007 — While diving in the Alvin submersible on the East Pacific Rise, WHOI marine biologist Tim Shank compared notes on science in extreme [...]
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Most people scuba diving simultaneously
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 29, 2017
2,486 — Manado, North Sulawesi (Indonesia), August 17, 2009. The record was set during Sail Bunaken 2009, a tourism event promoting Manado [...]
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![Most divers submerging simultaneously [Women]](https://divingalmanac.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Most_Women_R6.jpg)
Most divers submerging simultaneously [Women]
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 29, 2017
149 — On September 10, 2016, 149 women led by Nathalie Lasselin immersed themselves all at once during an event called Femmes à la mer at [...]
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First stone frigate
By Jeffrey Gallant | Feb 9, 2017
HMS Diamond Rock — In 1804, the steep basalt island of Diamond Rock off the southern coast of Martinique was designated a sloop-of-war by Commodore Sir Samuel [...]
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The Diving Almanac features more than 650 celebrities or locally-known champions from all parts of the world. Discover long-forgotten pioneers and current day explorers and inventors in our industry-exclusive Who’s Who.
LABAN, André
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 14, 2017
Underwater photographer; filmmaker; world’s first underwater painter; musician; longtime crewmember and diver of the Cousteau Society; chemical engineer; co-designer and [...]
Read More
COUSTEAU, Jean-Michel
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 1, 2017
Explorer; environmentalist; educator; film producer; architect; President of Ocean Futures; longest active diver in the world; produced over 75 films; member of the world's first scuba [...]
Read More
COUSTEAU, Philippe
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 1, 2017
Environmentalist; explorer; film producer; lead cinematographer for multiple Cousteau Society films; pilot; dove for the first time in 1945 at the age of four using a miniature version of the [...]
Read More
MIRON, Ionel, Ph.D.
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 15, 2017
Associate Professor at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Iasi, Romania; biologist; aquanaut (Romania LS-1); Director of the SALMO Lacustris Dive Programme; pioneer of [...]
Read More
HUGHES, Peter
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 11, 2017
Pioneer of the dive liveaboard industry; conservationist; founder of Peter Hughes Diving (Dancer Fleet) in 1986; founder of DivEncounters Alliance; has operated eight dive resorts [...]
Read More
de CORLIEU, Louis Marie
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 2, 2017
Inventor of swim fins; demonstrated his first fin prototype to a group of French naval officers, including Yves Le Prieur, in 1914; received his first European patent for [...]
Read More
TAYLOR, Valerie
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 22, 2017
Pioneer underwater explorer; filmmaker and photographer; shark expert; first to film the white shark; ocean conservationist; helped get the white shark and the grey [...]
Read More
MORGAN, Bev
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 15, 2017
Co-founder of Kirby Morgan, a manufacturer of commercial diving helmets, with Bob Kirby in 1966; surfing pioneer; commercial diver; writer; underwater photographer [...]
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COUSTEAU, Jacques-Yves
By Jeffrey Gallant | Jan 15, 2017
Diving pioneer, visionary, and inventor; world-famous underwater explorer and advocate for the environment; prolific author and film [...]
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TAILLIEZ, Philippe, Capt.
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 22, 2017
Diving pioneer; author; introduced Jacques-Yves Cousteau to the sport of goggle fishing in 1936; one of the Mousquemers along with Jacques-Yves Cousteau and [...]
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GAGNAN, Émile
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 4, 2017
Co-inventor of the Aqua-Lung with Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1943. First production of the Scaphandre Autonome (Aqua-Lung), patented in 1945, was delivered in 1946 under the [...]
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DUMAS, Frédéric
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 2, 2017
Pioneer of diving and underwater exploration; cinematographer; scientist; one of the Mousquemers along with Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Philippe Tailliez; Chief Diver [...]
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COUSTEAU, Simone
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 1, 2017
First woman scuba diver and aquanaut; made her first dives in the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 1943; spent four days inside the Starfish House habitat during Conshelf II in 1963 [...]
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ANGE, Mike, Ph.D.
By Jeffrey Gallant | Feb 12, 2017
Author and photojournalist; lecturer; speaker; technical diving instructor trainer; advanced diver medic (International Board of Undersea Medicine); AAUS Scientific [...]
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ZISSOU, Steve, Capt.
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 22, 2017
Fictional oceanographer and diver from Wes Anderson's cult film The Life Aquatic; disgruntled leader of Team Zissou; Captain of the research vessel Belafonte; suffered from Crazy Eye [...]
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FALCO, Albert
By Jeffrey Gallant | Feb 10, 2017
Longtime captain of Cousteau’s flagship Calypso; expedition leader; made his first open-circuit dives at Sormiou with the Commeinhes apparatus in 1942; world’s first multi-day [...]
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CLARK, Eugenie, Ph.D.
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 1, 2017
Marine biologist; ichthyologist; author; pioneer in marine conservation and the study of shark behaviour; founding director of the Mote Marine Laboratory in 1955; founding [...]
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LINK, Edwin Albert
By Jeffrey Gallant | Mar 14, 2017
Engineer; oceanologist; pilot; industrialist; led archaeological expeditions in the Mediterranean; designed submersible decompression chambers; designed the submersible [...]
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From the deepest dives to the most dangerous sea creatures, our feature posts showcase outstanding diving facts and trivia, hand-picked from our Diving Records, Diving History, and Who’s Who. Nothing here is fake or clickbait!
By Jeffrey Gallant / Feb 11, 2017
These trailblazing underwater women have inspired so many divers to follow their passion and make a difference [...]
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By Jeffrey Gallant / Nov 4, 2017
These legendary figures left such a mark in their respective fields that they would change the world of diving forever [...]
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By Jeffrey Gallant / Nov 6, 2017
From true to life nature scenes to the surreal, these amazing underwater artists will make you dream of diving [...]
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Our Timeline of Man Underwater, which chronicles over 6,000 years of exploration and innovation, is the most thorough history of diving available online.
Anthony’s Key Resort is founded on Roatan
By Jeffrey Gallant | Jun 14, 2018
[1968] Julio Galindo Sr. and his wife, Cheryl Galindo, welcome their first guests on the island of Roatán, Honduras. Anthony’s Key Resort has since become [...]
Read More
Discovery of HMS Erebus
By Jeffrey Gallant | Sep 9, 2017
[ 2014 ] On September 7, Parks Canada archeologists from the 2014 Victoria Strait Expedition discover the wreck of one of the ships from the ill-fated [...]
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Commeinhes develops open-circuit scuba
By Jeffrey Gallant | Aug 7, 2017
[ 1937 ] The first model of a two-cylinder open-circuit breathing apparatus with demand regulator is developed by Georges Commeinhes for [...]
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Refit of Cousteau’s Calypso restarts
By Jeffrey Gallant | Dec 2, 2016
[ 2016 ] Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s famed oceanographic vessel Calypso is moved to Turkey for a full refit, including new engines; Calypso's sad saga began [...]
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Two divers die in Johnson Sea Link
By Jeffrey Gallant | May 30, 2018
[1973] Edwin Clayton Link and Albert Dennison Stover died from carbon dioxide poisoning after the submersible was entangled for over 24 hours at a depth [...]
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Artifacts recovered from Antikythera
By Jeffrey Gallant | Sep 9, 2017
[ 2015 ] Archaeologists excavating the Antikythera shipwreck recover more than 50 items including a bronze armrest, remains of a bone [...]
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Record habitat dive in Romania
By Jeffrey Gallant | Feb 21, 2017
[ 1994 ] Romanian aquanauts Liviu Miron and Constantin Mihaï set the European record for the longest uninterrupted stay in an underwater [...]
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Archaeologists find HMS Terror
By Jeffrey Gallant | Dec 3, 2016
[ 2016 ] On September 18, 2016, Parks Canada confirms that the wreck discovered by the Arctic Research Foundation is HMS Terror. The archaeological [...]
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Renowned explorers in the High Arctic
By Jeffrey Gallant | Sep 9, 2017
[ 2015 ] A team of renowned explorers mounts the Elysium – Artists for the Arctic expedition to the High Arctic to produce a feature documentary, a book [...]
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Kessler designs diving bell
By Jeffrey Gallant | Feb 26, 2017
[ 1616 ] German inventor Franz Kessler designs an unstable diving bell with a harness and glass ports. Kessler was also a was a portrait painter, a [...]
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Antikythera Shipwreck found
By Jeffrey Gallant | Jul 1, 2017
[ 1900 ] Greek sponge divers discover the Antikythera Shipwreck and recover artifacts, including the oldest known analog computer. The [...]
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Natalia Molchanova disappears
By Jeffrey Gallant | Sep 9, 2017
[ 2015 ] World champion freediver Natalia Molchanova (Russia) disappears while teaching a freediving course off the coast of Formentera [...]
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Diving bells salvage the Mary Rose
By Jeffrey Gallant | Feb 26, 2017
[ 1642 ] American Edward Bendall builds two wooden diving bells to salvage the wreck of the Mary Rose off Portsmouth, England. The vessel is [...]
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Earliest ship from Age of Discovery
By Jeffrey Gallant | Dec 15, 2016
[ 2016 ] Oman’s Ministry of Heritage & Culture in cooperation with Blue Water Recoveries announce the discovery and archaeological excavation [...]
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Lorini designs a square diving bell
By Jeffrey Gallant | Feb 26, 2017
[ 1597 ] Buonaiuto Lorini describes a square diving bell made of wood and bound with iron bands. The bell also has glass ports to enable the [...]
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Papin designs surface-supplied diving bell
By Jeffrey Gallant | Feb 27, 2017
[ 1689 ] French physicist Denis Papin designs a surface-supplied diving bell but the technology of the time makes its construction impossible. The diving bell [...]
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Nuytco Research launches Orcasub
By Jeffrey Gallant | Sep 9, 2017
[ 2011 ] Nuytco Research launches the Orcasub, a two-person ‘flying’ submersible with a maximum depth range of 2,000 feet (600 m). The crew [...]
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Blue Planet II debuts
By Jeffrey Gallant | Oct 30, 2017
[ 2017 ] The BBC's Blue Planet II debuts to record audiences and rave reviews on October 29. Produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the [...]
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Join the editor of the Diving Almanac as he visits record destinations, and meets notable divers and personalities from our international Who’s Who.
The Diving Almanac is the only central body of information on diving records, people, and diving history. Browse the website or search our exclusive database of thousands of records, diver profiles and historical events covering every aspect of the underwater world.