The First Diving Suits

From the eighteenth century on, an increasing number of inventions addressed two requirements of divers: on one hand, to descend to greater depths, leading to the development of a series of rigid diving suits, and, on the other hand, liberty of movement, which gave rise to a number of parallel inventions, leading up to the autonomous diving suit.

Klingert's diving suit, 1797

This equipment is the first to be called "diving suit". It consists of a jacket and trousers made of waterproof leather, a helmet with a porthole, and a metal front. It is linked to a turret with an air reservoir, which, however, cannot replenish itself.

Siebe's diving suit, 1837

In 1819, the first diving suit with "heavy-footers", which was developed by the German August Siebe: the old diving bell is reduced to become a simple copper helmet, supplied with air by a surface pump.
In the ensuing years, Siebe improved his prototype, primarily allowing the diver a greater freedom of movement. In fact, water would surge under the helmet if the diver abandoned the vertical position. In 1837, a waterproof garment was added to the previous equipment, giving the diver a greater mobility.
Siebe's perfected diving suit was used for a century.

Cabirol's diving suit, 1855

The diving suit shown at the Exposition Universelle by Joseph Cabirol was directly inspired by the preceding model. It provoked great interest. The comparable helmet is fitted with four portholes and has a dual security system: air intake was guaranteed with a hose that was attached close to the right ear, a valve allowed manual adjustment, and a security hose, called "whistle" exits from the mouth.
Relatively easy to handle, this contraption enjoyed great success, especially because of the public experiments its inventor organized: he once lowered a convict equipped with his suit to a depth of 40 meters.