Scripps, the mother of diving

A biologist from China and graduate student at Scripps Institute during World War II, C.K. Tseng was the institute’s first scientific diver. In 1944 he used Japanese equipment, which pumped air to him from the surface, to collect algae off San Diego’s coast. Frank Haymaker used a similar surface-supplied diving helmet to study Scripps Canyon in 1947.

The Aqualung was developed in Paris in 1942 by engineer Émile Gagnan and French Naval Lieutenant Jacques Cousteau. Within eight years, the Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, or SCUBA, was the most sought-after piece of gear in marine sciences. In 1950, Scripps Institute researchers first used SCUBA technology.

In the early 1950s, several diving accidents involving University of California affiliates prompted the university to restrict diving to those trained by Scripps. In 2007, Undercurrent.org reported there were 1.2 million active certified divers in the country.

One of the most active local dive clubs (over 3000 members) is Power Scuba, which hosts events, including a Scripps Canyon shore dive, beach cleanup, and species count on December 28.