Inventor: Edmond Halley

Deep-sea adventures started with the diving bell. Designed by Edmond Halley in 1717, the diving bell was an airtight vessel that, when lowered into the water, would contain air even if the bottom of it was open. We’ve all tried to put a glass cup upside down straight into a sink full of water; it doesn’t go in too well. The cup contains the air while the air keeps the water out. The same principle is used for the diving bell—as the bell descends into the water, the pressure inside increases while the air remains. And when the air runs out, the wooden casks containing water that were connected to the bell by leather pipes would be pumped to replenish the supply of oxygen within the bell. With the supply of oxygen that the diving bell provided, divers could dive for great lengths of time to relatively deep water where they could observe the marine life that existed down there.

Picture from:
http://www.fantasyscuba.com/fs/img1.gif

Sources:

Inventions of the World. 2 Jan. 2004 <http://www.grimsbywebfind.com/sites/Inventions%20of%
20the%20World.htm>.

• This site provided me with information on the invention of the diving bell, its uses, and how it works.