What Does SCUBA stand For or What Does SCUBA Mean?
And where the heck did that term come from?
Let's start with the most basic fact about scuba diving of all. What does scuba stand for or what does scuba mean? An acronym, scuba stands for
"Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus"
It was initially used to describe the system that first allowed divers to go underwater without being connected to an air supply on the surface.
The term was originally used during WW II. It referred to the Navy's oxygen rebreathers used by frogmen. The frogmen used these devices during underwater demolition and offensive underwater attacks. The rebreather for the US Navy was developed by Dr. Christian Lambertsen in the 1940's. Rebreathers are closed circuit breathing sets.
Today, the term has come to refer to diving in general and the open circuit breathing system in use today. This system was invented by Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan and it allows divers to breathe from a tank of air on their back and exhale it into the water. Find out about the modern scuba regulators here.
