What has made scuba diving so much popular? It is in human nature to go for the unknown and overcome the fear of mind that grows from childhood because of reading story books about prehistoric animals and dangers underwater. Since 70% of the world is covered in water so instinctively humans have the urge to discover the mysteries hidden in it. This is one of the major reasons why scuba diving is becoming popular with passage of time. Before the advent of scuba gears people used to dive by the process of breath holding to collect underwater valuables like sponges, pearls etc. Although underwater diving started at early ages of the 1700's but in those times recreational diving was a dream and the most unthinkable thing.
It was not long ago when advancement in engineering and technology has fulfilled the everlasting dream of mankind to discover the natural beauty of underwater world. Scuba gear which was during the 1930's has given all and sundry to discover the riches that lie underwater. Films produced by producers like Jules Verne has only helped in increasing the human appetite to discover the untouched beauty that lies underwater. Scuba or €Self Contained Underwater Breathing apparatus€ was initially not very comfortable as it was pretty clumsy and pushed air directly into the face of the diver. Jacques-Yves Cousteau (a French naval lieutenant) and Emile Gagnan (an engineer) between the year 1942 and 1946 discovered Aqua Lung. In the year 1960 sports diving commenced after it was proven that the Aqua Lung was pretty reliable. In the same year NAUI, the National Association of Underwater Instructors was formed to train the enthusiasts how safely diving can be done and also certificate was issued to them. In the year 1970 the scuba diving instruments saw a massive improvement with the advent of pressure gauges, better valves etc. Between the years 1980 and 1990 scuba diving emerged as a multimillion dollar industry with the growing interest of general people to discover the secrets of underwater world. With the popularity in scuba diving increasing by leaps and bounds the diving instruments also saw a massive improvement with lighter and safer instruments coming in. In today's world scuba diving is accessible to all and sundry with a modest amount of investment. Thailand has become one of the greatest scuba diving centres for the tourists because of its natural underwater beauty and numerous diving spots. The presence of many high quality diving companies has greatly improved the diving experience of the enthusiastic tourists.