Scientific diving is the use of underwater diving techniques by scientists to perform work underwater in the direct pursuit of scientific knowledge. The legal definition of scientific diving varies by
A scientific diver at work
A cave diver running a distance line into the overhead environment to facilitate a safe exit
US Navy diver training in the use of a hand held sonar device
Measuring the size of gorgonians along a transect in a coral reef of Bermuda.
The history of scuba diving is closely linked with the history of diving equipment. By the turn of the twentieth century, two basic architectures for underwater breathing apparatus had been pioneered;
Scuba diver of the late 1960s
Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus being tested at the submarine escape test tank at HMS Dolphin, Gosport, 14 December 1942.
Technical diver during a decompression stop
Rebreather diver returning from a 600 ft (183 m) dive