Diving Museum

 

This museum is settled in the St John the Baptist's old church, a gothic church of the end of the XVth century which also shelters the Joseph-Vaylet's Popular Arts and Traditions Museum. The diving museum takes place in 2 rooms on the ground floor.

Museum history
self diving apparatus

the Museum

The only one of its kind in Europe, this diving museum was created in tribute to Espalion's researchers who invented the first modern self-diving apparatus. This apparatus, created at first to rescue miners caught in gas or flooded galleries, was adapted to the sea world in 1864. Equipped with an air-compressed tank and a regulator, this diving apparatus has opened, in XXth century, the doors of the sea world for divers.

It was opened in 1980, June 21.

 

 

invention of regulator

diving apparatus

In 1860 Benoît Rouquayrol, an engineer in coal mines, invented a " regulator " for a rescue apparatus for miners jailed in toxic gas or drowned galleries. In 1864 Auguste Denayrouze, a navy officer, 'adapted this regulator to penetration in the sea world.Like this, Auguste, his brother Louis and Rouquayrol putted on the first modern self diving apparatus in history, with a air-compressed tank and a regulator " à la demande" (on request).

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Exposures

The Birth of Self Diving Apparatus

The scene of birth of the self diving apparatus shows several diving apparatus using the Benoît Rouquayrol' regulator, and first the diving cloth of 1864 with a mask nicknamed "groin" (pig nose). The scene also shows magnificent pumps, in particular a pump with hydraulic joints of Denayrouze created in 1864.

The Heavy Suit Divers

The scene of heavy suit divers shows apparatus of several nationalities: Rouquayrol-Denayrouze (France), Siebe (England), Dräger (Germany), John Date (Canada), etc... and also des pumps, pipes, weights and heavy shoes.Signs for explanations help to understand the functioning and using of all these equipments.

The modern diving

Modern diving exhibition shows equipments later than 1945. Self diving apparatus and wet submarine Havas run alongside with Navy war divers .Comex, Spirotechnique, Havas, Nautiek, etc.. All the great names of diving world are present in museum.
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