This book begins with the earliest recorded instances of diving beneath the surface of the oceans and inland waters. It traces the beginnings of most of the forms of diving from Freediving, surface supplied diving, rebreathers, and open circuit (SCUBA) systems, and continues to the present day. Historical accounts of many of the milestones that have led to current day technology are recounted. Many of the near misses in history are also recorded here including the real beginning of the open circuit systems we all attribute to Cousteau and Gagnan. This is an updated version of this book originally written in the early 1980s