Porpoise (scuba gear) Porpoises still exist. Only a few of these early models are known today, the rarest being the CA-2, made for use with two tanks. Porpoise (scuba gear) Porpoise is a tradename for scuba developed by Ted Eldred in Australia and made there from the late 1940s onwards. The first Porpoise was a closed circuit oxygen rebreather, and the following models were all single hose open circuit regulators. This rebreather was developed by Ted Eldred in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Some were made and used for sport diving, but they did not go into full production. It was worn
Ted Eldred was protected by US patent and international patents, so Eldred set about designing the Porpoise CA (a prototype), the world's first single hose regulator. Eldred referred to the French model as the Gagnan Aqua Lung, as designer Émile Gagnan was the Frenchman who actually designed the device for Jacques-Yves Cousteau. This new design was superior to the Aqua Lung, and did not violate any of the existing patents. Eldred's regulator was never patented as his business was too small for the expense. The first production model was designated the CA-1. (C A for compressed Air, 1 for single cylinder) He