Buddy diving just before and after the Second World War. After the invention of the "aqualung" by Cousteau and Gagnan, the first commercially underwater breathing apparatus became available for sale for sporting purposes in the late 1940s. As the new sport of scuba diving rapidly expanded through the 1950s, several sporting organisations—notably the YMCA—began programmes to train swimming enthusiasts in this new aquatic pastime, and began to codify what they believed were proper practises for this expanding sport. The YMCA considered the buddy system a useful corollary to the "never swim alone" rule of their swimming and lifesaving programmes. Cousteau himself independently
Philippe Cousteau Society of America (now presented by The Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences) (1977), World Wildlife Award and many others. The Philippe Cousteau Anchor Museum in Asturias, Spain, honors the oceanographer. The lycée Philippe Cousteau in Saint-André-de-Cubzac, France honors his work. His children Alexandra Cousteau and Philippe Cousteau Jr. continue the family work in oceanography as the Co-Founders of EarthEcho International. Philippe Cousteau Philippe-Pierre Cousteau (30 December 1940 – 28 June 1979) was the second son of Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Simone Cousteau, a diver, sailor, pilot, photographer, author, director and cinematographer specializing in environmental issues, with a background in oceanography.