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
Simone Melchior Simone Melchior Simone Melchior Cousteau (19 January 1919 – 1 December 1990) was the wife and business partner of undersea explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. The first woman scuba diver and aquanaut, Simone was at Jacques's side during his major underwater accomplishments. She led him to the men and money who would build his scuba invention, she helped buy their beloved ship Calypso, saved the ship during a storm, and made sure each exploration achieved its objective. Although never visible in the "Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau" series, Simone played a key role in the operation at sea. Acting as mother, healer,