DIVING MUSEUM

Unusual! The scuba diving with your feet in the water of the Lot and the bathyscaphes which throne in front of the museum in the centre of Espalion will undoubtedly have surprised more than one tourist: why such a museum in the heart of the Aveyron? It's simple: the first modern self-contained bathyscaphon was developed in 1864 by two children of Espalion, Benoît Rouquayrol and Auguste Denayrouse, who worked in the Decazeville mine. The first, a mining engineer, had developed a compressed gas regulator system for emergency equipment in an unbreathable atmosphere. The second, a naval officer, had the idea of adapting this regulator to scuba diving. Together they developed the scuba suit with a pressurized tank and a diaphragm regulator. The first tests were carried out in the Lot. A local association wanted to pay homage to these inventors, by opening this museum in 1980, presenting diving equipment of various origins and ages: modern or historical diving suits, small submarines, diving turret, lamps, waterproof camera glasses... In total, there are no less than 400 pieces, models or documents that can be found there. The best ambassador of the Rouquayrol diving suit was Jules Verne, who discovered the invention at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, and equipped his Captain Nemo with it in "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea". There is also the diving suit of Tintin's ship La Licorne, designed by Hergé... A really exciting visit to do with the family.