Scuba is called scuba because it's an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.
Here's a breakdown:
- S - Self
- C - Contained
- U - Underwater
- B - Breathing
- A - Apparatus
The term "SCUBA" became popular after being coined by Dr. Christian Lambertsen in 1954. He needed a new name for his earlier invention, the Lambertsen Amphibious Respiratory Unit (LARU), and SCUBA was it! This acronym clearly describes the function of the equipment, which allows divers to breathe underwater without being connected to a surface air supply.
