Timeline

1856- William Thompson takes first underwater pictures using a camera mounted on a pol
1870- Eadweard Muybridge, famous for his chrono-photography of moving subjects, takes underwater photos in San Francisco Bay
1893- Louis Boutan take underwater pictures while diving using a surface supplied hard hat diving gear.
1914- John Ernest Williamson shot the first-ever underwater motion picture.
1923- W.H. Longley and Charles Martin takes first underwater colour photos using a magnesium powered flash.
1927- National Geographic publishes the first underwater color still photographs made by ichthyologist Dr. William Longly.
1957- the Calypsophot camera was built by Jean De Wouters and Jacques-Yves Cousteau. It would later be produced by Nikon as the Nikonos, the most sold underwater camera series.
1963- the Nikon camera company develops the CalypsoPhot further and releases the Nikonos I, first in a long line of 35mm amphibic cameras, the IVA with TTL light metering (1980) and ending with the V in 1984.
1992- the Nikonos RS 35mm SLR camera for depths to 100m sets the standard. It is taken off the market in 1996 due to poor demand and internal restructuring at Nikon Japan.