Cressi’s history as a Genovese family company is inseparable from the evolution of modern scuba diving. Founded in 1946, the company has spent decades designing equipment shaped by real diving experience, family leadership, and a deep connection to the sea.
The Cressi Story explores the brand’s origins, milestones, and philosophy, including the innovations that have influenced generations of divers. It also serves as home for 80th anniversary content, archival stories, and reflections on how past experience continues to inform present-day design.
This is where Cressi’s legacy meets its future, told through the lens of scuba gear, diving culture, and time spent beneath the surface.
By Cressi Editors|Published June 17, 2026|Updated July 02, 2026
Recreational scuba diving and Cressi are almost exactly the same age. Jacques Cousteau and Émile Gagnan patented the Aqua-Lung in 1943. Cressi was formally established in Genoa in 1946. The two histories have been tangled ever since, with Cressi contributing gear, ideas, and innovations to nearly every decade of scuba’s development. This is that story, told through the products that made a difference. Before Cressi: Two Brothers and a Workshop in Genoa (Late 1930s) The story starts before Cressi...