Leonardo da Vinci designed a diving suit for a person to breathe underwater.
His early sixteenth-century concept included a sealed suit, a mask, and tubes leading to the surface. The arrangement was intended to supply air to a diver working underwater, although Leonardo’s surviving drawings do not show a fully tested practical apparatus.
The design is frequently linked to military plans for underwater operations. Leonardo also imagined equipment for underwater work, including a breathing system and protective clothing. Claims about exactly how much of the apparatus he personally completed remain tied to interpretations of his notebooks.
Modern diving suits differ greatly because they use regulated compressed gas, durable materials, and pressure-management systems. Leonardo’s concept is therefore best understood as an early diving-suit design, not a modern scuba set.