What kind of suit did Leonardo da Vinci design for underwater exploration?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a diving suit for underwater exploration.

His notes from the early sixteenth century describe equipment that could allow a diver to remain underwater. The design included a mask, breathing tubes, and a form of air supply connected to the surface. Leonardo also proposed a system for managing the diver’s needs while concealed beneath the water.

The idea was associated with military and engineering possibilities, including underwater operations against enemy ships. Leonardo’s suit was never documented as a completed working apparatus, and the exact details vary among reconstructions because his notebooks contain related sketches rather than one finalized production plan.

It is often described as a precursor to modern scuba gear, but it did not use a self-contained compressed-air cylinder. That distinction matters: the design depended on an air supply arrangement rather than the independent breathing systems used by contemporary scuba divers.