Leonardo da Vinci's scuba-like invention for underwater exploration was the diving suit.
Leonardo designed an underwater suit in the early sixteenth century, probably while working in Venice. His drawings show a diver wearing a sealed suit connected to the surface by breathing tubes. The concept included a mask and a system intended to supply air while the person remained underwater.
The proposal was associated with military possibilities, including secretly approaching enemy ships or damaging vessels. Leonardo was reportedly concerned that the design could be misused, and the idea remained on paper. It was not a self-contained scuba system because the diver depended on air from the surface.
The suit is often credited as an anticipation of modern diving equipment, but it should not be confused with later hard-hat diving suits or twentieth-century scuba apparatus. Modern scuba uses compressed-air cylinders carried by the diver, while Leonardo's concept relied on a surface connection.