Leonardo da Vinci sketched a diving suit for underwater exploration and military operations.
In notes associated with the early 16th century, he described a suit with a mask, breathing tubes, and air supplied from the surface. The design also included ways for the diver to control buoyancy and manage bodily needs during a prolonged underwater mission.
Leonardo’s concept was not modern scuba equipment. It depended on surface-connected breathing arrangements, and the materials and seals available in his era would have made reliable operation difficult. No evidence shows that he built and tested the complete suit.
The design is often linked to plans for underwater sabotage, such as damaging enemy ships. It nevertheless shows Leonardo thinking about pressure, breathing, buoyancy, and the practical problems of working below water.