Around 1500, Leonardo da Vinci designed an early diving suit for underwater exploration.
His concept included a close-fitting leather suit, a mask, and breathing tubes extending to the surface. The tubes were intended to supply air while the diver worked underwater. Leonardo also included details for managing buoyancy and bodily needs, showing that he was thinking about the practical problems of prolonged immersion rather than merely drawing a costume.
The design is associated with Leonardo’s studies of military engineering and underwater operations. Some accounts connect it with a proposed defense of Venice against enemy ships, though the exact intended military application remains uncertain. No evidence shows that Leonardo’s suit was successfully built and used in his lifetime.
It should not be confused with a modern scuba system. Modern scuba equipment carries compressed gas underwater, while Leonardo’s design depended on air supplied through tubes from the surface. His concept nevertheless anticipated several important features of later diving equipment.