Leonardo da Vinci sketched a diving suit as an underwater breathing apparatus for divers exploring enemy ships.
His design, recorded in the Codex Atlanticus, included a mask connected to breathing tubes that extended above the water. The apparatus was intended for covert military use, especially attacks on ships in harbor.
The idea is often described as an early diving suit, but it was not a modern scuba system. Leonardo’s drawings did not establish a practical, independently tested underwater breathing technology, and later accounts sometimes add details not clearly shown in the original sketches.
Leonardo also designed other water-related devices, including canals, pumps, and paddle-wheel boats. These projects reflect his interest in controlling water for engineering, transport, and warfare.