Leonardo da Vinci designed a leather diving suit for underwater breathing and exploration.
His early 16th-century concept included a full-body leather suit, a mask, and breathing tubes connected to the surface. The tubes were intended to allow a diver to remain underwater while air passed down from above. Leonardo also included provisions for buoyancy and underwater movement.
The design is associated with plans for defending Venice against naval attacks. Divers might have been used to damage or sabotage enemy vessels, although there is no reliable evidence that Leonardo’s suit was built or deployed in combat.
Leonardo’s concept should not be confused with a modern scuba suit. It depended on air supplied from the surface and lacked the compact compressed-air cylinder used by scuba divers.