Leonardo da Vinci designed a diving suit with a breathing tube and face mask for underwater operations.
His design is described in the Codex Atlanticus and is generally associated with his studies in Venice around 1500. The suit included a leather garment, a mask, and tubes intended to connect the diver to the surface. Leonardo also considered ways to manage buoyancy and collect urine, reflecting an attempt to make extended underwater work possible.
The proposed equipment was reportedly connected with a possible military plan to damage enemy ships, although the historical evidence for a practical mission is limited. Leonardo’s drawings do not prove that the suit was manufactured or successfully tested in his lifetime.
The design is sometimes called an early scuba suit, but that wording can mislead. Modern scuba equipment carries compressed breathing gas and uses regulators; Leonardo’s concept depended on a surface-connected air supply. It was an inventive diving apparatus, not modern autonomous scuba gear.