Leonardo da Vinci designed a diving suit as an underwater breathing apparatus.
His concept appears in drawings from the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century. It included a mask connected to air tubes that extended above the water, allowing a diver to breathe while submerged. The design also included a bladder-like air chamber and protective clothing.
The suit was intended for military or engineering work, such as approaching enemy ships underwater. Leonardo’s notebooks contain several water-related ideas, including boats, pumps, and diving equipment, but there is no reliable evidence that this particular suit was built or tested in his lifetime.
A common mix-up is calling the design a submarine. A submarine is a vessel that encloses its occupants, whereas Leonardo’s design was wearable equipment for an individual diver. Modern scuba gear works differently because it carries compressed air rather than relying on tubes reaching the surface.