Voyage to Inner Space

In 1680, physicist Giovanni Borelli attempts to recycle his own breathing air.

I assume that the date cited is the date of the print, as Borelli died in 1679 at the age of 71.

according to Wikipedia:

Borelli is also considered to be the first man to consider a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus along with his early submarine design. The exhaled gas was cooled by sea water after passing through copper tubing. The helmet was brass with a glass window and 0.6 m (2 ft) in diameter. The apparatus was never likely to be used or tested.

from the vast and fascinating NOAA Photo Library

via unpalombaro

Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas

Underwater Discoveries:

This brown algae and its cousins love coastal waters that are cool or cold. Some form wispy clusters of filaments, while others resemble delicate ribbons or leafy, golden-brown shrubs. One of its relatives forms the kelp forests that thrive off the California coast. It can grow as much as a foot a day, producing what are considered the largest of the sea's photosynthetic organisms.

Photo: Sylvia Earle/National Geographic

Mapping the Sea and Its Mysteries