As stated on other pages of the website, ocean exploration dates back to the 1800s and even earlier. The ocean itself has been sailed on for longer than that, as you may recall the nursery rhyme “Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492”. However, these expeditions were set out in hope of finding land discoveries and had little to do with the exploration of the ocean. Many can argue that ocean exploration started in the era Before Christ with the first ocean divings and sailing vessels of 5000 B.C. (Sea and Sky). Sailing vessels were further advanced along with diving technology which allowed for limited observation of ocean life and ocean depths. However, in the 1600s deep-diving became more possible with the development of diving suits and helmets (Sea and Sky). It was not until about 250 years ago that specific expeditions and missions were launched in order to discover more about what lies under the sea. 

National Geographic has a detailed timeline of ocean exploration that lays out some of the most historic oceanic moments since the start of ocean exploration. Based on the timeline, ocean exploration began in 1807 when President Thomas Jefferson signed a bill that authorized the United States Coast Survey. This agency was responsible for constructing maps of the nation’s coast and describing them in relation to the ocean. Following the bill authorization, in 1842 Charles Darwin published a paper that suggests coral atolls are the final stage in the subsidence and erosion of volcano islands. In 1857, James Alden discovered the first known submarine valley which is known as California’s Monterey Canyon. Previously, sea life was only found above 1,800 feet deep until Charles Wyville Thomson found sea life at 14,400 feet deep in 1868. The remainder of the 1800s discoveries in ocean exploration included, The Early Marine Survey of the Americas collecting 30,000 marine specimens from the U.S. East Coast to its West Coast around South America, research conducted for the Royal Society of London that is now the framework for modern oceanography, the first oceanographic research vessel sets out, and the collection of data and specimens from remote ocean regions done by The Marine Survey of the South Pacific (National Geographic 2012).

The collection of data and specimens from remote ocean regions was continued well into the early years of the 1900s. After this, the sinking of the Titanic which occurred in 1912 led to the efforts to develop an acoustic device to find objects ahead of a vessel. Following in 1914, the first acoustic exploration of the seas was conducted by Reginald Fressenden. Additionally in 1925, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge was further discovered and explored by the German Meteor expedition. In 1934 William Beebe and Otis Barton pioneered manned explorations of the ocean and Beebe used a bathysphere to be lowered as deep as 3,028 feet into the deep sea. To continue man's interaction with the sea, the Aqua-Lung was created in 1943. The 1950s included research behind untethered submersibles and the discovery of magnetic striping on the ocean floor. In the 1960s deeper exploration of the Mariana Trench was accomplished through the use of bathyscaphe Trieste. Additionally, the development of the Deep Tow System was started by The Scripps Institution of Oceanography took place. In 1964 the first U.S. submergence vehicle was constructed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (which has now made numerous ocean floor discoveries). And in the following year of 1965, an underwater habitat was lowered off the coast of California. In the 70s the first team of women aquanauts was led by Sylvia Earle set the record for solo deep diving to a depth of 1,000 meters and Robert Ballard discovered hydrothermal vents. 1985 was most known for the discovery of the sunken Titanic. The 1990s were known for the creation of sea surface maps and seafloor maps (National Geographic 2012). So far the 2000s have only been responsible for cataloging the biodiversity of the ocean by the Census of Marine Life, the first successful solo dive to the Mariana Trench, and the announcement of a plan that aims to map the entire ocean floor by 2030.