For centuries, Man has been exploring the world, always trying to discover new things and visit new places. He was limited to exploring land until the technology of boats and watercraft had developed sufficiently; then, he started to go farther afield, exploring the oceans in hope of new lands to colonise, build up relations with or conquer. With the invention and advancement of boats and ships, he could travel far farther, and soon developed customs, traditions and a sea folklore which allowed sailors to explore more safely and assuredly.

The drive to discover new lands, peoples and things sent famous captains like Columbus, Magellan and later Cook on their journeys to places unknown. The ocean was the great divider of lands; it was very fickle, and its fury was something sailors quivered in fear at. It was the brave man who dared sail the seas, ignoring the great dangers real or imagined that plagued it. Ocean lore told of fearsome monsters like the kraken which could destroy ships in one fell stroke, but many ignored the warnings to go in search of their fortune and gain fame.

In our more advanced era, we now have high-tech ships and submarines for transport and submersibles to explore the dark depths of the ocean bed. We have mapped out the whole world and now concentrate more on exploring the areas which we have not seen: the world below the surface. In recent years we have developed bathyscapes and other deep submersibles which we have, together with other detection technologies, used to map out the ocean floor and learn more about it. An example is 'Trieste', a submersible craft that is designed to work at depths below 12000 feet. They have been extremely helpful in the study of the sea bed and have shed light on certain facts regarding the history of the Earth.

A deep-sea craft being lowered into the ocean
Graphic from NOAA Photo Library