The ocean is unbelievably vast, covering over 75% of our planet. We have spent less time exploring the oceans than we have exploring outer space. It is an intensely hostile environment. The extreme pressures and temperatures make the deep sea a dangerous place for human beings to explore. But in spite of this danger, the oceans have been explored. From the times of the first boats and the diving bell, to modern sonar and satellite observation, ocean exploration has a long and fascinating history.

"The future is in the hands of those who explore... and from all the beauty they discover while crossing perpetually receding frontiers, they develop for nature and for humankind an infinite love."

— Jacques Yves Cousteau, Oceanographer