Thousands of years ago, people have already managed to travel in oceans and seas through boats and rafts. These bodies of water are part of their everyday life because they are the sources of their food and living. During those epochs, no records have been done about the earliest and first man to travel in the sea. However, on the late centuries, several voyages have transpired, thus, they leave a mark and record in the course of history.
The first seafaring travelers and explorers give their attention to ocean in several ways such as observing the waves, storms, tides and currents that lead their rafts and boats in certain directions at different times. Their experiences have been passed on from generation to generation in legends and myths. But it is only around 850 BC when naturalists and philosophers start to figure out and make sense the huge bodies of water that they see from land (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2005).In the late 1400s and early 1500s, Christopher Columbus and other explorers navigate and explore the ocean, thus finally discover that the world is not flat, that the world is a sphere whose ? is covered by oceans.
On the other hand, it is only during the late 19th century, around 130 years ago, when modern oceanography begins as a field of science (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2005).It happens only around 1872-1876 when the first world-wide scientific global survey has occurred and has been conducted by the HMS Challenger. It carries international crews of scientists and the latest equipments while sailing the major oceans of the Earth. They collect samples of 715 new genera and 4,417 new species.
There are also animals that have been collected which have never seen before (Bartle, n. d. ). However, modern oceanography has taken off less than 60 years ago.It is during World War II when the U. S.
Navy yearns to learn more about oceans to acquire fighting advantages and submarine warfare (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2005). The aforementioned are just some of the historical voyages. A number of recorded expeditions have also transpired in different times and in different places. These journeys, the discoveries within it have become part of the oceanography that sailors, navigators and scientists use today.
