List of sea explorers

The era of European sea explorations began in the late 15th century and lasted for a little more than three full centuries.

This is a list of notable sea explorers:

• Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, the second person to circumnavigate Antarctica
• Thomas Cavendish
• Samuel de Champlain
• Christopher Columbus, discovered America
• James Cook
• Bartolomeu Dias
• Francis Drake
• Leif Ericson, a norse viking discovered America some 500 years before Columbus, calling part of it Vinland
• Vasco da Gama
• Henry Hudson
• Ferdinand Magellan, discovered the Pacific Ocean
• Abel Tasman
• Luis Vaez de Torres
• Giovanni da Verrazano
• Amerigo Vespucci, discovered other parts of America and gave his name to the new continent
• Zheng He explored much of Asia and Africa.

See also polar explorers and land explorers, explorers.