This is a list of notable professional and amateur explorers who have personally explored the underwater environment and contributed towards expanding the knowledge and understanding of that environment. The list may include

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

s, wreck divers,

treasure hunters Treasure hunter is the physical search for treasure. For example, treasure hunters try to find sunken shipwrecks and retrieve artifacts with market value. This industry is generally fueled by the market for antiquities. The practice of treasur ...

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually specialize in ...

s, marine geologists,

geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

s, ocean engineers, oceanographers, crew of exploration submersibles, cave divers and surveyors of the underwater topography, but these categories are not exclusive.

A

David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...

(born 8 May 1926)

B

Robert Ballard Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is an American retired Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology: maritime archaeology and archaeology of ...

(born 1942), underwater archaeologist, professor at University of Rhode Island *

Graham Balcombe Francis Graham Balcombe (8 March 1907 – 19 March 2000) was a pioneer of cave diving in the United Kingdom and a founder of the Cave Diving Group together with Jack Sheppard. Life and career Balcombe began rock climbing in the English Lake Di ...

(8 March 1907 – 19 March 2000), a founder of the Cave Diving Group * Michael C. Barnette (born September 1971) * Otis Barton (5 June 1899 – 15 April 1992) *

George F. Bass George Fletcher Bass (; December 9, 1932 – March 2, 2021) was an American archaeologist. An early practitioner of underwater archaeology, he co-directed the first expedition to entirely excavate an ancient shipwreck at Cape Gelidonya in 1960 a ...

(1932–2021), pioneer underwater archaeologist, author, founded

Institute of Nautical Archaeology The Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) is the world's oldest organization devoted to the study of humanity's interaction with the sea through the practice of archaeology. History INA's founder George Bass (archeologist), Dr. George Bass pion ...

in 1973 * William Beebe (29 July 1877 – 4 June 1962) * Samuel Stillman Berry (1887–1984), U.S. marine zoologist. * Henry Bryant Bigelow (1879–1967), U.S. marine biologist. * David Bright (29 June 1957 – 8 July 2006)

C

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...

(born 16 August 1954) * Rachel Carson (1907–1964), American Marine Biologist and Author. * John Chatterton (born 1954), co-discoverer of the Pirate Ship of Joseph Bannister, ''Golden Fleece'' *

Carl Chun Carl Chun (1 October 1852 – 11 April 1914) was a German marine biologist. Chun was born in Höchst, today a part of Frankfurt, and studied zoology at the University of Leipzig, where from 1878 to 1883 he was privat-docent of zoology and an a ...

(1852–1914),

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

marine biologist *

Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A Spac ...

(16 December 1917 – 19 March 2008), – discovered the underwater ruins of the Koneswaram Temple in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka * Barry Clifford (born 30 May 1945), – American underwater archaeological explorer * Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910–1997),

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

marine biologist and explorer * Clive Cussler (15 July 1931 – 24 February 2020)

E

Sylvia Earle Sylvia Alice Earle ( née Reade; born August 30, 1935) is an American marine biologist, oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer. She has been a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998. Earle was the first female chief scien ...

(born 1935), American oceanographer * Sheck Exley (1 April 1949 – 6 April 1994), cave diving pioneer

F

* Michèle Marie Fieux, oceanographer * Mel Fisher, archeologist(?)

G

* Nuno Gomes (born 1951), South African diver, holder of world records for deep diving and deepest cave dive

H

* Richard Harris, Australian cave diver * Jochen Hasenmayer (born 1941), German cave diver *

Hans Hass Hans Hass (23 January 1919 – 16 June 2013) was an Austrian biologist and underwater diving pioneer. He was known mainly for being among the first scientists to popularise coral reefs, stingrays, octopuses and sharks. He pioneered the making of ...

(1919–2013), Austrian marine biologist and diving pioneer *

Graham Hawkes Graham Hawkes (born 23 December 1947)Times-News, "Graham Hawkes Is Racing To Ocean's Bottom", ''5 September 1993'', NYT Regional Newspapers is a London-born marine engineer and submarine designer. Through the 1980s and 1990s, Hawkes designed 7 ...

– Submersible designer and pilot *

Jill Heinerth Jill Heinerth (born 1965) is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer and film-maker. She has made TV series for PBS, National Geographic Channel and the BBC, consulted on movies for directors including James Cameron, wr ...

– Cave diver and underwater explorer *

Gotthilf Hempel Gotthilf Hempel (born March 8, 1929) is a retired Germany, German Marine biology, marine biologist and Oceanography, oceanographer. Hempel studied biology and geology at the universities of Mainz and Heidelberg. In 1952 he gained his Ph.D. wit ...

(born 1929), German marine biologist *

Johan Hjort Johan Hjort (18 February 1869, in Christiania – 7 October 1948, in Oslo) was a Norwegian fisheries scientist, marine zoologist, and oceanographer. He was among the most prominent and influential marine zoologists of his time. The early year ...

(1869–1948), Norwegian marine zoologist and one of the founders of

ICES ICES (formerly known as the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences) is an independent, non-profit corporation that applies the study of health informatics for health services research and population-wide health outcomes research in Ontario ...

Bruno Hofer Bruno Hofer (15 December 1861 – 7 July 1916) was a German fishery scientist, credited with being the founder of fish pathology. Career Hofer was born in Rhein in East Prussia (now Poland) in 1861. He studied natural sciences at the University ...

(1861–1916), German fisheries scientist * Emperor Showa of Japan (1901–1989), jellyfish taxonomist

J

* Jarrod Jablonski (born 1969), pioneering technical diver and record setting cave diver

K

Uwe Kils Uwe Kils is a German marine biologist specializing in Antarctic biology. Career His work led to the development of instruments for ''in situ'' observation of underwater fauna, including the ecoSCOPE and the first software for full speed video p ...

(born 1951), German marine biologist *

John Knauss John Atkinson Knauss (September 1, 1925 – November 19, 2015) was an American oceanographer, meteorologist and administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1989 to 1993. Knauss received a Bachelor of Scien ...

, oceanographer * Artur Kozłowski (17 October 1977 – 5 September 2011), Polish cave diver who died on a dive in Ireland *

August David Krohn August David Krohn (1803–1891) was a Saint Petersburg born zoologist of German origin. He was the son of Abraham Krohn, the founder of Russia's first brewery, who had left the island of Rügen to serve in the court of Catherine the Great. He wa ...

(1803–1891), Russian/German zoologist

L

* Steve Lewis (born 1950), Canadian cave diver, author, marine archaeologist *

Jon Lindbergh Jon Morrow Lindbergh (August 16, 1932 – July 29, 2021) was an American underwater diver. He worked as a United States Navy demolition expert and as a commercial diver, and was one of the world's earliest aquanauts in the 1960s. He was also ...

(1932–2021), * Edwin Albert Link (July 26, 1904 – September 7, 1981)

M

Robert F. Marx Sir Robert F. Marx (December 8, 1936 – July 4, 2019) was an American pioneer in scuba diving, a prolific author, and was best known for his work with marine archeology. Over his career, he discovered over 5000 shipwrecks in over 60 countries. ...

(1936–2019), pioneer underwater archaeologist, prolific author *

John Mattera John Joseph Mattera (born 1962) is a writer and American shipwreck explorer and the subject of the book '' Pirate Hunters'' by Robert Kurson. ''Pirate Hunters'' is the story of two US divers, John Chatterton and John Mattera, finding the lost ...

(born 1962), discoverer of the pirate ship of Joseph Bannister, and the Golden Fleece, and cave diver who mapped cave systems in the Dominican Republic *

Agnes Milowka Agnes Milowka (23 December 1981 – 27 February 2011) was an Australian technical diver, underwater photographer, author, maritime archaeologist and cave explorer. She gained international recognition for penetrating deeper than previou ...

(23 December 1981 – 27 February 2011), Australian cave diver, underwater photographer and author * Sir John Murray (1841–1914), Scots– Canadian marine biologist

N

Mark M. Newell Mark M. Newell, Ph.D. RPA is a British/American underwater and terrestrial archaeologist and anthropologist, the director of the Georgia Archaeological Institute. He received his doctorate from St. Andrews University, Scotland. Newell began divin ...

, founder of Georgia Archaeological Institute *

Wheeler J. North Wheeler James North (January 2, 1922 – December 20, 2002), born in San Francisco, California, was a marine biologist and Environmental science, environmental scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the California Institute of T ...

(1922–2002), American marine biologist and diving pioneer * Phil Nuytten – Deep-ocean explorer, and inventor of atmospheric diving suits

P

Auguste Piccard Auguste Antoine Piccard (28 January 1884 – 24 March 1962) was a Switzerland, Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer known for his record-breaking Gas balloon, hydrogen balloon flights, with which he studied the Earth's upper atmosphere. Picca ...

(28 January 1884 – 24 March 1962), Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer * Jacques Piccard (28 July 1922 – 1 November 2008), Swiss oceanographer and engineer

R

Roger Revelle Roger Randall Dougan Revelle (March 7, 1909 – July 15, 1991) was a scientist and scholar who was instrumental in the formative years of the University of California, San Diego and was among the early scientists to study anthropogenic global ...

(7 arch 1909 – 15 July 1991) * Ed Ricketts (1897–1948), American marine biologist noted for a pioneering study of intertidal ecology *

Harald Rosenthal Harald Rosenthal (born 9 June 1937) is a German hydrobiologist and fisheries scientist known for his work in fish farming, ecology, and international cooperation. Life Rosenthal was born and raised in Berlin. From 1957 to 1962, he studied zoolog ...

(born 1937), German hydrobiologist known for his work in fish farming and ecology *

William R. Royal Lt. Col. William Robert Royal (March 16, 1905 – May 8, 1997) was an American scuba diver in the United States Air Force and amateur archeologist. In the late 1950s, he and other scuba divers found artifacts and human bones from at least seven ...

(16 March 1905 – 8 May 1997), explorer of

Warm Mineral Springs Warm Mineral Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,061 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Warm Miner ...

and

Little Salt Spring Little Salt Spring is an archaeological and paleontological site in North Port, Florida. The site has been owned by the University of Miami since 1980 with research performed there by the university's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric ...

in Florida

S

* David Shaw (1954–2005), Australian cave diver * Jack Sheppard (31 March 1909 – 14 July 2001), pioneer of cave diving in the United Kingdom and a founder of the Cave Diving Group *

Wesley C. Skiles Wesley C. Skiles (March 6, 1958 – July 21, 2010) was an American cave diving pioneer, explorer, and underwater cinematographer. Skiles lived in High Springs, Florida. Background Skiles was born on March 6, 1958, in Jacksonville, Florida, and ...

(March 6, 1958 – July 21, 2010), documentary filmmaker *

E. Lee Spence Edward Lee Spence (born November 1947) is a pioneer in underwater archaeology who studies shipwrecks and sunken treasure. He is also a published editor and author of non-fiction reference books; a magazine editor (''Diving World'', ''Atlantic C ...

(born 1947), pioneer underwater archaeologist and treasure hunter *

Rick Stanton Richard William Stanton, (born 1961) is a British civilian cave diver who specialises in rescues through the Cave Rescue Organisation and the British Cave Rescue Council. He has been called "one of the world's most accomplished cave-divers", "t ...

(born 1961) * Robert Sténuit (born 1933), underwater archeologist and the world's first

aquanaut An aquanaut is any person who remains underwater, breathing at the ambient pressure for long enough for the concentration of the inert components of the breathing gas dissolved in the body tissues to reach equilibrium, in a state known as satura ...

* Bill Stone (born 1952), American caver and explorer, known for exploring deep caves, sometimes with autonomous underwater vehicle *

Kathryn D. Sullivan Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan (born October 3, 1951) is an American geologist, oceanographer, and a former NASA astronaut and US Navy officer. She was a crew member on three Space Shuttle missions. A graduate of University of California, Santa Cruz ...

(born 1951), Marine geologist

T

* Peter Throckmorton (1928–1990), pioneer underwater archaeologist, director of the

Sea Research Society The Sea Research Society (SRS) is a non-profit organization promoting research and education in marine science and history. Founded in 1972 by underwater archaeologist Dr. E. Lee Spence, SRS undertakes archival research and underwater expeditions ...

Gunnar Thorson Gunnar Axel Wright Thorson (31 December 190625 January 1971) was a Danish marine zoologist and ecologist, who studied at the University of Copenhagen under the professors C.G. Johannes Petersen, August Krogh, Theodor Mortensen, Ragnar Spärck and ...

(1906–1971), Danish marine biologist *

Ruth Turner Ruth Dixon Turner (1914 – April 30, 2000) was a pioneering U.S. marine biologist and malacologist. She was the world's expert on Teredinidae or shipworms, a taxonomic family of wood-boring bivalve mollusks which severely damage wooden ma ...

(1915–2000), marine biologist

V

* Victor Vescovo (born 1966) * Allyn Vine (1914–1994),

W

* Don Walsh (born 2 November 1931)

References

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