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:

• Louis Antoine de Bougainville, first French circumnavigator
• Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, the second person to circumnavigate Antarctica
• John Byron
• John Cabot
• Sebastian Cabot
• Pedro Alvares Cabral
• Jacques Cartier
• Thomas Cavendish
• Samuel de Champlain
• Didrik Pining, discovered America 20 years before Columbus
• Christopher Columbus, (re)discovered America
• James Cook, explorer of the Pacific Ocean and polar regions
• William Dampier
• John Davis
• Bartolomeu Dias
• Francis Drake
• Leif Ericson, a Norse viking discovered America some 500 years before Columbus, calling part of it Vinland
• Martin Frobisher
• Vasco da Gama
• Humfry Gilbert
• Henry Hudson
• Ferdinand Magellan, performed the first voyage of circumnavigation
• Jacob Le Maire
• Alvaro de Mendaña
• Binot Paulmyer
• Pedro Fernandez de Quiros
• Willem Schouten
• Abel Tasman, discoverer of Tasmania and New Zealand
• Luis Vaez de Torres
• George Vancouver
• Giovanni da Verrazano
• Amerigo Vespucci, discovered other parts of America and gave his name to the new continent
• Samuel Wallis, discoverer of Tahiti
• Zheng He explored much of Asia and Africa.

See also polar explorers and land explorers, explorers.