Water makes up about 71 percent of Earth's surface. Around 97 percent of that water is attributed to oceans.

Oceans were the original form of travel for exploration, with colonial pursuits and scrambles for riches made only possible by the advent of sailing technology. The oceans present us with infinite opportunity -- for sustenance, travel and leisure.

The allure of the waves crashing along sandy shores and the potential to encounter delightful creatures just lurking below the surface attracts many a visitor to the vast sea shores. Families visit the sea as means of a different form of entertainment, as days can be spent basking in the sunlight and sniffing the enticing smell of salty sea air.

Many travel on cruises, exploring the world via rides on the waves, experiencing high class comfort on the high seas. The ocean allows for this pursuit of exploration, being the means of motion to faraway lands and unknown locations.

Beyond exploits of leisure, the ocean allows for global trade, with freighters carrying goods across the globe, allowing us as consumers to celebrate a global economy. We also rely on oceans for food, especially where sea life is primary sustenance in coastal communities.

With all of its benefits though, the ocean itself has secrets.

Consider this -- we have put men on the moon and have sent probes to Mars, but no one has gazed upon the deepest part of the ocean.

We know more about the moon than we do the ocean. Ships have reached the deepest part of the ocean, at Marianna's Trench. Do you know what they encounter there? Noise. Lots and lots of noise.

Caused by what exactly? No one knows for sure. In its hidden depths and dark, deep crevices, the ocean lies a mystery on the home front, an unknown within our system.

I am terrified of the ocean. I will gladly go to the beach, and I have no problem swimming in ocean waters, but the fear of the unknown weighs heavily on my mind.

The oceans are so vast, and the opportunity for deep sea exploration may open many doors to our understanding not only of the world around us, but also our origins and the origins of the earth itself as a feature in the universe.

As we further explore our oceans, we may discover truths of the past that shake our universal existence to the core and may lead to an unearthing of earth itself. The ocean may be the key to understanding our own existence, but its vastness still evokes fear.

The ocean's shallows are a pleasant friendliness, but its depths are an unfamiliar mass. Be kind to the ocean, for its depths and inhabitants may inform us of more than we can ever fathom.