This article examines the complex relationship between humans and the ocean, focusing on public perceptions and the role of discovery in ocean science. For this, we use the term ‘discovery’ in two ways: publics ‘discovering’ ocean science and ‘discovery’ as the epistemic foundation of ocean science. Through textual analysis, we show how scientific discovery is intertwined with exploration in national-level ocean literacy policy documents. We then denote a practical and methodological distinction between discovery and basic science in ocean science. To link this back to ocean literacy, we employ Free-Choice Learning examples situated in the U.S. and Taiwan that adopt Personal Meaning Mapping to highlight how adolescents ‘discover’ the ocean and recognize the prevalence of discovery in ocean science. We conclude that although discovery is essential to ocean science, it is inseparable from a legacy of harm (i.e., exploitation, colonialism, and environmental degradation) which makes it — and other discovery sciences — an ongoing challenge to communicate.