00:00 The Polynesian navigators explored the Pacific Ocean without leaving physical monuments, leaving their legacy in the people who live on remote Pacific islands.

01:49 The Polynesians were an exception to the rule of staying close to land while navigating the seas, as they were able to sail into the unknown of the deep ocean and settled in the remote Pacific islands.

03:21 The Polynesians settled remote Pacific islands by utilizing their skilled navigation techniques, including the use of a mental map based on the night sky to determine their direction.

04:54 Polynesian navigators utilized a complex celestial navigation system and passed down maps of islands from generation to generation, allowing them to accurately map out multiple islands within a 2,000 kilometer radius, although their mental map method was not as precise as GPS and they also relied on certain bird species to indicate proximity to land.

06:22 Polynesian navigators used various techniques such as observing bird behavior, reading waves and swells, and identifying specific types of clouds to navigate and locate land, and while there is evidence that they reached some sub-antarctic islands and possibly the coast of South America, much of their navigation knowledge was lost after European arrival.

07:51 In recent decades, there has been a revival of Polynesian navigation techniques, with the Polynesian Voyaging Society successfully sailing from Hawaii to Tahiti and other Polynesian islands using traditional methods, but it is still unclear how the Polynesians knew these islands existed in the first place, with the best guess being that they either stumbled upon them by accident or set out on voyages without knowing if they would find anything.

09:24 Polynesian navigation is considered one of the greatest achievements of the ancient world, with its legacy seen in the lives of the people across the Pacific islands.