>>17768859
It's honestly baffling. Every other culture on the planet developed some sort of maritime technology. Even the Chumash, a Native Californian tribe, managed to build ocean going vessels to row to the Channel Islands.

When the Portuguese sailed around Africa they were surprised to find uninhabited islands 10 miles offshore, well within the ability of people onshore to see the islands. The problem isn't lack of wood, the Africans have access to a variety of woods. By contrast the Chumash had to wait for wood to float down the California coast. The problem isn't tool technology. The Africans had access to bronze and later iron tools. By contrast the Chumash used bone tools to split their wood into planks and sharkskin to sand them into boards.

Every other people on the planet, Polynesians, Melanesians, Micronesians, Philipinos, Native Taiwanese, East Asians, Indians, Middle Easterners, Native North Americans, Native South Americans, and Europeans all developed maritime technology. Except Africans.