While scuba divers are generally a pragmatic bunch and have no prevalent superstitions in diving, however the sailors and fisherman that ferry us divers to our dive sites are often a highly superstitious lot. Whether it’s a small island in the Pacific, or a Caribbean island in the west, sailors and fisherman have several superstitious beliefs dating back several centuries and still believe them today. As a scuba diver it is often important to know what customs and superstitions your local dive boat skippers follow, so as to not incur their wrath or be thrown off the dive boat inadvertently.
Dive Boat Superstitions
Bananas on the Boat
Perhaps one of the strangest yet most widely followed superstitions is that bananas are simply not allowed to be brought aboard a boat.
There are several explanations as to how this came into existence, however the most plausible one is that this superstition traces its roots back to the old sea faring days of Caribbean where ships restocking food supplies with bananas at theses islands, used to become infested with all kinds of venomous spiders and bugs that hitched rides on the banana bunches and subsequently infested the ship. This may have led to captains spreading word that bananas were not allowed on-board which later translated into them bringing bad luck.
Whatever the reason, this “no bananas on-board” rule has lived through the generations and still is followed strictly by several boat captains. In-fact in Florida and the Bahamas, several marinas and dive boat captains strictly disallow bananas, and will go as far as to ban “Banana Boat” sun screen and “Banana Republic” clothes and any other item with the word banana on it!
Flowers are unlucky onboard a ship
Sailors being particularly paranoid about anything to do with death will often not allow flowers of any kind to be brought on to their vessel. Flowers and wreaths, due to their association with funerals and death are believed to be a sign of bad luck.
In Indonesia, a dive boat refused to leave the jetty, as a woman scuba diver on the boat had a single flower in her hair. The boatman simply refused to set sail until the offending flower was removed.
Dolphin swimming with the ship is a sign of good luck
A pod of dolphins swimming in the wake of the vessels bow is considered a sign of good luck and a successful voyage especially if it takes place at the start of the journey. Sailors claim that leaping playful Dolphins signify good weather and mild seas.
However, it is also believed that killing a dolphin will instantly bring bad luck.
A shark following the ship is a sign of inevitable death
Sharks were believed to be able to sense those near death, and hence many boatmen believe that if you see the fin of a shark tailing the boat, it is a sign of bad luck or impending death.
Whistling
Another peculiar yet universal superstition forbids whistling on a boat especially in the direction of the wind. It is believed that whistling onboard raises a gale and eventually a storm. This is where the saying “Whistling up a Storm” finds its origins. Some sailors extend this to singing as well, however this is peculiarly restricted to singing in the wind and only to parts of the vessel such as the bridge.
It’s bad luck to sail on a Friday
Another superstition that dates itself back to the early days is that it’s bad luck to start any voyage or trip over the seas on a Friday. This superstition perhaps has its origins in the belief that Christ was crucified on a Friday, and this day is therefore unlucky.
While most dive boats have no problem operating on Fridays, certain captains of liveaboard vessels often refuse to set sail on a Friday citing that embarking on a voyage is unlucky.
