#sea things

[squidsinashirt]

You said your bracelets were gifts? Whats the story behind them all?

Yeah, the bands all gifts. Well, mostly. They’ve all got a story behind them, anyway.

One was a Navy Academy graduation gift (called a pass out band)

One was for crossing the line (that’s an old Navy tradition for crossing the equator for the first time, along with other celebrations of it)

One was my Gramps’, my mom’s dad (that’s why it’s got Galatians 6:9 on the inside, not my pick but it fits. It was actually the first one I started wearing).

One was from my dad when I qualified for the US national team for the World Juniors.

One was for my 21st birthday from the brothers.

And the odd one out - I bought myself one after my first failed rescue. Just… felt like the right sort of way to mark it, to carry them forward with me.

Leather bands and bracelets have been worn for centuries as symbols of adventure and achievement, all the way back to the Ancient Greeks and the Romans.

Mine is a little closer to home, I guess. Sailors are superstitious, not just a little stitious 😉. According to an old Navy legend, leather bracelets soaked in saltwater worn close to the skin “anchor a man’s soul”. They’re meant to protect you from being claimed by the sea.

It was said that when the ocean truly wanted someone, it would find a way… unless you wore something to remind it you were still part of it. So you’ve gotta dunk your pass out band in the sea and promise to go with the tide, not against it. It’s a lucky talisman after that.

And no, I never take them off. Twice they’ve been taken off by somebody else (removed in surgery both times so we will forgive them, but they were promptly shoved back on as soon as I was awake enough to do it).

[krakatowen739]

pirate ladies should have their tits out

[beautifulrelaxingplace]

[onedemigoddess]

"Ocenarium" by Biljana Kroll

[wheniwrite28]

The sea remains the same, the ebb and flow of the sea calming him, his emotions a gentle buzz over the ragging turmoil he feels most days. That is what you get to be an emotionally constipated mess for over three decades.

Cas is okay with it, he is okay as long as he can sit each day, every day for an hour and watch that green eyed beauty run, he wonders if he should too put on his running shoes and stage a run in. He is still lost in his thoughts when the man with the most mesmerising eyes that Cas has ever seen is standing in front of him, hands on his hips, speaking...

What? Cas speaks, pauses. Man, let me take you out, I can't take this tension, while pointing his fingers between them, anymore. Also, my brother is suspicious of my runs when I haven't run in 28 years. Whatcha say? Cas is stunned and stares. Hey? Dean is beetroot red, his whole face giving away his embarrassment. Of course, Cas says, as it is the most natural thing that they could do.

[suburbanforestwitch]

Sherwin Williams let's you make a color palette from any picture. I'm a little obsessed.

[squidsinashirt]

oh man, how are you not scared by that big shark? and touching it!!??

Because there’s nothing to be afraid of?

Evidence as below - little head boops with my friend from yesterday evening! 🥰🦈

Sharks aren’t vicious, man-eating predators that mindlessly attack. Don’t get me started on Jaws. Don’t.

Sharks are incredible creatures, absolutely deserving of the respect they are due, who are incredibly intelligent and the undisputed kings and queens of the oceans.

SHARK FACT. Sharks have a 6th and a 7th sense (just to add to their already sharp five other ones).

They have a lateral line along their back that detects the tiniest vibrations in the water (their own personal Thunderbird Five!) but also the speed and direction of ocean currents. The other one is their little noses - they have gel-filled sacs that can detect electrical currents and signals in the water (called ampullae of Lorenzini). What kind of signals? How about the ones from your own brain to your heart telling it to beat? Yeah, they can sense that, and from a reasonable distance too.

There’s also an ongoing theory that they can detect the earth’s geomagnetic field and use it for direction, and the most recent research has supported this!

Sharks have survived every mass extinction event our planet has seen (where’s @call-me-casual when I need that shark fact 😏). They have evolved and evolved again and the biggest threat they face? Us. Humans have been systemically destroying their habitat for decades now, and we’re only just getting a grip on it.

So if you are going to venture into their home (and that’s what you’re doing every time you go for a swim!), then you need to learn to behave yourself. You’re polite, you wipe your feet and you mind your manners.

Don’t swim near food sources (fishing is a big one!). Don’t be mistaken as a food source. Sharks attack surfers because their boards look like seals on the surface of the water. It’s mistaken identity.

Don’t swim at dusk, dawn or night if you aren’t prepared. I mean, don’t swim at all if you’re going into sharky waters and you don’t know what you’re doing!

Don’t chase them or harrass them (that’s a rule for all marine life anyway).

If you see a shark, don’t panic and try and swim away. They have an excellent prey drive and there is no way you are out swimming them. They’ve also seen you looooong before you’ve seen them (see above!). Stay calm, be as uninteresting as possible, and gently redirect it if comes up to you (see my video from last night, gentle nose boops only).

Humans get into trouble when we think we’ve got a right to do what we want, where we want, over the entire planet. We share this spinning rock with millions of other souls all deserving of a lot of respect and appreciation, and we gotta learn to share.

There are fantastic groups doing lots of awesome work on shark conservation and you can take trips with them to swim safely (for both you and our sharky friends!) if it’s something you’re interested in! Gordo highly recommends, but then again, it’s the sea and a sea creature so that’s not really a surprise now is it 😏

[suburbanforestwitch]

My little pirate finally made it to the ocean!!!