10 Nautical Tattoos And Their Meanings

Another creature that must have been seen regularly by any who spent their lives at sea, turtles feature heavily in many nautical tattoo traditions. Beating out octopuses, squids and sharks, the humble turtle is by far the most well-represented. Famed for living up to 80 years in the wild, they were seen as good omens and bringers of luck.

In some traditions, a shellback turtle tattooed on a sailor would indicate that he had crossed the equator. Other equator related ink tended to feature Neptune, God of the Sea. In addition to the applying of tattoos, there are many variations on "ceremonies" that are conducted on vessels crossing the equator. Sometimes crewmen will dress up as Neptune and receive some token of gratitude. Others will just soak any newly-inducted line-crossers with a water hose (or worse if they are unlucky.)

Much like the Dragon tattooing tradition, a gold version of the turtle can indicate that the wearer has crossed the international date line. Outwith the nautical traditions, a turtle tattoo can represent wisdom, serenity and peacefulness due to their generally placid and unrushed nature.