Paying Off Poseidon (a new take on an old sailing superstition)

You can support this channel and enjoy more marine life writings on my substack: https://substack.com/@taraapierce Thank you, Brett Pierce, for the outro music. Sailors, being world travellers, picked up superstitions from all over the world. One of my favourite superstitions is paying off Poseidon. The idea is, before a voyage sailors give an offering to Poseidon as they leave the harbour in exchange for a safe passage. It's been common practice to throw a few coins off the stern. My plan is to transform this tradition into an honouring of the sea by offering sea shells. Collecting sea shells from the beach or buying them from shops is quite harmful to marine ecosystems. Sea shells are exactly where they belong: in the sea or on the beach. Leaving shells where you find them is an easy way to protect the ocean. I first learned about the harms of shell collection as it relates to the climate crisis. Shell formation requires calcium and carbonate ions. Not to get too technical, but when old seashells break down, they release calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which can become available for new shell formation. This process happens in a few ways: Physical and Chemical Breakdown - Waves, sand, and acidic water gradually break shells into smaller pieces, eventually dissolving them into calcium and carbonate ions in seawater. Biological Recycling - Some marine organisms, like certain bacteria and fungi, help break down shells, releasing calcium carbonate back into the water. Sedimentation and Reuse - Dissolved calcium and carbonate ions can be reabsorbed by marine organisms like mollusks, corals, and plankton to build new shells and skeletons. However, ocean acidification can disrupt this cycle. As the ocean absorbs more CO2, the pH becomes more acidic, reducing the availability of carbonate ions and making it harder for organisms to form new shells. Collecting shells from the beach or while diving further removes the amount of calcium carbonate available for new shell formation. Plus, there's the immediate ecological purposes for empty shells: animals, like hermit crabs, use them as homes while other animals, like octopuses, use them as protection. Some sea birds use them to build nests. Sea shells also contribute to the composition and stability of the sea bed, being part of the sedimentary process. Of course, there's always the question: what if I just take one shell? Our individual actions don't matter much, right? Well, this is why individual actions do matter: when a billion people do it, it has an impact. A protected beach, were it's forbidden to collect sea shells, is notably different from unprotected beaches! Protected beaches are COVERED in shells and coral pieces. I hope to visit such a beach one day, where I'll follow the camping slogan: Take only pictures, leave only footprints. Unfortunately, buying sea shell souvenirs isn't any better. All those pretty polished shells in tourist shops are in such great shape because they were harvested while the animal living in them was still alive! This is often an illegal practice but it continues. With all this in mind, I'm offering Poseidon shells. Maybe I don't believe there's a merman with a long white beard and a trident ruling the Ocean and creating waves and currents and watching sailors' behaviour. But I do believe in honouring life on this planet and doing my best by it. When I lived in the Netherlands, I found a jar of shells in a thrift shop. They were obviously collected while on holiday and used as home decor until the person decided they no longer cared for them. I bought them with the intention of one day returning them to the sea. Mostly tropical-looking shells, I've been waiting to be closer to a similar ecosystem from which they were taken. Whether or not there is some cosmic form of "luck," I know I'll be giving something back to the sea; and if we are Nature, then taking care of Nature is taking care of ourselves. #sailinglife #superstitions #sailingsuperstitions #seashells #educational #marineecosystems #learnsomethingnew #protecttheocean #videoart #videoartistry #shells #savetheoceans