Banana drama

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mr bubbles

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Location
Western Australia
# of dives
500 - 999
Hi , I recently went on a charter vessel,I packed my own lunch which included a bananna, once the skipper saw me unpack and about to consume my bananna he snatched it out of my hands and threw it overboard claiming it to be bad luck and then demanded that if anyone else had a bananna to do the same and he wasn't mucking around, I was pretty amused by the whole ordeal and told a few friends later and they had all heard of it before but didn'tknow the story behind the myth,Just wondering if anyone does?
 
ive heard it before also but ive taken bannanas on board quite a few times (in the tropics) with no dramas
 
I heard it stems from bananas producing a gas which causes other fruit to ripen, and subsequently spoil, faster. I guess people noticed that fruit stores rotted faster on ocean going vessels if bananas were also present. Thus the association with bad luck. Don't know if it's true but it sounds good.
 
Something off the net:

http://www.azinet.com/captjim/bananas.htm

""One visitor to our Home Page (Mr. James Coppage) has a bit of a different story. Of course, we received his permission to print it here. If you have another story, please send it to us (along with your permission to publish it)!
First I would like to say I love you web page. I read your reports regularly. I hope to fish with you this coming season. I would however like to take issue with the story of the Bananas and being bad luck. While spending time in Hawaii fishing I spoke with some "native" Hawaiians who clued me in to the origins of Bananas and bad luck. Back before fiberglass and powered boats the Hawaiian men would go out in dugout canoes and fish for weeks at a time. They would always take Bananas. Well it happens that the Bananas would rot about the same time they would get to far out to really catch any fish. So they associated bananas as bad luck. I learned this the hard way when I took banana boat sun screen out fishing. We were not catching anything and I was baking in the hot sun. I was putting the sunscreen on when the 1st mate saw it was banana boat. He immediately grabbed it from my hands and threw it overboard. Not 5 min later we hooked into a 950# marlin. So I am a true believer in the banana superstition and will not allow anything to do with bananas on my boat at any time. I look forward to possibly fishing with you this year.

Thanks

Jim Coppage
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There are many stories why bananas have been thought of as bad luck on boats. This is only one of the nautical superstitions that I know of and is particularly prevalent amongst watermen. Many stories have banana oil rubbing off on ones hands and “spooking" the fish; therefore the fish don't bite. There is always the story of a crew member slipping on the banana peel left on the deck. Some say that bananas give you the runs so you are always in the marine head and can't catch fish because you are busy "draining the pipes". Many other stories are told about bad luck and bananas, however the one that I find most plausible is a historical one.

Back in the days of the transatlantic crossings by wooden sailing ships many hazards would befall the captains, crew and passengers. Disease, pirates, shipwrecks, storms, etc., claimed the lives of a good percentage of the captains, crew and passengers attempting the dangerous voyage. Needless to say, a transatlantic crossing in the 17th and 18th centuries was a very risky endeavor. Often the vessels would stop along the way in tropical islands to gather provisions such as food and water. There the passengers and crew would often purchase wooden crates of bananas from the locals and bring them aboard the ship. These crates would have all manner of critters in them such as bugs, spiders, vermin and snakes.

These critters would make their way into the bilges of the ships, multiply, and then find their way into the captain's quarters. The captains circulated the rumor that bananas were bad luck in an attempt to keep the critters off the ship and out of their cabin. The crew and
passengers were more than eager to follow suit because of the inherent risk of the crossing. So, if the captain announced prior to the voyage that bananas were bad luck and not allowed aboard the vessel, everyone complied. You must remember that these were the days of burning witches and the like, so superstitions were taken very seriously.
Watermen are a mysterious lot. While we are known for our simple pragmatism, we also have many odd quirks. Superstitions have been prevalent on almost every vessel I have worked on. I feel that this is due to the nature of a waterman in that he sees the randomness of the world around him juxtaposed with the rhythmic, seasonal flows of nature and then tries to reconcile these observations into some sort of personal and/or environmental order. As Stevie Wonder (a blind man) pointed out so eloquently: "When you believe in things you can't

understand, that's superstition".
This was a funny story I ran across while surfing the web. I pilfered it from this site: Story


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The Case
Against Bananas



Bringing a banana aboard a fishing boat won't win you any friends among anglers-but it might score you a wedgie.

This article was taken from Boating World Magazine

The mere mention of a banana muffin on board was enough to send legendary south Florida fishing guide "Bouncer" Smith scrambling toward the cooler that held the offending item. With his face flushed and a vein bulging from his forehead, he hurled the hapless muffin overboard, much to the objection of its rightful owner. Was this the act of an isolated bananaphobe? Well you can forget about black cats crossing your path or broken mirrors, because to many fishermen around the world, there is nothing unluckier than a banana on board a boat.
Having been cultivated in the Indus Valley as far back as 2000 B.C. , the banana's nickname is "the fruit of the wise" Somewhat ironic when you consider that it is technically classified as an herb (although clearly a member of the "hand-fruit" genus) and is a favorite food of monkeys, whose major leisure activities include hurling bodily waste products and offending sexually uptight visitors at the zoo.
The origin of this superstition is uncertain, but many believe that it began in olden times, when bananas were transported by rickety, overcrowded, top-heavy boats plying the tropics (now known as cruise ships). These boats would frequently sink, leaving behind a residue of floating yellow commas, thus leading witnesses to deduce that hauling bananas was unlucky. A more scientific explanation is that since bananas give off ethylene gas when they ripen, it causes other perishable foodstuffs to spoil more quickly. This expended-gas theory could be why it's also considered unlucky to have a politician on board. Yet another theory suggests that crates of bananas would also contain unwanted pests, such as spiders, snakes, flies, mice and Beanie Babies.
Although the banana superstition is worldwide, nowhere is it taken more seriously than in Hawaii. Some believe the Aloha State's anti-banana sentiment has its roots in legend when the god Pele (apparently before his soccer career) brought his brother to the islands to be the deity in charge of sport fishing. Rumor has it that he was deficient in, how shall we say, the male hydraulics department, giving him a severe case of banana envy. A clue to how Hawaiians feel about the subject can be found on the Kona Fishing Charter website. Although fairly ambiguously written, it states "Absolutely positively, no ifs, ands ,or buts, do not bring bananas on board". Let's just say if questioned by a Large Samoan deckhand folding a filet knife, it might be better NOT to reveal the fact that you had a Bananas Foster for breakfast.
In Florida, charter boat crews have extended the prohibition beyond bananas and related food products to include objects that merely have the word banana on it, such as Banana Boat sunscreen, or items from Banana Republic, During fishing tournaments, anti-banana feelings run high. Not leaving any stone unturned, each person on board is quizzed as to what brand of underwear they are wearing. Should some clueless individual mention they are wearing Fruit of the Loom, a rather unpleasant operation is performed on them. First, they are seized by a couple of stout deckhands and given a punitive "wedgie" to prepare the surgical field. A razor-sharp filet knife is then used to excise the label, which curiously doesn't even have a banana on it. Experts recommend not struggling during this procedure, particularly if after a hard night of carousing the underwear is on backwards.
Some bold individuals spit in the eye of this superstition such as the Banana Lure Co., which features trolling lures that look like half a Chiquita. Attempts to inquire about how business is going have gone unanswered…..

Could Eric Whul have been right about the banana superstition?????? ""
 
Bananas are often deemed bad luck on boats and the story offered by Fisherdvm is probly about as comprehensive as you'll find - except that the goddess Pele is female. I try to respect superstitions and feelings of wherever I visit and avoid insulting the locals or tempting the gods, i,.e. don't carry pork over Saddleback road on the Hawaiian Big Island. Divers visit a lot of different boats where the Skipper is ruler so best not to carry bananas aboard any boat anywhere without at least asking.

Since there is no accident involved here, I'll ask a Mod if s/he would like to move this to General Travel...?
 


A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

moved to Basic Scuba Discussions...
 
I have a friend who will throw your bananna overboard should you bring one on his vessel. How funny it is to read the superstitions behind this.
I'll be bringing an orange for my lunch!!
 
There is only one god, and he didn't curse bananas, I would like to see the captain who would throw my banana over board! To hell with superstition and voodoo and all kind of wired ****, if it is going to happen it will happen out there, just ask Mr Murphy! I likes me banana and the boats that carry then for snacks! Look out for that ghost ships! What about woman on board? What about a woman with a banana? Or pissing into the wind with a banana?:popcorn:
 
I respect your feelings PW, as much as I would those who have different feelings, trying to not insult any. If it was your boat, I'd want to respect your boat regs.

How big of a deal is it to not carry bananas onboard without asking?
 
The one time i bring a bannana on a boat we run out of gas, luckilly we were close enough to a dock that sacaquaman and I could push the boat in and find someone to take him to a gas station.
I ask you bannan or poor planning? He swears he's made that trip with the same amount of gas before...
 
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