Ducking and shaving
Encyclopedia
The practice of shaving new seamen and ducking them in the sea the first time they cross the Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer, also referred to as the Northern tropic, is the circle of latitude on the Earth that marks the most northerly position at which the Sun may appear directly overhead at its zenith...

. The custom, common on 18th century British sailing vessels, involved tying a rope around the man and dunking him in the sea three times from the main yard. Sailors could pay a fine to escape the rite of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....

, but most accepted it, many enthusiastically.

At other times, ducking was used as a punishment similar to keelhauling
Keelhauling
Keelhauling is a form of punishment meted out to sailors at sea...

.

Sources

A Slaving Voyage to Africa and Jamaica: The log of the Sandown, 1793-1794, edited by Bruce L Mouser, Indiana University Press, 2002, page 31
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