The line-crossing ceremony’s history isn’t exactly family-friendly 😬 Some versions are “initiations” while others are closer to a baptism with water. Whatever version, there would be some person dressed up representing Neptune. You were considered an inexperienced sailor (pollywog) until you crossed the equator and became a shellback, and this tradition dates back to at least Captain Cook in the 1700s. “As you cross the imaginary line of the equator, an animated Neptune will come up out of the