Sea Olympics: Crossing the Meridian at 0:0.

After Ghana, the country closest to the equator, we lost our pollywog status and were initiated into the Kingdom of Neptune and joined the ranks of the rare and coveted society of Emerald Shellbacks (or Royal Diamond Shellbacks, if your prefer) by crossing the Equator at the Prime Meridian.  In other words, we were afloat on the ocean at the point where the global positioning system says that you are at 0⁰, 0⁰.  As a long-standing nautical tradition of many countries, this required an elaborate line-crossing ceremony aboard the MV Explorer, a picture of which is even on the Wikipedia page of the same name.  We were not spared any embarrassment, got slimed, had to kiss a raw fish, had to kiss King Neptune's ring, and had to laughed at by all other ceremonial initiates.  In other words, it was just like almost every other day on the boat...

Oliver with his side-buzz the night before.

Mercer, Jasper, Oliver the night before, when the haircutting began.

Jasper gets the "Hand of Sauron" on his head.

Ollie and Jazzy

The official green slime for the ceremony.

Genevieve kisses the fish!

Adler and Dadler are granted official Emerald Shellback status.

The pool line up.

The ceremonies begin.

Mercer fully shaved.

Chedzilla fully shaved.

Adler gets the finishing touches from Julie.

Adler afterwards

Cheddar and Adler, bald.

Adler and his Dadler all Balder

Genevieve crowdsurfs the pool...

... and doesn't get dropped in.

Vivi, Dad, Ollie, after the headshaving

Ice cream break in the middle of the festivities.

Cheddar and Mom on the rear deck. 

The family, with boys all shaved except for Jasper and Walker

Even Hanna got her head shaved.

Professor Strand shaves Professor Silva.

RA Nathan Bunch, Prof. Matthew Silva, Prof. Read Schuchardt

Mercer and Dad holding up hands with O, O marked on them.

The other way of signing the "zero-zero" location.

Dad and Mercer

Walker finally got his head shaved.

Walker and Mercer

Walker, Mercer, Dad

The Schuchardt boys, all fully shaved (except for Jasper, who couldn't let go of his Hand of Sauron)

The family at day's end. 

Momler, who kept her hair, and Adler who did not.