7 Best Boating and Nautical Halloween Costume Ideas
Forget about ghosts and goblins—Halloween is a great time of year to show the boating spirit! From love boat captains to sailors, fish, and mermaids, you have a lot of options to choose from when coming up with nautical costume ideas—for women, men, and kids alike.
Here are seven of the top boating and nautical costume ideas for Halloween:
- Classic pirate
- Swashbuckling pirate
- Pirate wench
- Sailor
- Boat captain
- Scuba diver
- Popeye
In the mood for more spooky-season content? Be sure to read the 7 Most Haunted Lighthouses in the United States.
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1. Classic Pirate
Photo Courtesy of Chasing Fireflies.
Oh, the styling of a brocade coat that screams “yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum!” This women’s costume, complete with a black pirate hat and gold hoop earrings, really nails the look. And it comes with a pirate saber, just in case anyone else at the Halloween party has a few too many cups of grog and needs to be put in his place.
2. Swashbuckling Pirate
Photo Courtesy of Google Shopping.
This men’s costume is officially called the Smiffy’s Pirate Deck Mate Captain Sea Ship—but you can call it the “swashbuckling pirate.” The headscarf and belt set the tone, and accessories like a sword, eye patch, and hand hook can complete the look.
3. Pirate Wench
Photo Courtesy of Google Shopping.
Somebody had to serve grog and rum to all those classic and swashbuckling pirates back in the day. This women’s costume will get you a spot behind any bar, with a corset and head tie to complete the look.
4. Sexy Sailor
Photo Courtesy of HalloweenCostumes.com.
This Seven Seas Sailor costume is a sexy women’s take on a classy Merchant Mariner vibe, with a half-length top and thigh-high shorts that show off nearly every inch of your salty charm. The hat is borderline naughty nurse, but with an anchor decoration to make clear this look is all about the high seas.
5. Kid’s Marine Dress Blue
Photo Courtesy of Fantasy Toyland.
This kid’s costume is a smart-looking getup for any child who wants to give the impression that he or she is ready to take on official duties at the helm. Just be careful with the look of authority, because little Bobby or Bonnie might decide to start giving orders.
6. Sunny Scuba Diver
Photo Courtesy of Amazon.
Learn a few factoids about Jacques Cousteau and the early days of scuba diving, and you’ll be all set to rock this men’s scuba costume that includes a pair of fins and an air tank backpack. Diving goggles complete the look and are shaped in a way that will still let you eat and drink at the neighborhood Halloween party.
7. The Most Famous Sailor of All
Photo Courtesy of Party City.
What kind of Halloween party could be complete without a Popeye costume? This one has tattooed muscle arm slip-ons (so you can skip eating the spinach to bulk up) and is an officially licensed version of the look from the classic cartoon.
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Kim Kavin has been on boats in more than 50 countries and islands, including in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, South Pacific, Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. She grew up learning to steer a ski boat and Hobie Holder at her grandfather’s lake house in New Jersey, and went on to spend time aboard everything from America’s Cup racing sailboats to submarines.
Kim is a PADI-certified scuba diver and animal lover who always enjoys a good, long look around a coral reef. Her award-winning writing and editing regularly appears in national marine magazines and on leading websites. In her early years, she was a Dow Jones editing intern and a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. When she’s not writing, Kim can usually be found hiking northwest New Jersey’s beautiful park trails with her adopted shelter mutt, Ginger.
