Why do people on boats or the riverbank wave at each other?

Answer 1

because it's a lot easier than standing on your head and clapping with your feet. that's hard to do in a boat.

Answer 2

I believed we talked about this in social psychology class years ago. It had something to do with back in the old days when ships weren't quite as "nice" as they are today, and sea travel was very treacherous and sometimes deadly. The tradition of waving at people on the shore was meant both as an encouragement to those still on shore silently saying "we're going to a new life", and also the perception of "we might not make it", so it was a good luck gesture to those on the ship to wave. This tradition began in the era where people believed that when you sneezed, you soul temporarily left your body and if someone around didn't say "bless you" you were doomed (crazy I know, but from the same era).

Answer 3

Social customs and Boating

"Greetings are social customs or rituals to show attention or to confirm friendship or social status between individuals or groups of people meeting each other. Greeting habits are highly culture- and situation-specific and may change within a culture depending on social status. "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeting

The act of waving from a boat to others, either onshore or in other boats therefore becomes an act of friendship and confirmation of social status. The waver is in effect saying:

"Yes. I have acheived a certain level of success in that I not can only afford to own a boat, but I can drive it with some level of proficiency as well'

The person being waved at responds with a wave and in effect is saying:

"Yes you certainly have acheived a certain level of success but please watch out, you are driving much too close to that red buoy."

There are other perhaps more subtle acts of communication that can be seen between boaters.

Sometimes you will see two boats pass, and a passenger of one will turn away from the opposing boat and drop his pants thus providing the opposing boat and it's occupants to a full view of his backside.

Many consider this as a gesture of insult. In fact it may just be a polite way for the offending passenger to relieve himself of some painful gas without offending his own crewmates. The jury is still out on this.

Answer 4

When I was a kid we used to go down to the Manchester Ship Canal and wave at the ships.
It didnt matter what nationality they were the crew even somtimes the captains always waved back.Sadly the canal is little used these days.

Answer 5

Good question. We used to have a narrowboat, we now have canal frontage with our house.

I think I might be royalty, i've got the wave down to an artform.

Its like people in unusual cars waving at each other. Its just friendly, why try to read anything into it ?

Answer 6

We are in the same family or boat~common factor. It is just the norm of marine life. Have you ever been on a motorcycle? they wave to each other too!

Answer 7

Because boating is fun and makes people happy. Happy people wave at each other for no apparent reason.

Answer 8

I guess, before the pain of continuous waving caused the novelty to wear off, people used to do the same with cars...

EDIT

For Rickey C, on sneezing. The "bless you" dates back to the time of the plague when sneezing was a sure sign that you were infected and that your number was, sadly, up.

Answer 9

Haha, made me for smile for some reason. Yes they do appear to go wave crazy when they are on a boat, I only wave back if there are little kiddies doing it, not to the adults though!

Answer 10

the ones on the river bank are trying to tell the ones on the boat that there are rocks ahead
the ones on the boat are trying to tell the ones on the river bank that a tidal wave is coming