5 Easy Ocean-Themed Halloween Costume Ideas
Coming up with a creative Halloween costume could be a full-time job. So let us do some of the work for you!
These costumes are made for seafood-lovers and ocean fans in mind, but all of them should be costumes you can mostly throw together with items from your own closet or simple products from a craft store. Work smarter, not harder!
Let’s get into it.
1. Be your own seafood boil!
@theoneandonlymaghoe on TikTok did it best. Here’s what you’ll need.
The main ingredients:
A checkered dress or shirt to evoke the feeling of a tablecloth at a seafood boil (red gingham is the classic, but you can see Maggie found an awesome yellow dress that suited the costume perfectly). Alternatively, if you have any clothing featuring lobsters or crabs, that would be perfect as well.
A clear plastic poncho that reminds people of seafood boil bags and gloves that are usually used at seafood boil restaurants.
Optional additions:
Commenter’s on Maggie’s post suggested a lemon bag or butter purse (yes, those exist!) as statement pieces to go along with the costume.
Shiny red shoes that remind people of the bright red gleam of boiled crabs and lobsters.
Themed accessories! Maggie uses seasoning earrings, but if you have a hair clip that looks like a crab claw, stick-on nails that look like shrimp (shout out to the commenter who came up with that one), or any kind of jewelry depicting corn or potatoes, those could really tie the outfit together.
2. Become a jellyfish (with an umbrella or big sun hat).
Jellyfish are iconic, easily recognizable, and nice to look at: the hallmarks of a great costume idea. Get your crafting tools ready—this one won’t just happen.
The main ingredients:
Choose your fighter: a big sun hat or umbrella. If you’re using a hat, cover it with pink, purple, or blue fabric. If you’re using an umbrella, pick one that’s clear, or one of the classic jellyfish colors we’ve already mentioned.
Create your tendrils. Tape ribbons, or something similar at consistent intervals along the edge of your umbrella or brim of your hat. If you can curl them a bit, that can add an extra bit of charm to the look, but isn’t required.
Pastel clothing, ideally ones that match your hat or umbrella, just to tie the look together. The main star of the show is going to be your umbrella/hat, so you don’t have to worry too much about the rest of your outfit.
Optional additions:
Add fairy lights to the inside of your umbrella or underside of your hat. Fairy lights are great because they don’t heat up the way most other lights do and they’re light and small. Tape them on the inside to create a nice glow to your costume!
Add strings of beads alongside your ribbon tendrils for more texture!
3. Tinned fish come to life!
Lean into the virality of tinned fish right now and grab the nearest cardboard box. With just a little bit of work, you’ll have an iconic seafood costume ready to go!
The main ingredients:
A cardboard box big enough to cover you or two sheets of poster board to make your tin. Use construction paper, markers, or paint to design your tin. We recommend customizing it to fit an iconic tinned fish design you like, or one that incorporates your name since, in this costume, you are the fish!
Aluminum foil to line the inside of your poster board or cardboard box with. That way, it’ll look like the inside is metal, like a metal can! You can also shape some aluminum foil into the pull tab that’s used to open the tin. Stick on that on the front.
Optional additions:
A fish hat or other fish themed head gear could help you really look like a sardine popping out of a tin.
A black long-sleeved shirt, pants, and shoes will keep the focus on your costume.
4. Dive deep as a scuba diver.
Amy from Delineate Your Dwelling was our inspiration for this costume! You don’t need any scuba gear to pull this off, though a snorkel mask or goggles could make your life a bit easier.
The main ingredients:
An all-black outfit that makes you look like you’re ready to go diving is a must. Basically, you’re trying to look like you’re in a wet suit.
Empty liters of soda to serve as your oxygen tanks. Attach them to strings so you can wear them as a backpack.
Any kind of goggles to complete the look. If you already have snorkel gear or swimming goggles or even safety goggles at home, you can use them to really give off that underwater vibe.
Optional additions:
A net or bucket to help clue people into the beachy vibe.
Flippers or homemade “flippers” you cut out of paper and tape onto the tops of your shoes.
5. Bring a mermaid/merman to life!
We saved the best for last. This one’s obvious and surprisingly easy! And if you want to create a fun couple’s costume, consider having your partner be a pirate, sailor, or fisherman.
The main ingredients:
A green, blue, or teal skirt or pants that will immediately remind people of merpeople. The shinier, the better, since that’ll evoke the look of scales!
For the mermen, a big beard!
Optional additions:
Glitter! It’s the easiest way to look magical and like you have scales. Body glitter is easy to find, and so is vibrant eyeshadow. Consider putting glittery eyeshadow on your cheekbones to make it look like you have scales.
A scalloped top to cover your upper half, assuming you don’t want to get chilly. Of course, there’s the classic seashell bikini top idea or, for the mermen, no shirt at all, but don’t be afraid to cover up. A shirt with a man’s torso drawn on it might be funny too!
Fitting accessories, like a crown, seashell jewelry, or a trident! You can make a trident from rolled up construction paper. (Don’t worry, we don’t think everyone has a trident just sitting around at home.)
Anything fishnet to, you guessed it, remind people that you’re a sea creature! Bonus points if it’s brown or gold rather than classic black.
Tie tulle around your ankles to create the illusion of a tail. Shout out to Heather of Brie Brie Blooms for this awesome idea! Just make sure you don’t trip.
When all else fails, remember: you can always be a family of sharks. But hopefully some of these creative ideas have given you inspiration for the whole family!
And when you get hungry on Halloween night, don’t rely on just candy to get you through the day. Merman’s Revenge seafood seasonings and sauces were made for your salmon dinner, crab boil, sushi, fish and chips, and more! Don’t forget to give our seasonings, hot sauce, and glazes a try. If you love teriyaki, Cajun-style flavors, sweet honey, yummy dill, and classic lemon pepper, you’ll definitely find something you like in our lineup.
So, what are you going to be for Halloween?
Recipes you may like:
