People swear they'll never go on a cruise after seeing horrifying reality of what they look like at night

Cruises are a hugely popular way for many people to spend their holidays, but one video has got some people terrified at the prospect.

When you think of a cruise, you may think of lounging on a deck chair, or eating at one of the many restaurants, perhaps even going in the pool.

That or trying out one of those weird surfing machines.

What you may not consider however is the existential dread that comes from having to stare into the ocean at night, as one video shows.

There's a couple of things to know about the ocean. Firstly, and this may come as a surprise, it's very big.

The second thing is that there is not an awful lot of light above the ocean. If you've ever been somewhere very remote at night you will have an idea.

It gets dark, and not just dark, we mean very dark.

Add to the darkness the knowledge that there are potentially thousands of metres of water right underneath you, and suddenly a lot of maritime superstitions start to seem a lot more real.

The video was posted by @chasingthedream.hj, who showed just how dark it gets, saying: "Cruises are great until you realise how dark the ocean gets at night."

He continued: "Unless you've been on a cruise ship, you're not going to understand how dark it gets at night.

"And then they say, 'all you're doing is showing the swimming pool', it's kind of because there's nothing to see if you look overboard at night because it's absolutely pitch black."

And people were absolutely terrified by the prospect of it.

One wrote: "Nope, I have a weird thing about bodies of water at night! That would creep me out way too much.”

A second posted: "You cannot pay me enough to go on a cruise."

A third put: "And that’s why…..I WILL NEVER.”

And it's not just cruise ships where this can be intimidating.

TikToker joethesailor documents his life working as an officer on container ships.

In one video he shared that he still gets nervous going out on deck at night due to how pitch black it is.

He revealed that some sailors even have a superstition that you shouldn't go out on deck alone at night.

If you stare too long into the blackness it can begin 'calling' to you, until you are compelled to jump in.