Symbols Deep End Ali Hazelwood

The Tie-Dye Shammy: Hidden Affection, Superstition, and Self-Acceptance

What Is the Tie-Dye Shammy?

A shammy—or chamois—is a highly absorbent cloth that competitive divers use to dry off between dives. It prevents slipping during complex aerial maneuvers and is a standard piece of every diver’s kit. In Deep End, Scarlett “Vandy” Vandermeer’s tie-dye shammy is far more than functional gear. It first appears in her memory as a lost lucky charm, resurfaces as a clandestine gift from Lukas Blomqvist, and ultimately becomes a marker of her psychological breakthrough.

Where the Shammy Appears in the Story

The symbol is woven through three pivotal moments that chart Scarlett’s arc from fear to freedom.

The Stolen Shammy and the Worst Dive (Chapters 15–16)

During a dryland training break, Scarlett texts Lukas about competition superstitions. She mentions in passing that “my worst dive ever happened the day after someone stole my tie dye shammy.” This throwaway confession reveals how deeply she connects objects to performance—and how a small loss can become a mental scar. The memory ties the shammy to her larger struggle with the “twisties” or lost move syndrome that has haunted her since a catastrophic injury.

The Secret Gift from Lukas (Chapter 45)

At Winter Nationals qualifiers, Pen gives Scarlett a soft, colorful bundle. “Luk asked me to give you something,” she says. Scarlett’s fear that it’s a pair of forgotten underwear dissolves when she sees what is in her hands: a tie-dye shammy. The gift is a covert communication. Lukas remembered an offhand detail from weeks earlier and acted on it without ever handing it to her directly. Pen’s role as messenger cloaks the gesture in secrecy, reflecting the hidden nature of the relationship Scarlett and Lukas are building. The shammy says: I see you. I remember what you said. I am paying attention even when we can’t be open.

The Platform Final and the Toss (Chapter 47)

With an armstand double one and a half left to clinch a podium spot, Scarlett climbs the tower clutching the shammy. She thinks, “I’m drying off with my tie-dye shammy, so similar to the one I lost two years ago—the one I barely recall mentioning to Lukas. He remembered, though.” In that instant, the shammy ceases to be a crutch. She throws it off the tower. The action signals a shift: she no longer dives for perfection or to avoid disappointing others, but “for the audience,” hoping they will enjoy watching her. When Coach Sima later returns the shammy to her after she qualifies for the World Championship in Amsterdam, it has become a trophy of growth rather than a talisman against failure.

How the Symbol’s Meaning Changes

The tie-dye shammy moves through three layers of significance:

Superstition and control. Initially, the shammy is part of Scarlett’s elaborate mental architecture to ward off the twisties. Losing it correlates with her worst performance, reinforcing a belief that external objects can protect or doom her. This reflects the broader theme of mental blocks and performance anxiety.
Hidden affection and shared secrecy. When Lukas sends the replacement via Pen, the shammy becomes a vessel for unspoken intimacy. Their connection must stay hidden—from Pen, from the team, from everyone—so a tie-dye cloth handed over in a locker room carries the weight of a love letter. It directly links to the theme of consensual power exchange, where small acts of silent understanding are part of their dynamic. Lukas’s choice to use Pen as an intermediary also complicates the friendship and loyalty theme: Pen is unknowingly facilitating a secret that could hurt her.
Self-acceptance and release. When Scarlett hurls the shammy off the platform, she releases the superstition. She no longer needs an external anchor because she has internalized Lukas’s message: he cares about her, not merely her scores. The shammy returns to her after the dive, but the meaning has flipped—it is now a souvenir of choosing joy over fear. This evolution echoes the story’s exploration of identity beyond athletic achievement and her gradual recovery from the trauma of her injury.

Character Connections

Scarlett Vandermeer

For Scarlett, the shammy mirrors her internal state. As a character trapped by perfectionism, she clings to rituals that promise control. The loss of the first shammy feeds a narrative of bad luck and inadequacy. Its replacement jolts her because it tells her someone has been watching and listening. By the platform final, the shammy helps her redefine failure and trust her own body again.

Lukas Blomqvist

Lukas rarely offers direct declarations of emotion. The shammy is his language. He remembers a detail Scarlett herself considered trivial and acts on it at a moment when she is under immense competitive pressure. The gift sides with her athletic identity while speaking a private message. Lukas’s attentiveness here aligns with his protective, perceptive nature throughout the novel, where he often shields Scarlett from scrutiny while empowering her to take risks. Read more about his character here.

Penelope Ross

Pen is the unwitting courier. She hands Scarlett the shammy with a casual “you forgot it at his place, or something?” and a wiggle of her eyebrows. Her lack of context—she doesn’t know the romantic depth between Lukas and Scarlett—adds dramatic irony. Later, when Pen learns the truth and feels betrayed, the shammy’s journey through her hands becomes one small thread in a larger web of misunderstandings. Pen’s role intersects with the complexity of her own arc and her need for security.

Coach Sima

Coach Sima retrieving the thrown shammy and handing it back wordlessly after the podium finish is a rare moment of unspoken pride. His actions, often sharp and demanding, temporarily soften as he witnesses Scarlett transcend her block. The gesture, paired with “I hope you have a valid passport,” concretizes the reward.

Thematic Threads

Mental Blocks and Performance Anxiety: The shammy is introduced as a superstitious object tied to Scarlett’s twisties. Its loss triggers a belief that misfortune will repeat. The replacement and final release model a movement from externalized anxiety to internalized self-trust.
Consensual Power Exchange: Lukas’s gift is a quiet assertion of care within a dynamic where explicit public acknowledgment is impossible. He exerts control over the method of delivery, ensuring Scarlett receives the object without compromising her autonomy. The shammy becomes a physical token of their negotiated, secret intimacy.
Trauma and Recovery: Scarlett links her worst dive to the theft of her original shammy, attaching trauma to a specific object. Receiving the new shammy from Lukas doesn’t erase the trauma but reframes it. The act of throwing the shammy away during competition represents reclaiming her body and her dive from the injury’s shadow.
Friendship and Loyalty: Pen delivers the shammy as a loyal friend would, trusting Lukas’s request and Scarlett’s reaction. Yet the gift operates within a secret that tests Pen’s loyalty later. The shammy thus silently question how far friendship can be stretched by hidden relationships.
Identity Beyond Athletic Achievement: Scarlett initially treats the shammy as part of her diving performance identity. When she throws it, she separates her worth as a person from her scores. The act aligns with Sam’s therapy lessons about redefining failure—a lesson that extends beyond the pool into her plans for medical school and her relationship.

Study Questions and Answers

How does the tie-dye shammy function as a symbol of Scarlett’s superstition early in the novel?
In her text exchange with Lukas, Scarlett blames her worst dive on the theft of her original tie-dye shammy. This reveals her tendency to assign luck and failure to physical objects. The shammy represents her belief that external props can control outcomes, a mindset Sam’s therapy sessions later challenge.
Why does Lukas choose to send the shammy through Pen instead of giving it directly to Scarlett?
Lukas’s decision preserves the secrecy of their growing bond. At that point, neither is ready to reveal their relationship, especially to Pen, who still sees Lukas as her ex. Using Pen as a messenger camouflages the intimate significance, making the gift appear casual even as it carries deep personal meaning.
What is the significance of Scarlett throwing the shammy off the tower before her final dive?
The throw marks a psychological shift from performing for perfection to performing for joy. Earlier, she clung to the shammy as a protective charm. By discarding it, she lets go of the superstition and the pressure to avoid disappointing others. The dive she executes afterward earns her the bronze medal and a world championship berth.
How does Coach Sima’s return of the shammy after the podium confirmation alter the symbol’s meaning?
When Coach Sima picks up the shammy and hands it back, the object is no longer a talisman but a memento of a genuine achievement. It represents validation from a coach who had doubted her future on the team. The shammy now holds the memory of a dive done freely, reframing it as a token of earned self-worth rather than borrowed luck.