I don't really think spitting off the pier is spitting for the heck of it! That's learning physics and cause-and-effect!

Spitting for the heck of it is spitting without thought to anyone else, because your mouth was full of stuff (or not, and you decided to call some up), and just doing it without regard to where you are. Kids do lots of things for those reasons--like swinging a baseball bat around people walking by, climbing on the bleachers. Spitting just happens to be more gross than that.

I'd still be grossed out by the spitting off the pier, and I'd correct them if it was impinging on someone else, but I probably would just avert my eyes and say "la-la-la" in my head until they were done.

Karen