still have HI questions

[Crush]

Dear all,

Yes, I have read the "before you ask" and related HI stickies. They were very helpful at assisting me in finding accommodation and boat charters. I now have some questions that I can't find on those stickies.

Summary: I am no longer sure that I want to boat dive HI owing to sea sickness. Advice and input on typical sea state and the availability/recommendedness of shore diving in Oahu in December is sought.

More Details:

I have a copy of Francisco de Carvalho's The O'ahu Snorkelers and Shore Divers Guide.

I usually shore dive in lakes.

I have some experience with current diving and entry/egress in surge.

I will be in Honolulu from early December to the end of December. I'd like to dive when not working. Work will make it impractical to leave the island of Oahu. I will have a stretch of five uninterrupted days to dive, after which diving will be on a day-by-day basis.

As I mentioned I found a boat charter organizer in HI. The only problem is that I just got back from diving Boynton Beach, FL, and the 3-5 foot swells did me in. The boat was a 34-foot Crusader. Day 1 the swells were worse and I swallowed two Bonine one hour before hitting the water. I was pretty sick the entire time. On day 2 the swells were not as bad (at least, not initially) plus I chewed up two Bonine's 1.5 hours before the dive. I was a bit nauseated, but it was not nearly as bad as day 1. Perhaps I was getting some sea legs... I just don't want to spend five days feeling like crap...

Clearly the sea-state will be variable, but can anyone comment on what is typical?

I'd love to shore dive, but as I will be traveling without a buddy it would seem foolhardy to me to solo dive unfamiliar sites. Are there enough good, protected shore-entry sites to keep me busy for five days? What are the odds of hooking up with locals who might want to spend weekdays and weekends diving?

I have 70 dives, MD cert (NAUI). I will travel with all of my own gear save for tanks and weights.

Thanks in advance.

 

[scottitheduck]

I'll take a stab at this....

Sea sickness largely depends on wind here on Oahu. If you are diving the South Shore by boat it's typical this year to have 10-20 mph winds. But, there is a good side to this..... most of the dive sites are 5 to 10 minutes out.

I have found this site to be a great resource:
Windfinder - Wind & weather forecast Ala Wai harbor

Also, the patches you can put behind your ear some people swear by. Also ginger tabs and chewable ginger treats during the dives have made a difference for others I have dived with in the past.

Finally...... yes, there is shore diving, you have the proper book, but please check the surf report before you solo any of the sites (808) 596 SURF.

Enjoy our island bro....

G

 

[Crush]

Aloha Gabe!

I didn't want to keep pestering you with my questions, so I threw this one out to the wider SB community. Thanks for the prompt reply!

MP

 

[LavaSurfer]

Shorediving dot com
Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: Oahu, Hawaiian Islands
My favorite traveling resource.

 

[Damselfish]

Bonine doesn't do it for everyone and doesn't seem to work well for you, so I'd look into some of the other solutions. My husband wouldn't boat dive in Hawaii (or most places) without the Scop patch - none of the OTC stuff like Bonine is enough for him.

 

[friscuba]

For lots of people, 2 bonine an hour before getting on the boat will start to take effect in about 3-4 hours, maybe... problem is by then their already sick as can be.

1 bonine the night before the dive, 1 bonine again in the morning about two hours before the dive. Gotta get it into your system, once it's in it should work for most of a day.

I was told to recommend the dosage in that manner the day I started working in the biz here, and pretty much every boat captain I've met recommends dosing in the same schedule. It works crazy good. In about 11 years of working boats here I've maybe seen all of 3-4 people throw up after taking bonine on that schedule. We recommend it a lot, I've had divers who were throwing up on the patch and virtually every other med try that and be just fine. Try it on a charter some time, you might be surprised.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Along with experiencing the exact same "everyone who knows" recommends the "night/morning" dosage schedule, I am also a big fan of eating and drinking "normal" stuff. If you don't live here, maybe not a luau, mai tai's, sushi, lava flows, bromine and loco moco.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

1+ what friscuba and halemano are saying.

I have also found any seasickness medication to be most effective if you begin taking the recommended dossage at least 24 hours before getting on the boat; in addition, I always recommend "testing" the medication well before taking the boat trip to see if it makes you excessively drowsy, dry mouth, etc.

Most folks actually do pretty well with with bonine if they start it soon enough. Despite being an Ex-Merchant Marine, sailing on interisland tugs in nasty weather, owning my own small boat and taking it out in nasty weather sometimes..... I still get seasick if I have not been on a boat in several months and the weather is bad. Bonine works well for me if I remember to start taking it 24 hours in advance.

Have fun!

 

[Crush]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

I have seen my GP and am all Rx'd up - I have drugs, drugs, and more drugs. Before you post, in consultation with my GP (who knows that I will be diving) we have determined which meds will try first, when I will use it, and how I will modify the regimen if the first treatment (scopolamine patch) is ineffective. I will not be a walking zombie. I plan to do an easy shake-down dive on the patch before hitting the boats.

I wish that I could sit on a rocking boat for 30 minutes to see which drug will work best for me. No such boats within 1000 miles of me.

HI, here I come!

Edit: In Canada GP = General Practitioner = MD in Family Medicine. Don't know what the US term is.

 

[Lopaka]

My best tip: Keep your eyes on the horizon in a regular rhythm. I am pretty good on small boats without meds, but if I get to farking around with gear with head down, a good swell will get me going.

Regardless of what you take (what can it hurt to try?), keep your eyes on the horizon as much as possible. Seems to calm the inner ear somehow, at least for me.