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Timely thread. I've never really suffered from sea sickness. Maybe a little bit quesy, but that's it. Last night I got violently sea sick. I had no idea it was so incapacitating. I actually can't believe that people would put up with that on a regular basis to dive.
Here's another point regarding seasickness I just learned...if you wear bifocals or especially trifocals, take them off when you're on the boat. The pitch and roll has your eyes continually trying to focus which is not a good thing if you're prone to motion sickness. I've also taken to hanging out at the stern and certainly out of the diesel fumes. The other points mention in response posts are good advice as well.
As an interesting aside for the guys, my Mrs tells me that seasickness feels just like morning sickness. Respect for the mums out there. I couldn't imagine 3+ months of feeling like that!
+1 for Bonine. I take two the night before and then another two in the morning as soon as I get up. If I'm on a liveaboard, I then take one at each meal period for "maintenance" until the end of the trip. For me, one does not last the whole day. Fortunately, it doesn't make me drowsy. My first boat trip was to Venice, FL, for shark tooth diving. I got sick before the first dive of the day and was stuck on the water for 8 hours or so while everyone else went diving. The dives were shallow and lonnnnnng. Painful.
The good news is, as soon as you get back on terra firma, the nausea goes away
Toxman,
I have trouble on the boat, but once in the water, no problem. The Scop patch works well, but the side effects are pretty bad (very dry mouth and dilated pupils). The good thing is you can't puke them up like pills. Try the regular dramamine and the less dowsy fomula dramamine which is meclizine. I use the later and it works great for me. My wife tried it and it put here to sleep. So try them around the house to see how they effect you.
Good luck. Don't give up yet.
I have been on boats where half the occupants were green and puking left right and center and I have never had a problem.
BUT - I have always preventatively taken one Meclizine the night before (if I remembered), one the morning when I got up, and another as the boat was leaving. LIveaboards, always take it the first day or two, then no need. Two weeks ago, going offshore in NC, was the first time I forgot to take it, and coincidentally it was also the first time I spent the better part of the boat ride out struggling not to regurgitate. I highly recommend the preventative doses.
If I am not mistaken, Meclizine contains the same active ingredients as Bonine for much less $$. At Walmart, you can get 50 25mg tablets for about $6 - you have to ask the pharmacist for it, though.
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Originally Posted by RJP
Eat bananas for breakfast.
Won't do much for seasickness... but they are the only food that tastes the same coming up as they did going down.
[thumbsup!]
Eat them before you get on, though! Most of the captains I know won't let you bring bananas ON the boat!
I was on a cattle boat in Australia (about 30 divers, 30 snorkelers), and it was a little cool on the ride home, so everybody was sitting inside, then one person got sick and started a chain reaction. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the ride home toughing it out in the cold. The rear of the boat was a little dangerous though, since every few minutes someone would come running out, not quite make it to the railing and throw up all over the deck. So I spend the 45 minute ride back topside in the wind, but was dressed for it.
One thing I like to do when I'm feeling queazy is to get outside (or at least by a window) and stare at the horizon. These people that were huddle up inside were not doing themselves any favors sitting inside rolling with the waves. I also find that there is a point, where you realize that vomiting is inevitable, and just a matter of time, in which case you need to be outside on the leeward side.
I've tried Bonine and Scopolamine tablets. For me, both seem to have *some* effect, but not a complete cure. If the swells are both long and high, I still get seasick.
If you try Scopolamine either patch or tablets, be sure to test on land first, at a time where you don't need to do something or go anywhere. It's pretty odd feeling: dry mouth, a bit woozy feeling, sometimes feels like my eyes don't quite follow when I turn my head. It gets better after a bit though. As others have mentioned, I take one tablet the night before and one in the morning, and on long days another tablet mid-day.
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Originally Posted by Toxman
