I use 'motion sickness' pills from Walmarts. In the aisle where you find the aspirins and stuff. Brand is Equate and about three bucks for 100. I take one at around noon the day before diving, also in the evening. Then I take three a day: morning before diving, noon and in the evening. Have never been seasick since taking these pills.
Need help with sea sickness
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Kevrumbo
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Here's an easy beginning exercise to help develop your Cognitive/Kinesthetic Awareness and to understand the basic mechanics of motion sickness:
Stand-up, close your eyes, and have a friend push you at random intervals from any direction around you. Try to steady yourself and resist being knocked over as best you can. After a while, you might start feeling disoriented or even dizzy & nauseous (the start of motion sickness).
Take a break . . .and then try again:
Stand-up, close your eyes, and this time have your friend at 5 second intervals push from directly in front of you, and then 5 seconds later push you coming from your right side. Repeat this set over and over --Anticipate, brace yourself and counter-react to these pushes to keep from being knocked over. You shouldn't be as disoriented as you were before because you're now in control, countering these predictable, periodic and expected forces trying to push you over.
Now apply this to being on the diveboat: you see the swells coming in a regular predictable frequency (every 12 seconds for example) --Anticipate, brace yourself and counter-react to these "pushes" to keep from being knocked over. Now close your eyes and do the same thing. At the very least, with practice (and hopefully easy rhythm swells, and non-heavy, stormy or chaotic seas to start off with!), you should be able hold off the nausea to a tolerable level --and in time-- without using any medication whatsoever.
Be patient and don't give up: it takes time, concentration & effort to develop and apply this cognitive/kinesthetic technique to the seemingly complex 3-dimensional forces acting on you at sea and achieve some relief of motion sickness symptoms . . .the gist is to figure out and feel the rhythm of the swells and anticipate yours & the boat's resultant movement. . .
see also:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/5367954-post40.html
Stand-up, close your eyes, and have a friend push you at random intervals from any direction around you. Try to steady yourself and resist being knocked over as best you can. After a while, you might start feeling disoriented or even dizzy & nauseous (the start of motion sickness).
Take a break . . .and then try again:
Stand-up, close your eyes, and this time have your friend at 5 second intervals push from directly in front of you, and then 5 seconds later push you coming from your right side. Repeat this set over and over --Anticipate, brace yourself and counter-react to these pushes to keep from being knocked over. You shouldn't be as disoriented as you were before because you're now in control, countering these predictable, periodic and expected forces trying to push you over.
Now apply this to being on the diveboat: you see the swells coming in a regular predictable frequency (every 12 seconds for example) --Anticipate, brace yourself and counter-react to these "pushes" to keep from being knocked over. Now close your eyes and do the same thing. At the very least, with practice (and hopefully easy rhythm swells, and non-heavy, stormy or chaotic seas to start off with!), you should be able hold off the nausea to a tolerable level --and in time-- without using any medication whatsoever.
Be patient and don't give up: it takes time, concentration & effort to develop and apply this cognitive/kinesthetic technique to the seemingly complex 3-dimensional forces acting on you at sea and achieve some relief of motion sickness symptoms . . .the gist is to figure out and feel the rhythm of the swells and anticipate yours & the boat's resultant movement. . .
see also:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/5367954-post40.html
Airleron
Contributor
My friend takes Triptone (dimenhydrinate), which is available at most dive shops or online. She swears by it.
There are a great many divers who have gotten sick on boat dives. It has happened to almost everyone I know. As for remedies, there are lots of over the counter things you can try & I might try them first. The thing that works for me is a prescription called Scopace. It comes in both a patch & pill form. However I would never use the patch for diving but only the pill form as you then can control the dosage your body receives. The problem with the patch is that it can deliver greater amounts of the drug as pressure increases at depth; which can have weird side effects. If the full dosage in the pill format seems too much (my own problem) you can cut the pill in half & take that instead. That amount works for me. No matter what you try, test it out on a day when you don't plan to dive. That way if you have a weird reaction, you've not ruined a day a sea.
Pick a good boat. Bigger boats mean a smoother ride. Avoid a stinky diesel boat. Some of those will make you vomit from noxious fumes, right at the dock. Cigar and cigarette fumes may have a similar effect.
Look at an item on the horizon that is fixed. Look at building if you are in sight of land, or a low cloud if you are out farther. These give a reference point to your body's gyroscope.
Chewable Dramamine works. Also eat dried fruit and nuts while on the water.
Be ready to plunk in the water as soon as the boat stops. A bobbing boat can cause you to get sick, as you may feel out of balance.
Four foot seas seem to be the threshold of sickness for many people. If you regularly battle motion sickness, wait for a smoother day. People rarely puke into a flat sea.
Getting on a boat with a hangover increases your chance of sickness.
Most of all, don't feel bad. We were diving with an Eastern European group and one guy was like a fighter pilot, maybe even a visiting cosmonaut. He certainly looked the part. He was the one that got sick. You never know.
Look at an item on the horizon that is fixed. Look at building if you are in sight of land, or a low cloud if you are out farther. These give a reference point to your body's gyroscope.
Chewable Dramamine works. Also eat dried fruit and nuts while on the water.
Be ready to plunk in the water as soon as the boat stops. A bobbing boat can cause you to get sick, as you may feel out of balance.
Four foot seas seem to be the threshold of sickness for many people. If you regularly battle motion sickness, wait for a smoother day. People rarely puke into a flat sea.
Getting on a boat with a hangover increases your chance of sickness.
Most of all, don't feel bad. We were diving with an Eastern European group and one guy was like a fighter pilot, maybe even a visiting cosmonaut. He certainly looked the part. He was the one that got sick. You never know.
My wife has problems with motion sickness. When we went to Fiji last year, one of her fears was that the daily boat dives would end up making her seasick. She took along Tazo brand Organic Spicy Ginger Tea. Because she's not real crazy about the taste of ginger, she did a mix with one ginger tea bag, and one green tea bag. She would make up a bottle of it each night, and sip at it frequently on the boat the next day. She went the entire week without getting seasick once.
The Mythbusters found that ginger works just about as effectively as OTC pharmaceuticals for controlling the nausea from motion sickness. Another plus is that ginger does not have any side-effects or "hangover" effect.
The Mythbusters found that ginger works just about as effectively as OTC pharmaceuticals for controlling the nausea from motion sickness. Another plus is that ginger does not have any side-effects or "hangover" effect.
I love being on the water, but have been seasick many times. Sometimes the pills worked and sometimes not.These posts all have good advice, but just remember, once you are sick, let it out!
After I figured that one out, I've been able to yak, dive, repeat as needed. It's embarassing,(the first few times) but it's your trip and your money. I was on one boat in the Keys, and when I looked up from the rail, there were 2 other guys doing the same thing. The people trying to hold it in were miserable and couldn't do the 2nd and 3rd dives.Just watch your aim.
For me, the bigger boats are worse. Like looking at the horizon, being in a small boat connects me to the water, and I seldom get sick.
With all this going through your head, don't forget your gear and buddy checks.
Once in the water,you should be good.Try to get in first, surface last, and get in the boat last if possible.Happy diving.
After I figured that one out, I've been able to yak, dive, repeat as needed. It's embarassing,(the first few times) but it's your trip and your money. I was on one boat in the Keys, and when I looked up from the rail, there were 2 other guys doing the same thing. The people trying to hold it in were miserable and couldn't do the 2nd and 3rd dives.Just watch your aim.
For me, the bigger boats are worse. Like looking at the horizon, being in a small boat connects me to the water, and I seldom get sick.
With all this going through your head, don't forget your gear and buddy checks.
Once in the water,you should be good.Try to get in first, surface last, and get in the boat last if possible.Happy diving.
carolrose
Contributor
Im definitely a fish feeder, but I've found that taking Ginger capsules helps a lot. I take them the night before and morning of a dive. Also, I can't have an empty stomach on a boat or I will definitely be sick. Seems counterintuitive, but eating a decent breakfast keeps me from having that everything in my stomach rolling around feeling.
+1 for Ginger! Its the only thing that helps me without feeling drugged. I go for the ginger chews, they have one that tastes like a spicy caramel apple that is really good. Just do it before or at the first sign. After still works but you'll kick yourself for getting sick when you didn't need to.
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