New "Advanced Diver" sea sick the whole time!

[Aotus]

This weekend I just completed the 5 dives required to attain the rank of PADI advanced OW diver. Our first dive was an intro to peak performance buoyancy, in which all we did was mess with how much weight we needed and then dove 30 ft in very poor visibility and lots of surge (shore dive), swam back and forth a bit and came back up. I learned nothing about improving my buoyancy, but more importantly, as we came up I got really seasick in the waves.

During my OW certification training I got sick on day 1 but dramamine with breakfast after that took care of things and I had a great time. This time, I had two more dives after my first dive on day one, then two more the next day, and never kicked the seasickness until the day after (MOSTLY recovered today). I feel like I should've earned special honors on my new c-card for enduring the sickness the whole time. My question though, is how the heck can you shake this sickness once it starts? Google and forum searches come back with results about preventing it in the first place...well, i messed that part up by not taking some dramamine before dive 1. What then? Why would it linger so long?

Thanks for any special insights anyone can offer. I'm hoping to be in the water again in a week or two and I'm sure I'll be psyched, but right now I can't even think about it because my stomach and head still turn at the thought.

 

[Derek S]

I rarely get seasick, but I have noticed on the few times I've felt a little queasy during rough seas/lake water was to look at the shoreline or out to sea where the sky meets the water. It's not foolproof, but it will help by focusing on a stationary object. First and foremost though, is to make sure you take that medicine. I've also heard people have great luck with those seasick bracelets, but again, I've rarely gotten sick.

Feel better, and welcome to diving!

 

[Aotus]

thanks. I'll look into the bracelet.

I should've mentioned, I've tried: ginger (gum/ale/chews) and looking at the horizon. Helps a bit but not a solution.

 

[Keith.M]

I would say that since you now know that you are very likely to get motion sickness, you should take bonine the night before and the morning of your planned dives.

There really is no drawback to taking it up front. I don't personally get motion sickness, but I know it looks to be miserable on people I know who do.

 

[Tippytoes12]

I get terribly seasick , but my hubby and I both love diving and liveaboards in particular. Prevention is key , so if I think that a boat ride will be choppy I take something and always take the next dose in time. So if a treatment is for three times daily consumption take the next dose before the 8 hours are up. If you so get sick on the boat the only way of getting better is jumping into the water.

I also drink lots of water , go easy on food and consume absolutely no alcohol for 24 hours before the start of a trip...and not at all during the liveaboard.

This does work.


Best fishes xx

 

[scuberd]

Practice practice practice. The more you are out on the water, the more you adapt to that environment and the less you will feel it. Take the steps listed above to help you at first, but try to spend more time in the water and the symptoms will go away over time.

I know that is sucks to be sea sick, but it does get better.

Dive Safe

 

[iluvtheocean]

I get terribly seasick , but my hubby and I both love diving and liveaboards in particular. Prevention is key , so if I think that a boat ride will be choppy I take something and always take the next dose in time. So if a treatment is for three times daily consumption take the next dose before the 8 hours are up. If you so get sick on the boat the only way of getting better is jumping into the water.

I also drink lots of water , go easy on food and consume absolutely no alcohol for 24 hours before the start of a trip...and not at all during the liveaboard.

This does work.


Best fishes xx

definately take the required doses when it says and avoid greasy foods and other items that might upset the stomach if possible.... unfortunately this list includes coffee. which is why on an early morning boat dive i use the 5hr energy or something similiar.

 

[Aotus]

great tips. thanks. with any luck i'll be diving a lot this summer, so between that and the memories of this weekend burned into my head (won't forget prevention again!), I should be alright.

thanks a lot.

 

[TMHeimer]

Just a thought. Maybe it's like being on a roller coaster. If you "fight it", you may be in trouble. Go with the waves--be part of the boat (be the ball....). I don't know if there is a solution other than the meds. some suggest. Some of us are just lucky I suppose.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I never got seasick until a trip to the keys where the seas were a bit rough and I was doing something that required me to not look at the horizon. Now seasickness, motion sickness, trying to read while riding or flying all can hit me. Unless I take one of the prescription anti nausea pills my doc gave me. One of those seems to be good for 12 hours or so.
Ditto not eating greasy foods as well. Had a student fly me down to Puerto Rico to do checkouts. Morning of the first dives he was late getting up. I had a nice bowl of oatmeal at the hotel and a small coffee. he had to swing thru the nations food poisoning capital for a sausage mcmuffin with cheese and an orange juice. I don't think even the fish wanted the stuff that came out of him into the water on the way to the dive site.