on a typical dive boat.....stay near the stern. sit low in the boat. keep eyes on the horizon. sip some ice cold ginger ale. maybe experiment with different meals before heading out. some like to eat light. me, i get nauseous if i am hungry so.....bring on the pancakes !!
As former professional mariner and tug boat captain, I say that rick00001967 is giving the best advice. Eating food that does not upset your stomach is the key. Don't eat a lot, eat small portions but do it often. Find a drink that goes down easy but does not have an aftertaste or other un-needed side affects, like belching. Almost pure water works for some (bottled water). Hard water tastes like effluent to me when I am not feeling well.
I have a ritual that I go through on the first night out after a long absence from the ocean. On those moonless cold winter nights, with the wind howling and the seas running around 10 feet, I can feel a little uncomfortable. I always pack my favorite rough water meal: tuna fish sandwiches and some grape juice. I make sure I eat a ½ sandwich every couple of hours.
Most people can't differentiate between hunger pangs or seasickness.
On the fishing boats, I would cure a sick crew by going to the bait tank and grabbing some live anchovies or sardines. I would ask if anyone was hungry. They would respond no, and then they would watch me stuff several chovies in my mouth head first with the tails flipping away just outside my mouth. The rails were instantly lined with people calling for "ART", "Ralph" and "you F-BOMBER".
Puke and get it over with.
Doc is right, at one point you have to clean-out your stomach and start over.
Then I would feed them burnt dry toast (carbon helps). Next we would move onto something like breakfast burritos (no bacon or sausage), they work well. A little salsa actually helps. The breakfast burritos don't have to be eaten right away. They can be held and nibbled on. Next, we would get them busy catching fish. That fixed 'em!
cheers,
m
