Need help with sea sickness

[ben_wilson3301]

I am also the first off the boat and the last in. If I have the air Ill stay about 15 feet down until everyone else is on the boat. That seems to be where the rocking motion quits and the pressure is comfortable on my stomach

 

[WillYanni]

Just a few thoughts from working on a boats/living out of one.

I think that mild seasickness can be controlled via diet (this is an observation, I am not a doctor)

Hydration plays a large role in people being sea sick (being properly hydrated reduces some sea sickness problems) I am not a doctor this is just an observation.

Another thing is forget about eating citrus (no predive OJ) or foods that have high acid content (sour foods) or foods that are overly spicy.

 

[lmorin]

Dimenhydrinate is the active ingredient in the original Dramamine and will make you sleepy. The active ingredient in Bonine is meclizine and will not make you sleepy. Meclizine can be purchased OTC. There is scientific evidence supporting the use of ginger for seasickness prevention.

Here's something I encourage all of you fish feeders to try and let us know how it works. I get seasick easily. On one anchored surface interval, things were going from bad to worse and the DM suggested something totally novel. She gave me a baggy of ice and said to hold it on the back of my neck. Unbelievable! Instant relief from the nausea. It worked as long as I held it there. However, that was also the problem: when I put the ice down to prep my gear for dive #2, the nausea came right back. I had to have help with my gear while holding the ice in place. I could turn the nausea on and off by removing or replacing the ice. Weird. I'm a cynic about lots of so-called treatments such as this, but the ice seemed really to work, but only acutely. I'd prefer Bonine any day.

 

[DocVikingo]

For a comprehensive (and accurate) treatment of the topic, I suggest your read --> Tame the Technicolor Yodel: Managing Mal de Mer (http://www.awoosh.com/DocVikingo/Sea_sickness_remedies.htm)

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[conway400]

There is some evidence that the bodily acceleration in the vertical plane is the primary contributor to human motion sickness as it is not a natural thing to encounter. This could partially explain why curves alone do not make some people car sick, but curves associated with hills do. Also, why folks who frequent the lake often do not get sick, but can often find themselves sick on slightly larger boats in sea swells. The primary solution to this type of sickness is to ride on the boat close to it's center where this motion is minimal compared to the bow or stern.

Another type of sea sickness is not motion related, but CO2 related. Some people are CO2 retainers and symptoms topside are the same. One way to fix this, and it has made a large difference for these types of people, is to make long, full and complete exhales just before ascending. Breath in normally, but do this about 4 or 5 times before heading up. This may partially explain why some people just get sick on stressful dives where breathing is not as graceful or more physical work was involved. Something to try. It helps me.

 

[discokat]

My wife takes Bonine the evening before (1 tablet) and then 2 tablets the morning of the dive. We try to not drink any acidic liquids prior to diving, eat only pretzels and such, stay hydrated, stare at the land if it is in view while on the boat, distract ourselves before diving so we don't think about it and try to get in the water ASAP, and if the seas are rough we try to descend as quick as safely able to.

You can puke into your regulator too. While this isn't the most desirable activity by any stretch of the imagination, it is better than trying to resist and is a wonderful method of attracting fish (which also will tend to distract you from being seasick).

Good luck.

 

[DocVikingo]

Get some Bonine. It's like Dramamine only you don't have to take it as often, usually one dose every twenty-four hours.

Dimenhydrinate is the active ingredient in the original Dramamine and will make you sleepy. The active ingredient in Bonine is meclizine and will not make you sleepy. Meclizine can be purchased OTC.

Thank you, Imorin.

I would add to your important correction that the active ingredient in the more recent Dramamine Less Drowsy Formula also is meclizine.

And, in addition to the drowziness often caused by dimenhydrinate (e.g., Dramamine Original Formula, Triptone), this chemical appears to adversely impact cognition at depth (e.g., PPI - The Psychometric and Cardiac Effects of Dimenhydrinate in the Hyperbaric Environment)

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Druid]

You can puke into your regulator too. While this isn't the most desirable activity by any stretch of the imagination, it is better than trying to resist and is a wonderful method of attracting fish (which also will tend to distract you from being seasick).

This is true, happened to me in Egypt on a safety stop. I found bits of mushroom from my lunchtime pizza in the exhaust of my reg when I got back to the dive centre.

I was horribly sick over the weekend, 2m swells and a RIB do not make a good combination. I was fine until we shotted the wreck, had to stop during kitting up (I felt much worse when I put my hood on) and threw up over the side. The safety stop was like being in a washing machine and I was sick as soon as I reached the surface. Apart from that I had a great time

Spike Milligan said, "A sure cure for seasickness is to sit under a tree." Works for me every time.

 

[clay357]

You can puke into your regulator too. While this isn't the most desirable activity by any stretch of the imagination, it is better than trying to resist and is a wonderful method of attracting fish (which also will tend to distract you from being seasick).



Did this on this dive. It was an interesting experience to say the least.

 

[DocVikingo]

You can puke into your regulator too.

True, but it is wisest to fully masticate whatever you eat prior to a dive. Large enough chunks can cause a reg to clog and the pieces not be expelled upon purging it.

Regards,

DocVikingo