How do I overcome seasickness on boat dives without medication?

[BigAladdin]

I’ve done my open water and recently my advanced. Scuba changed my life and it is clear as day this is something I’ll do forever consistently. The issue is my love for scuba is being diluted with nausea during boat rides. Particularly on small boats with rough currents but I notice I am always the one throwing up on a rough ride or rocky day. I’m aware I’m more prone to seasickness at this point and with heavy andro medicine I still get nauseous but won’t throw up.

Are there any tricks or tips to overcome this naturally? Do I just keep getting on boats to wipe this out?

 

[Jai Bar]

As a kid, I was in a sailing club and we were going out to see twice a week, weekends and holiday.

My first years I used to suffer a lot, almost every time we went out to the sea the fish were happy knowing they will enjoy my breakfast. I was not the only one, other kids were also vomiting at some point. Then there was this guy who never got seasick and of course was eating all our sandwiches and snacks. Everybody hated him for this.

Then I realized two things: eating and having something to do. Those who didn't eat nor had some tasks to tend to (sails, tiller, sliding centerboard and so on) were the miserable ones with sea sickness.

I started to eat regularly, and volunteer to either main sail, tiller or the most fun- trapeze. Thus, having something to do which also forces you to watch the horizon which is the most important thing to avoid motion sickness. Never again did I vomit on a boat, so even when I am not crew I do not dwell in the room: go out, eat normally, move around, watch outside at horizon, waves etc.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Make a one-week LOB. This will "prime" your labirinthic channels, making you much more resilient to sea sickness.
Repeat twice per year for keeping them "primed".

 

[Johnoly]

Are there any tricks or tips to overcome this naturally?

> 7 hrs sleep the nite before.
> Ginger cookies/pill extract 30mins before departure

No puke - It works.

 

[Vicko]

Find something to do, fiddle with your gear, ask to drive the boat, bring a ball of tangled twine and untangle it.

I spend 60 hours on the water each week and if I'm not on my boat I still get sea sick.

 

[Martin L]

I used to be a professional sailor, so I can talk about what helped me and others.

Experience certainly helps, though small boats affect even the saltiest sailors!

Other things - make sure you're comfortable, not too hot and not too cold. Have some food in you and try to eat and drink normally. Keep an eye on the horizon.

There are some advanced techniques, like getting yourself as close as possible to the metacentre of the boat. This is the point around which the boat pitches and rolls so movement is minimised. It's going to be on the centreline which is where all the gear is kept, so might be tricky. You'll have to experiment to find a spot where you feel most comfortable. On a small boat it's likely to be close to the helmsman's position. That might be why Vicko feels most comfortable on his own boat - assuming he's driving.

 

[kingscrown]

As Johnoly mentioned, ginger cookie works sometimes. Fixing your gaze on the horizon can help stabilize your inner ear and reduce feelings of nausea.
Stay Calm and Distract Yourself - Engage in activities that distract your mind from the motion of the boat, such as listening to music, chatting with fellow divers, or focusing on the underwater scenery.
hey, give it a few runs and you will get it...

 

[grf88]

Candied ginger works well as does raw ginger.

 

[johndiver999]

Find something to do, fiddle with your gear, ask to drive the boat, bring a ball of tangled twine and untangle it.

I spend 60 hours on the water each week and if I'm not on my boat I still get sea sick.

Some of this advice is off. You don't want to be looking down and playing with gear etc. What you want is to keep your head up, watch the horizon, make sure your eyes and your ears are feeding your brain the same information, or completely close your eyes and lay down and then feel the motion with your head and body. Get as much stuff set up and done before the boat leaves shore.

Being actively engaged with steering the boat helps. Also, it is very undesirable to get sick each time you go out, because you are training yourself to get sick every time. It is better if you can get out on some relatively calm days and have no issues so you get confidence and used to what it is like to not get sick.

I get dizzy very easily, but have pretty much adapted to being at sea. Being below deck or outside on a very dark night can still be a problem for me sometimes.

 

[FF / EMT]

Alcohol wipe underneath nose