New "Advanced Diver" sea sick the whole time!

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I get seasick. I am super jealous of people like my wife or my dad who seem to be completely unaffected.

My stand-by is Original Formula Dramamine. This shares the same ingredient with Triptone. One the night before a dive and one the morning of. I find taking one the night before substantially helps with the drowsiness. Regardless, there is usually a post dive nap. On the rare occasion that all the forecasts line up and it is flat calm on the ocean, I'll "risk it" and not take the Dramamine. The nap is not needed on those days.

The "Less drowsy" formula doesn't work for me. This has the same ingredient as Bonine.

Surge also gets me as bad as a rocking boat. My first trip to Bonaire I didn't even think about bringing Dramamine because we were not going to do any boat dives. After the first dive with just a little surge in the shallows, we had to go track down some meds. Thankfully Buddy Dive keeps Triptone in stock!!!

Also, for anyone who has taken Original Dramamine or Triptone....you know how bad the pill tastes. I have found that if you take it with a swig of milk rather than with water or soda it masks the taste, and helps reduce the aftertaste.
 
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I was on a group charter with about 14-15 people once. Only 5 of us didn't get seasick. It was about a hour and a half boat trip to the sight so it was pretty miserable for them. I pretty much had to gear my buddy up while he was puking. After stopping on the line for a quick equipment check and "purging" his reg for the fish, he was good for the rest of the trip.
 
I get horribly seasick. If the seas aren't flat, if there's surge, if it's a long boat ride, if it's a two-tank trip... I'm guaranteed to get sick. However I think I finally figured out my perfect cocktail of drugs to keep myself diving (note, I am a pharmacist and I don't recommend this cocktail to anyone without checking with your physician first).

First, the night before beginning diving I take one Antivert (meclizine) 25 mg tablet and put on my Trans-derm Scop patch. I make sure to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated the entire trip.

Second, days that I'm diving I take two Antivert (meclizine) 25 mg tablets and one Zofran (ondansetron) 8 mg tablet AT LEAST one hour before getting on the boat. I also make sure to eat a good breakfast. I've found that the less I have on my stomach the more likely I am to throw up.

One thing I've found that helps me if I start to feel queasy is to lie down and put a towel or something over my eyes.

Best of luck to you. I just got back from a week in Roatan. I did six days of diving and didn't throw up once. Crud, now they are going to revoke my Pukey Diver Certification :crying:
 
I have gotten sea sick. I used to do the surface interval in the water, when I could. For some reason, on a boat I got sick but in the water, I was fine. It was almost like throwing a switch. Sea sick pills helped but not always. The bracelets were totally worthless for me. But many people report that they help.

As as I have been out more, I have done better and rarely feel more than a bit of it.

some people get it and some don't. Vice Admiral Lord Nelson, the victor of the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalger, got sea sick for a few days every time he put to sea. If it can happen to a veteran deep water sailor, it can happen to anyone.
Getting sick in the boat as opposed to the water makes perfect sense when you think about it. The hull of the boat rolls along an axis as it rides the waves. in the water you are mostly going up and down. The higher you are off the water and the more the boat is able to roll the more puke-ariffic your ride. Although, my last dive related puke instance was when I waited 20 minutes for my dipstick insta-buddy to surface on a hot August dive in rolling swell in the water (turns out he had swum in without bothering to let me know....).
 
This Barfie Mermaid has probably been sick on 2/3's of all her dives. I get sick when the swells are greater than 3 ft. Taking meds right before the boat ride does nothing for me, it has to be in my system. I take a half of a Bonine the night before and the other half the morning of. I eat a light breakfast of oatmeal with no OJ (too acidic) and a hot chocolate. Bonine makes me sleepy so I want to be alert after the dives. During my training I even got seasick on my skin dive because the surge did me in. If I don't premedicate and get sick, at least the fish love me!
 
Best cure for getting rid of seasickness after it starts is to get off the boat. Much harder to control once it starts. Preventive measures are best before you get on the boat so mornings are spent planning accordingly.

Also starts the night before avoiding too much alcohol and making sure you have proper hydration.

Over the counter non medicines like Bonine/Dramamine can make you sleepy but are effective for most in quieting the nausea and stomach upset. Personally I use ginger pills with a light breakfast like a breakfast bar. Rice Crispy treats are a personal favorite. I also use a motion sick oil in a small bottle. A few drops go behind the ear and smells like menthol. Helps take the mind off the queasiness.

There are prescription patches mentioned earlier. Transderm Scop but you need a doctor to give you an rx.

Most of the symptoms are from and imbalance in what your inner ear is telling your brain and what your eyes are looking at. Fixing your gaze on a fixed point on the horizon is said to help but never did much for me. I do stay out on deck and avoid spending too much time in the cabins. I don't generally have a problem unless the conditions are bad, for very good to mild conditions I don't really notice much.
 
Also I think so,e people are actually getting a reaction to diesel fumes, and assuming this is motion sickness,

One thing I recall well, was that back when I used to get sea sick with some frequency, there were boats I'd go on with no fumes, and I would rarely be sick on them.....:ater even on the stinky boats, I would get to the bow for most of the ride, and this would often prevent thee illness.

And there is a homeopathic pill you can take that eliminates the diesel problem for many hours--I have tried it, but not for quite a while--dont remember the name.
 
I am sick on a boat at least half the time and it's most frequent during the surface interval when we're just...sitting....and...rocking. None the following has worked 100% of the time, but it's my ritual and I'm stickin' to it....

Toast, water, and a banana for B'fast.
Start Meclizine three days before the trip and every am, noon, and night of the trip. (2x25mg)
No bifocals on the boat
I ride the stern amidship, standing up ALL the time when underway and facing the direction of travel
First in and the very last out of the water each dive
Keep focus on the horizon during surface interval
Underwent hypnosis (helped keep the my thinking positive)

YMMV

Mark
 

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