Another DUMB question....

[AmyJ]

Ok... for you med folks out there, here it is. I have never had problems with any kind of motion sickness until my first pregnancy and we spent 3 hours driving to Taxco, in the hills above Acapulco. Sick the whole way... since then some tendancies to queasiness given the right situation, but not consistent.

Have always loved boats and water.. never any problems... big boats, little boats, lakes, oceans and rivers. UNTIL I started diving. EVERY time I have gone out on a dive boat I have been sick sick sick!

Last week for example.. in Playa del Carmen, sick on the way out (it was really rough), sick coming in... GET THIS.. on the third dive... sick before getting in the water... descended, wonderful dive!! Came up to a 15 foot safetly stop (no line in a current) started gagging... signed to my DH, I'm gonna puke... YOU CAN'T you're underwater!! I managed to hold it together until we surfaced, but then even before getting in the boat I was spewing everywhere.

THE NEXT DAY... took the ferry to Coz, no problem.. got on a little snorkel boat.. no problem... my usual. WHY AM I SICK WHEN I WANT TO DIVE????? I know this can't all be in my head.... ARGH! suggestions?

 

[jbd]

Ok... for you med folks out there, here it is. I have never had problems with any kind of motion sickness until my first pregnancy and we spent 3 hours driving to Taxco, in the hills above Acapulco. Sick the whole way... since then some tendancies to queasiness given the right situation, but not consistent.

Have always loved boats and water.. never any problems... big boats, little boats, lakes, oceans and rivers. UNTIL I started diving. EVERY time I have gone out on a dive boat I have been sick sick sick!

Last week for example.. in Playa del Carmen, sick on the way out (it was really rough), sick coming in... GET THIS.. on the third dive... sick before getting in the water... descended, wonderful dive!! Came up to a 15 foot safetly stop (no line in a current) started gagging... signed to my DH, I'm gonna puke... YOU CAN'T you're underwater!! I managed to hold it together until we surfaced, but then even before getting in the boat I was spewing everywhere.

THE NEXT DAY... took the ferry to Coz, no problem.. got on a little snorkel boat.. no problem... my usual. WHY AM I SICK WHEN I WANT TO DIVE????? I know this can't all be in my head.... ARGH! suggestions?

Not sure why you get sick at only certain times but you CAN puke underwater. The are several threads about it. It is something that I talked about in the OW course.

 

[Rig Magician]

Amy, when you are on a boat big enough and start to feel sick just lay dowm on the floor. i went on a dive out of Gulf Shores AL and 3 guy's laying down to stop them from getting sick. if you can get in the center lowest part of the boat it works best. but it will work any where if you just lay down. get up and suit up then get in the water as quick as possible.

 

[Laurence Stein DDS]

Ok... for you med folks out there, here it is. I have never had problems with any kind of motion sickness until my first pregnancy and we spent 3 hours driving to Taxco, in the hills above Acapulco. Sick the whole way... since then some tendancies to queasiness given the right situation, but not consistent.

Have always loved boats and water.. never any problems... big boats, little boats, lakes, oceans and rivers. UNTIL I started diving. EVERY time I have gone out on a dive boat I have been sick sick sick!

Last week for example.. in Playa del Carmen, sick on the way out (it was really rough), sick coming in... GET THIS.. on the third dive... sick before getting in the water... descended, wonderful dive!! Came up to a 15 foot safetly stop (no line in a current) started gagging... signed to my DH, I'm gonna puke... YOU CAN'T you're underwater!! I managed to hold it together until we surfaced, but then even before getting in the boat I was spewing everywhere.

THE NEXT DAY... took the ferry to Coz, no problem.. got on a little snorkel boat.. no problem... my usual. WHY AM I SICK WHEN I WANT TO DIVE????? I know this can't all be in my head.... ARGH! suggestions?

Hi Amy,

I can't explain your sea sickness but you might be interested in a personal story...then you decide if it's right for you

My wife used to dive. We have two kids...well, they are in college now but when these kids were just a twinkle in my eyes, we were on a dive vacation and my wife got terribly seasick. The seas were calm and she was puking. 9 months later...kid #1. Just when she stopped swearing she would never dive again because of the sickness we went on another dive vacation. Same story...calm seas and puking. The sickness was even worse than the last time. 9 months later, kid #2!

Needless to say, now all my wife has to do is hear the ocean or watch The Perfect Storm and she starts to get sick...really. The good news is that I've stopped counting at number 2!

Amy....is there any way that you could be...you know..."in a family way?"

Anyway, I hope everything turns out OK. Perhaps it's time to start looking into seasickness remedies. Check with your MD first...ya know...to check out the other thing.

Larry Stein

 

[SubMariner]

Sorry to hear about your problems, Amy. Perhaps some of these suggestions will help.

1) Take bonine or a similar non-drowsy anti-nausea medication at least one hour before getting on the boat. Eat lightly before you go out on the water: none of that greasy sausage McMuffin stuff.

2) Make sure you have your gear set up & exposure protection on up to the waist BEFORE the boat leaves the dock. This minimizes the amount of time you spend with your head down while underway or on the dive site. Plus you can get into the water to dive more quickly once at anchor/on the mooring.

3) Stay on deck in the fresh air. Preferable admidships, where the up & down movement on the water will be minimized. If you stay within sight of land, look at it while you are onboard. Watch the horizon if you are further out on the water.

4) Throw up if you feel the need. Just make sure you do it on the leeward side, AWAY from the wind.

5) If you do throw up, drink something. It will keep you hydrated & help settle your stomach. You may want to stay away from carbonated drinks until AFTER the dive, however.

6) As has already been mentioned, you CAN throw up through a reg. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt!

Hope this helped,

 

[AmyJ]

Hi there..

I know it's not pregnancy, because this happens EVERY time... last week was just an example!

Wondering about Submariners comment (#2) about head down... that might be a factor... don't think I do much of than on any boats other than dive boats when I messing with gear....hmmmmmmmm I will just have to keep looking at variables...

Thanks guys!

 

[munkispank]

hey Amy- another trick like the head down one is to look out onto the horizon - try to look at something stable and have all your gear set up as suggetsed- of course a helpful buddy is good at times like these.
I'm a past master at the sickie thing-I was throwing up through my reg for my OW checkot dives and haven't looke dback since. As you mentioned- its usually Ok when you are down, but as you get to the safety stop depth, the water motion can begin to make you sick again- just be ready for it and, although upleasant, it can be dealt with.
BTW, I am so bad that I can even get sick on shore dives- if the waves are up a bit- there goes my lunch.

happy diving

 

[raya]

Hi there Amy..
I agree with what everyone has already told you..I also tend to suffer a bit of sea sickness however working on a boat every day of the week right the way through the summer I have learnt to deal with it..
I have many clients that come on and get really bad with sickness,what they and I find that helps is like the others said,try and keep your head up,if possible keep your face and head out of the sun,focus on something like rocks or land thats not moving. Before you get onto the boat get a bottle of REALLY cold water and an orange, the moment you start feeling sick,pour the water onto a flannel or material that will absorb the water and place it on the back of your neck just where your hairline starts... If by then you have got to the whole mouth watering part then be sick,after take a chunk of the orange and just bite down on it almost like a gum shield making sure you get the juice in your mouth..at least then you are left with the taste of orange and not anything else...This may sound strange to you but both the flannel and orange have helped soooooo many people that I know..so give it a try!! Ok I hope this helps.

 

[SubMariner]

Wondering about Submariners comment (#2) about head down... that might be a factor...

Amy, we lived on a sailboat for 2 years in the Bahamas doing our own sail/dive charters. Despite having my "sea legs", if I had to do course plotting or anything else that required me to have my head down for a protracted period of time, I'd feel unwell, even in an open cockpit.

It's kind of like reading in a moving vehicle: some people can do it, some people can't.

 

[Table6A]

I just wanted to toss (full pun intended) my two cents in...

I have no doubt your sea sickness cleared while you were diving. When I was a commercial diver, I'd fight anyone to be next up in the dive rotation if I was sea sick. Once I was down, my sea sickness would pass. Why? While onboard, my ears were keenly aware of the motion of the boat on the ocean, but my eyes were perceiving the boat as a stationary object. Conflicting input equaled motion sickness. While diving, I eliminated the conflict and my illness passed. That's overly simple, but true to the best of my knowledge.

Any other schools of thought out there? Any similar experiences?