Aquacat question

[dmoore19]

I am not prone to being seasick, but I haven't been on a Liveaboard either.

I have a trip planned for April and was wondering what the chances are of being seasick and what any of you do to prepare for it.

Is it advisable to take the meds prior to boarding just in case and slack off if able? Or would you suggest not taking it before and seeing what happens?

I really don't think it is going to bother me but I don't want to take the meds if I don't need to. I hate pills.

 

[yodelhawk]

Hi there... All I have to say, take the meds. scopolamine patches from your doc work real well. I ignored the advice of others. After all, I fly around in little helicopters and planes for a living. 3 days into a 5 day sail it hit me and man was I sick. All other 20 guests were fine, so I know it was not related to the food on board. Hope you have a great time.

 

[wmperry]

The crossing to the Exumas can be rough. I would take them if you are prone at all. The aquacat is very stable, but you never know.

Better to experiment with your limits when you can get off the boat in 4 hours instead of 6 days.

Have a blast - my son and I will be back there in March.

 

[dmoore19]

I have never been seasick before. I have never been on a liveaboard before though I have spent a week on a houseboat. I am not foolish enough to think I am immune. I will talk to my Doc and see if she will give me a script for the patches, or get some Meclizine just in case. Thanks guys.

 

[BigJimDiver]

I know my riends who have trouble always say it's way more effective to saty ahead of it. If you wait untul you are not feeling well it's often too late to recover with meds.

I did the Aquacat with my son two years in a row. The Cat is very stable when there isn't too ,uch surface chop, and htewwaves are small to moderate. The second year we had ~3 foot waves the first 2 days and found ourselves getting thrown about a bit. I don't usually need meds but we both took Ginger capsules twice a day. Seemed to help.

You're going ot have a great time .

 

[didi440]

I have not been on the Aquacat. However, some of the crossings get rough and I occasionally get seasick. (Once I actually turned really green and had trashcans shoved at me from every direction). It's best to stay ahead of it. I take good old fashioned Dramamine and it works just fine for me. Also, peppermint candy will settle my stomach immediately if I start to feel ill. I will take the Dramamine and then pop one or two of the candies and suck on them till I relax and fall asleep. Ask the captain or crew about your planned crossing and the weather. They will be your best allies. IF IN DOUBT, take the stuff. It's better to sleep through a smooth crossing, than to spend several days feeling miserable and possibly not being able to dive at all because you feel under the weather.

Have a great time on your trip.

 

[Damselfish]

I am of the opposite opinion of "take it just in case even if you don't think you get seasick." Maybe it's hard to imagine for the unlucky ones, or they can't see taking the chance and feeling that way. But some people really don't get seasick, and if you're one of them I see no reason to take stuff for no reason. I never get seasick on boats, never considered taking something on a liveaboard, and have never had a problem. And I've been on some "hang onto the bed so you don't fall out" crossings.

Yes, it would suck to be seasick, and most of the drugs need to be taken ahead not after you get sick, so I guess there's a risk there. But if you have been on dayboats in any kind of "conditions" and didn't have a problem I wouldn't assume a liveaboard would be worse. They may be doing an open water crossing that can be rougher than what most dayboats regularly run into. But they're also bigger which will balance that out some, and a cat will also tend to be more stable.

 

[scubagirlblues]

I am not prone to being seasick, but I haven't been on a Liveaboard either.

I have a trip planned for April and was wondering what the chances are of being seasick and what any of you do to prepare for it.

Is it advisable to take the meds prior to boarding just in case and slack off if able? Or would you suggest not taking it before and seeing what happens?

I really don't think it is going to bother me but I don't want to take the meds if I don't need to. I hate pills.

Here's a thought:
How much preparation and thought do you put into planning a dive trip?

If you're at all like me, you've probably put a lot of thought, energy and money into this trip. Are looking forward to 25+ awesome dives. Have spare equipment, bathing suits, mask straps, fin straps, o-rings... in other words have a back up for anything that if it breaks might ruin the trip or cost you a dive or more...

Why then not take medication prophylactically? Seasickness can certainly ruin a dive or two!

And never having been sick before is not really a good prevention for not getting sick your first time. My first one was in Thailand... There's always a first

My brother and I were doing our DM course in Phuket and said no thank you to the DM offering Dramamine before the morning sail. I had NEVER been seasick before, even on North Atlantic mid-winter ferry crossings when others were hurling... So much for my record

This day the swells were so rough that nearly everybody on board was sick... even at the 15' safety stop we were surging up and down, up and down about 7 or 8'... my poor brother was sick right there... until that time I didn't know a person COULD throw up into a regulator!

In short, nothing would be less fun than being all ready to dive your heart out and then feeling like crap.

New dive advice: take your meds or make sure your buddy knows the hand signal for "I'm throwing up!"

 

[dmoore19]

Like I said I will probably talk to the doc about it and then take something for it. Dramamine makes me really sleepy so will be looking for something else, non-drowsy.

Thanks!

Here's a thought:
How much preparation and thought do you put into planning a dive trip?

If you're at all like me, you've probably put a lot of thought, energy and money into this trip. Are looking forward to 25+ awesome dives. Have spare equipment, bathing suits, mask straps, fin straps, o-rings... in other words have a back up for anything that if it breaks might ruin the trip or cost you a dive or more...

Why then not take medication prophylactically? Seasickness can certainly ruin a dive or two!

And never having been sick before is not really a good prevention for not getting sick your first time. My first one was in Thailand... There's always a first

My brother and I were doing our DM course in Phuket and said no thank you to the DM offering Dramamine before the morning sail. I had NEVER been seasick before, even on North Atlantic mid-winter ferry crossings when others were hurling... So much for my record

This day the swells were so rough that nearly everybody on board was sick... even at the 15' safety stop we were surging up and down, up and down about 7 or 8'... my poor brother was sick right there... until that time I didn't know a person COULD throw up into a regulator!

In short, nothing would be less fun than being all ready to dive your heart out and then feeling like crap.

New dive advice: take your meds or make sure your buddy knows the hand signal for "I'm throwing up!"

 

[Blackmore75]

From the liveabards I have been on, I can say if you have any doubt that you MAY get seasick, take something for it. Once you get behind the curve, it have seen it is very hard to get caught back up, and more often than not, you never will feel good until its all over. I personally don't get seasick. (Or haven't yet) I hate taking pills, but if the water looks like it is a little rough, even I will take one the first day. Better to be safe than sorry. We have had a few trips when others decided to wait until it hit to take something, and were miserable for a few days if not the rest of the trip. If you are doing day dives, just take it in the morning with breakfast, and if you are going to be on the boat for a few days, take one the morning you leave, and keep taking them throughout the trip.