Beginners thinking about diving Channel Islands

[sarita75]

I took Dramamine one time and got REALLY sleepy. I was advised (after the fact) that the best way to take it on a boat is to take 1/2 tablet at night before bed and the other 1/2 in the AM upon waking up. Did this and never felt overly sleepy or nauseous.

 

[Empty V]

I took Dramamine one time and got REALLY sleepy. I was advised (after the fact) that the best way to take it on a boat is to take 1/2 tablet at night before bed and the other 1/2 in the AM upon waking up. Did this and never felt overly sleepy or nauseous.

Did you take the non-drousy pills? We recommend that all of our passengers (friends and family only on our boat) take a full pill 1 hour before we dapart. For those who don't know, Dramamine and Bonine are preventative measures not something that will help if already experiencing motion sickness.

About 15 years ago I was on fishing boat in Mazatlan, Mexico and accidentally took a drousy Dramamine and slept through catching a 9ft sailfish. For some reason after that I never got sea sick. Probably caused from the fear of missing something big.

Billy

 

[Leejnd]

Did you really type that? WOW! I am a new diver, in Cali., and shore dives help me!
First of all shore dives are well....dives! It is all experience. Then add, surge, surf, current, both entries and exits. I for one thing making shore dives can do nothing but help.

As for, "forget that advice". That's a hell of alot of nerve. Your adivce is the only advice worth listening to? Welcome to scubaboard, sadly you'll fit right in here.

Umm...I have to say I agree with Robert here. That was a rather cheeky way to state your opinion (not to mention disrespectful). Many people on this board have great advice to offer, and I think it's wonderful that so many of my fellow local divers have taken the time to offer this person such helpful information.

As for the specific issue that was disagreed with...I feel that it was rash and wrong to tell the OP to "forget that advice". Having done almost 100 dives now, most of them here in SoCal, both beach and boat, I certainly agree that, if possible, it would behoove someone to get in a couple of shore dives before they head out on a boat. First of all, the waters here are VERY different from so many of the most frequently dived spots around the world (and I say this with some knowledge basis -- check my profile, I've been diving at many popular locations the world over). The vis can be significantly lower, so one must get used to that. Most places don't have kelp -- diving in kelp can be frightening until one learns how to get around and through it, how not to get tangled in it, and how to get out of it if you do get caught up in it. The water temps can sometimes be somewhat shocking to divers who are used to warm-water diving (although fortunately, the waters are pretty warm right now).

Plus, navigation on a shore dive is less critical in terms of the possibility of getting *lost* - if you navigate badly on a shore dive, you might end up with a longer walk back to your car, but you're not going to float out into the shipping lanes, as might happen if you navigate yourself too far away from the boat. So a couple of beach dives can help you to brush up on your navigation skills in a safer environment, while getting yourself acclimated to the local conditions.

That said, I believe you gave some outstanding advice, and it was very kind of you to offer it. I would suggest, however, you do a self-check on your communication style, as doing things like your "forget that advice" line can result in getting pilloried in here. Plus, it's just plain disrespectful...to someone who was kindly offering advice to a stranger.

Anyway, welcome to Scubaboard.

 

[robint]

getting back to the sea-sickness issue... don't take anything unless you have a tendency to get seasick. Back when I first started diving I would feel woozy onboard a boat and did get sick once and it wasn't fun. But, that was years ago and now I take ginger tablets with me on the boat just in case. I think it is something you get over eventually as on this past weeks trip I never felt the least bit sick. I did see a few people onboard with patches behind their ears and one guy we did see get sick... the boat was tossing about alot a few times and I am sure if I was prone to be seasick then I would have been at the rail...:439:

But considering the boat was FULL, it was great to see everyone walking around all day acting like they felt fine. I didn't see anyone looking green except the one guy.

Just my 2 cents.

robint

 

[sarita75]

Did you take the non-drousy pills? We recommend that all of our passengers (friends and family only on our boat) take a full pill 1 hour before we dapart. For those who don't know, Dramamine and Bonine are preventative measures not something that will help if already experiencing motion sickness.

I didn't take the non-drowsy. Actually, I was told (who knows if it was reliable or not) that the non-drowsy isn't as effective as the drowsy-inducing-Dramamine. Yes, I took a whole tablet the first time. Never again.

That being said - the 1/2 tablet before bed sure helps you sleep through a 2 AM departure from port when your bunk is right next to the engine room. Don't think I've ever slept as good as on the Truth out of Santa Barbara. Makes me wanna go back. I'd go to bed around 9 PM usually and sleep straight through to bfast.

 

[moon]

Did you really type that? WOW! I am a new diver, in Cali., and shore dives help me!
First of all shore dives are well....dives! It is all experience. Then add, surge, surf, current, both entries and exits. I for one thing making shore dives can do nothing but help.

As for, "forget that advice". That's a hell of alot of nerve. Your adivce is the only advice worth listening to? Welcome to scubaboard, sadly you'll fit right in here.

I agree that shore dives are dives and any dives always helps. But, I can see their point that it doesn't really help with boat diving. I've done both (more shore than boat - only did boat diving during certification) .. and I love the fact that with boat diving that you just jump off and dive and then climb aboard. Shore diving is more work, meaning dealing with waves, surges, swimming out to the point of diving, etc.. It helps, but to me it's different conditions!

 

[Empty V]

I didn't take the non-drowsy. Actually, I was told (who knows if it was reliable or not) that the non-drowsy isn't as effective as the drowsy-inducing-Dramamine. Yes, I took a whole tablet the first time. Never again.

That being said - the 1/2 tablet before bed sure helps you sleep through a 2 AM departure from port when your bunk is right next to the engine room. Don't think I've ever slept as good as on the Truth out of Santa Barbara. Makes me wanna go back. I'd go to bed around 9 PM usually and sleep straight through to bfast.

From my experience, and the people we have on our boat, the non-drowsy version work every bit as good as the drowsy. If I was on a computer right now and not my phone I'd start a thread. Might be a good idea.

Billy

P.S. Thanks everyone for sticking up for the benefits of beach diving. That was a pretty rediculous and insulting thing to say. And Robert you right on with the fitting in comment. ROTFL

 

[robertarak]

From my experience, and the people we have on our boat, the non-drowsy version work every bit as good as the drowsy. If I was on a computer right now and not my phone I'd start a threat. Might be a good idea.

Billy

Start a threat huh? Who ya want to threaten? I'll do it for you...what are friends for?

 

[Empty V]

I agree that shore dives are dives and any dives always helps. But, I can see their point that it doesn't really help with boat diving. I've done both (more shore than boat - only did boat diving during certification) .. and I love the fact that with boat diving that you just jump off and dive and then climb aboard. Shore diving is more work, meaning dealing with waves, surges, swimming out to the point of diving, etc.. It helps, but to me it's different conditions!

You're right, it is different. It's a hell of a lot harder and any diver can only benefit from it. After a California beach dive a boat dive will seem like a walk in the park. And isn't that what recreational diving should be, safe, mellow and stress free?

Billy

 

[Leejnd]

Here's another thought on why doing a couple of beach dives would be beneficial before you head out on a boat. Beach dives only cost the charge for an air fill. Boat dives cost...well, a helluva lot more. When you are diving in conditions and situations that are new to you, the first couple of dives are often more about acclimating than about enjoying the dive -- especially when you are going into more challenging conditions than you are used to. Hence, if I wanted to get the most bang for my bucks, I would rather do my acclimating on a couple of cheap beach dives, then use up the first couple of boat dives for that purpose.

And I agree that doing a couple of beach dives first will make the boat dives seem that much more fun.

Re seasick remedies -- everyone is different, and people's bodies react in different ways to drugs. I do tend to get seasick, and after many years of boating (we had a sailboat for a number of years), it's never gone away. If only! Bonine and non-drowsy dramamine work every bit as good for me as the drowsy version. I take the drowsy version if I want to sleep -- such as when I board the boat the night before. I sleep like a baby! Then I take the non-drowsy version for the waking hours, and I'm perfectly fine. But YMMV. I know of some people who don't get enough relief even from a full drowsy-version dramamine, and can ONLY go on a boat with a patch. I can't use a patch, because they make me feel jittery and give me bad dry-mouth. I feel absolutely no side effects from non-drowsy dramamine, and it completely protects me from seasickness, so it's the right choice for me.

I'm sure there are many threads in the main diving forum that discuss seasickness and various remedies.

Editing to add: btw, drowsy-formula dramamine is GREAT for those long overnight flights when going to a distant dive location! I'm heading to Bali in three weeks, and we have a 14-hour flight to Hong Kong, which leaves at 1 am. I'll be popping a couple of regular dramamine before that flight...I'll sleep like a log, and won't feel icky from any turbulence.