sea sick in surge?

[opalobsidian]

Hi Scuba Board!

I just got back last night from a trip to Montserrat! What a fantastic island! But sadly enough, due to big, choppy seas, ash filled to boot due to the currently erupting volcano, out of a planned 5 days of diving I only got to go in for 30 minutes.

I have never been in big surge before (I reckon the seas were about 6-8 feet?) and I was suprised to feel myself rapidly succumbing to sea sickness, perhaps exacerbated by the possibly up to 8 ft visibility factor. Back, and forth, back and forth, to and fro, to and fro, RALPH!

Is this a common reaction? Is there something I could have done to counter-act the effects? What I did do was surface after a half hour of peering closely at churning silt and ash.

Thanks!
Pamela

 

[cerich]

very common!

 

[almitywife]

sounds like my 3rd open water dive.... watching the kelp flow back and forth and back and forth and back and....opps, making myself sick just thnking about it

even now if im stuck in alot of seaweed or kelp i desperately look for some sand or rocks to focus on...anything that doesnt move

seasickness and i are very old friends

 

[MSilvia]

One of the best ways to avoid seasickness in big chop is to avoid bobbing around in it. If the sea state is large (but still divable), don't waste any time descending, and don't lollygag when you surface. The odds are really good that the sea will be fairly calm (if not clear) several meters below the waves.

At least, it works for me.

 

[cerich]

In the shallows in a surge underwater is the worse....

sure cure, stand under a tree!

 

[ClayJar]

I've never had to deal with really bad surge (being on the Gulf coast and all that), but I've certainly been seasick. I had one dive where I went downhill fast while on the wreck and called the dive. As I was feeling quite nauseated, I started the ascent loosely holding the anchor line (so as to be able to have a fixed depth if I went into turbo-fish-feeding mode).

Well, that didn't last long. The "surge" of the anchor line bumped me up to 9.975 (10 being time to ring the triangle). I had to actually turn around and face the featureless expanse of midwater (while my buddy watched me intently, just in case) in order to make it to the surface without needing a regulator cleaning. If I even saw the anchor line moving... (And to think, I just ate a sandwich before typing this... uuuuh...)

I don't know exactly what was in common the two times (out of... um... quite a few... boat trips) I've made penance for eating seafood, but I'll have to figure that out before I dive in really big surge. Then again, having just spent a few weeks in Japan, I probably owe Neptune a few calories.

 

[lynny_lynny]

I dry heeve just thinking about it...I go down about 20 feet and all is well...and after my safety stop coming back up, I spend as little time as possible near the surface.... man what a horrible feeling.

 

[ClayJar]

Safety stops... I remember vividly choosing by sheer force of will to make a safety stop on a dive in which I had become seasick. Somehow, I managed to hold myself together for the full stop (which, judging by my buddy's expression, must have appeared to be *quite* an exertion). As soon as my computer's automatic countdown ticked clear, I gave my buddy a signal which, I believe, would be translated as "ME!!! UP!!! ***NOW***!!! UP!!! UP!!! UP!!! ***BYE***!!!"

I *almost* made it, too. The terribly slow final ascent found me at about three feet from the surface when there was no more delay to be had, so I removed my reg and blew (er, hehe, sorry) the last three feet to the surface, where I blew myself up like the michelin man (with a michelin vest, once I found that inflator, too) and proceeded to test whether dry heaving can cause sudden-onset DCS (apparently not).

I did, of course, signal the boat crew that I was okay, as my buddy watched me from a safe distance.

 

[uspap]

Try taking Bonine the night before and 1/2 the next morning. I believe the ingrediant is Meclazyne. (sp) Eel grass gets me sick watching it go back and forth if I don't take the Bonine.

 

[Teamcasa]

My lovely bride got sick on the surface. If its rough boat ride, I too get uneasy unless I'm driving the boat. Ginger does help a great deal.

Dave