sea-sickness remedy?

[diver 85]

Our youngest when she was 1st certified in the mid 80's(as a 14 YO) was proned to SS...She used to ALWAYS take a Sudafed along with a Dramamine to counteract the sleepiness side effect of the latter----always worked perfectly........might try it??.....

EDIT....Presently @ 37 YO, she's alive & well & kicking--& still diving with less SS....ie doesn't use it anymore.....good luck, report back & tell us what solution you found to be effective---might help someone down the road...

 

[Spartakus]

Thanks all, lots of good suggestions. I bought Bonine and Ginger tablets (from a local nature store). I'll take one of the two for my first boat ride and another one for the next, and start visualizing that I am in control and driving the boat, and I might be keep a wet towel on my back. I'll report when I am back!

 

[Scubakevdm]

Thanks all, lots of good suggestions. I bought Bonine and Ginger tablets (from a local nature store). I'll take one of the two for my first boat ride and another one for the next, and start visualizing that I am in control and driving the boat, and I might be keep a wet towel on my back. I'll report when I am back!

Don't forget about the oak tree.

 

[syonker]

This is a good set of posts. I'm prone to seasickness myself, and have used Bonine, Ginger Altoids, and Ginger Licorice (available at Cost Plus World Market if anyone is interested - warning, it's STRONG!). All with mixed results...the Bonine makes me a little drowsy (but not much) and tastes funny to me. Dramamine puts me to sleep. Ginger messes up the stomach a little...

Someone mentioned the patch earlier, and I've seen people with it but haven't tried it myself..I think I will next time. If the only drawback is dry mouth and you compensate by drinking, you're just helping out the "hydration requirement" of SCUBA in general, so it kinda sounds like a "win-win" to me.

One other thought for folks is there is a liveaboard dive boat called the Nekton (there are actually two) designed using the NAVY's SWATH concept (submerged pontoons). The theory is that by keeping the "base" of the boat beneath the majority of the surf, the ride is significantly more stable than any typical hull. The claim is that while the boat is only about 80 feet long, it rides like a boat 10 times its size. I personally have taken a Nekton week-long trip and it does indeed have a good ride, and excellent crew. I still needed *something* to get me past the seasickness, but I can only imagine if I was on a less stable boat what it would have been like. I am booking on the Solmar V which is a more traditional liveaboard, hence my interest in the patch. Just for fun, here's a render of the Nekton I did:

On a final note, one of the interesting things about being on a liveaboard for a week is that when you step off the boat onto the floating dock, you can really feel the dock moving, so you walk on to the land...and it doesn't stop moving, so you look back at the dock only to realize it's anchored firmly to the pilings holding it up...you *still* feel the land moving....it's a "reverse acclimation" that you're experiencing (or if you prefer, you have gotten your "sea legs"). I've actually heard rumors of people getting "land sick" in this situation...does anyone know if there is any truth to these rumors?

Regards,


-S

 

[Splash-X]

One other thought for folks is there is a liveaboard dive boat called the Nekton

Thanks for that info, its worth looking in to for a trip (thats a whole different discussion though). Where does the Nekton leave from and travel to?

 

[syonker]

Hi Spash-X,

When I took it this past January, it left from the west side of Puerto Rico, but it has several ports, a number of which are in Florida and the Bahamas...I believe they are based out of Ft. Lauderdale or somewhere near there. There are two boats running weekly so lots of opportunities.

More information on the specific trips and times of year can be found on their site at: Nekton Cruises > Home

When I went, the week long trip was very reasonably priced - I don't know whether that was a special deal or not.

Regards,


-S

 

[Cerveza]

best cure for seasickness is a hammock tied between 2 palm trees!

 

[Polar_diver]

I don't get seasick, but my wife does BIG TIME... Since she found ''Transderm-V'' (available w/o physician prescription in Canada -scopolanine 1,5mg patches) she can be on a boat without felling sick. She needs to put one patch behind her ear 12 hours before getting on the boat and the effect will last for 72 hours. Then she can put a patch behind her other ear.

The way it works is scopolamine kind of freezes the internal ear, where some of one balance is from. Brain getting mixed signals from the two internal ears just rejects the signal causing motion sickness. For my wife, the biggest side effect is when she removes the patches. She then get sick! At least she's not on the boat when it comes

 

[Slonda828]

I must also advocate transderm scop. That patch is amazing, I've blown my eardrums several times (military) and I get sick rather easily when underway for that reason. If I throw a scop patch on about 12 hours before diving, I can laugh in the face of the sea. I've dove in 7 foot seas with it and been fine. I'm not a doc, so I would go ahead and get advice from one before using it (it's prescription anyway), but I love it. It is also what the US Navy uses.

 

[Neda]

best cure for seasickness is a hammock tied between 2 palm trees!

*roflcopter*

Totally forgot to mention in my other post the wrist bands. My grandmother used to live on an island 10 miles off the coast of New Hampshire....but she got seasick on every boat trip to the mainland. She discovered these wrist bands that have bumps on the inside like a half a small marble that rests on the inside of your wrist. Might be worth a shot.