Seasick in Cozumel?

[jeancmo]

Ray, I get seasick very very easily. It doesn't matter if you're 50 feet from shore you can still get sick. Been there done that. I take Meclizine (avail behind the counter, like at Longs/Walgreens but you have to ask for it.) It's usually like $6 or $7 for 100. Another fellow diver turned me onto this stuff before a 4 day live-aboard and I've never looked back! It doesn't make you drowsey, thirsty, sleepy and your ears don't ring. Completly safe for diving. Been using it for 11 years now. I take two the day before diving and one the next morning and every diving day thereafter.

Yep - Meclizine is what I take- it is the generic of Bonine but much cheaper. Secret is to take it a couple of days before diving ( I take it when on cruises also). So many people start looking for a cure AFTER they get sick and its too late then. I take 1/2 tablet am and pm and NEVER have gotten sick. Before I always felt queasy and have been sick. No fun when on vacation!
Jean
Coz- Dec 2-6!

 

[sharky60]

I too am prone to sea sickness on occation, and it usually happens after the first dive. one thing I do to prevent it is to keep something on my stomach. I try and get a good breakfast before leaving in the morning & not too much caffeine

Then and I take granola bars on the boat with me and as soon as I finish the first dive I eat a couple of them.

Something like that really expands in down there and fills you up pretty good. also, if the dive boat has any fruit, get on that and make sure to hydrate both before and after diving, especially before

I was told when I was in the Navy that sea sickness can be caused by not having a full stomach and what is in there sloshing around causes to the motion sickness. there were guys on my ship that walked around with a package of salteen crackers the whole time we were out to sea to constantly keep something on thier stomach.

The key is to all you can to prevent it and don't worry about it. If it does happen, sleep it off by the pool, take it easy on the cervezas for a day and hydrate like crazy, you should feel up to giving it another shot the next day.

 

[betsyinczm]

I have two female divers who don't know each other but, awhile back, separately discovered that taking the vitamin B complex pills about a week before diving did the trick...both were divers who couldn't last 30 minutes on board without puking......and both turned out to have sea legs with this regimen.........seems cheap and safe and easy.........I've witnessed the results!........my two cents......Betsy

 

[LOOPS]

Didn't read all the posts but here are my 2 cents... I sometimes have a tendency towards getting sea sick. Usually more so if I have not been out on a boat in a while. The thing that I have found to work best for me is taking 2 ginger capsules in the morning prior to getting on the dive boat and eating like 2 bananas. Both of these seem to prevent cramping and seasickness. Also I will purchase some fresh ginger root from the grocery store and peel and chop it up. While on the boat you can usually see me snacking on it. This again helps alleviate the motion sick feeling.

I have never tried it but I have also heard that triptone works really well... I dont like taking drugs though so I stick with the ginger and bananas

Hope this helps...

 

[sharky60]

I have two female divers who don't know each other but, awhile back, separately discovered that taking the vitamin B complex pills about a week before diving did the trick...both were divers who couldn't last 30 minutes on board without puking......and both turned out to have sea legs with this regimen.........seems cheap and safe and easy.........I've witnessed the results!........my two cents......Betsy

Do you have any idea what dosage of B complex? I take a Super B complex daily, usually even on vacation and still have my little problem on occation.

 

[dashmatrix]

Welp I have been in cozumel for the last 9 days....
Whoever says the dives in Cozumel are close to the shore and you won't get seasick hasn't been to Cozumel in a long long time... if ever.
although it's true the dive sites are within sight of land no dive operator is going to meet you on the shore and shuttle you 200 yards to the reef then back to the shore so you can drive back... That's just a retarded idea...
They pick you up at the docks at the hotels, and depending on where your staying and what sites your diving expect to spend HOURS on the dive boats. Even the Express fast boats are going to take some time.

since wilma hit alot of the old nice reefs are decimated. Paradise reef, tormentos, etc... Those are a mear shadow of their former selves. Palancar Reef, Palancar Caves, and Palancar Gardens and the Villa Blanca Wall are all semi decent but if your staying close to town.....man like 1:30 minute dive boat ride. I don't get sea sick but by the time I got to the dive site my butt hurt bad just from sitting on the boat.

Now lets talk about the calm ocean.... Bullocks. It's been very rainy and stormy in Cozumel this past week. You go out in the morning at 8:15 and it's nice out, sunny, calm as glass and 20 minutes later a squal line blows in, the temp drops 10-15 degrees and it's like Posideon himself wants you dead. If you're prone to motion sickness you will be feeding fish in 10 minutes before you even pull away from the dock possibly. You will be miserable.

You have 2 options.

1. Take Dramamine or Bonine. Start taking it the night before your first dive. That way the posible side effects like dry mouth will work their way through your system. Take a dose 30-45 minutes BEFORE you set foot on a boat. For 80% of the people this will be all you need.

2. You need something stronger. Get an RX for Skopolomin before you leave. This is a transdermal patch you wear for a day before you leave and for the entire time you are on vacation. You need a scrip though. Tell your doctor you're diving and will need extra patches because your going to be living in water. They maybe even could give you an adhesive waterproof membrane to adhere over the patch. Skop patches are RX and thus most likely covered by medical insurance drug plans... bonus. If you are in Mexico you don't need a scrip for anything but I dunno what they have. In Cozumel there is only one REAL Farmacia. Farmacia Doria. They have real medicine rather than the common crap the self medicating hypocondriac blue heads want as they roll off the ships in their Rascals. I wouldn't suggest self prescribing Skop, consult your doctor. It has some bad possible side effects if you have certain conditions and you should be informed of these before using it.
On the island Dramamine is available as is a stronger med called Bonodine or something like that (I don't actually think the name is right) Just go to the Farmacia and hold up a pack of dramamine and say "Necesito algo mucho más fuerte" . It is in pill form and injection form. You can get either without a scrip. You can also buy syringes. Just know how to inject yourself. If that freaks you out the pills work but not as fast, and not as long.

Good Luck.
My wife has trouble with motion sickness on boats and we cleared her up with option #1. Option #2 is a last resort.

 

[ggunn]

Welp I have been in cozumel for the last 9 days....
Whoever says the dives in Cozumel are close to the shore and you won't get seasick hasn't been to Cozumel in a long long time... if ever.
although it's true the dive sites are within sight of land no dive operator is going to meet you on the shore and shuttle you 200 yards to the reef then back to the shore so you can drive back... That's just a retarded idea...
They pick you up at the docks at the hotels, and depending on where your staying and what sites your diving expect to spend HOURS on the dive boats. Even the Express fast boats are going to take some time.

since wilma hit alot of the old nice reefs are decimated. Paradise reef, tormentos, etc... Those are a mear shadow of their former selves. Palancar Reef, Palancar Caves, and Palancar Gardens and the Villa Blanca Wall are all semi decent but if your staying close to town.....man like 1:30 minute dive boat ride. I don't get sea sick but by the time I got to the dive site my butt hurt bad just from sitting on the boat.

Now lets talk about the calm ocean.... Bullocks. It's been very rainy and stormy in Cozumel this past week. You go out in the morning at 8:15 and it's nice out, sunny, calm as glass and 20 minutes later a squal line blows in, the temp drops 10-15 degrees and it's like Posideon himself wants you dead. If you're prone to motion sickness you will be feeding fish in 10 minutes before you even pull away from the dock possibly. You will be miserable.

Gee, so sorry you had such a miserable time.

The truth is that all but the very southernmost dive sites are shielded from the open ocean by the bulk of the island. Does it sometimes get a little rough in the channel? Well, yes, but rarely, comparatively speaking.

All the dive sites are very close to shore. For (counter) example, the Flower Gardens and Stetson Reef, popular dive sites in the Gulf of Mexico, are 100 miles offshore and call for a 12 hour boat ride each way. No, you can't just drive to the nearest point to a dive site and catch a 3 minute ferry ride to the reef; whoever told you that? You spend a little time on a dive boat; that's the nature of the beast. On a fast boat it's probably about 30-45 minutes from town to the farthest sites. If you can't stand a bit of a boat ride (usually and mostly in relatively calm water), then maybe diving is not the sport for you, no offense intended. Cozumel diving is the easiest diving, all things considered, that I have ever done anywhere.

As to the condition of the reefs since Wilma, I believe we have beat that dead horse to a greasy spot on the ground already. Suffice to say, yes, the reefs were affected, all of them, but there is still some great diving to be had there, and on some of the reefs you have to look for it to see the damage. Especially and for example, Colombia Shallows, but the bad news there is that is it's one of the farthest south reefs, so if a 12 mile boat ride from town is a problem for you, then it might not be your cuppa.

So, anyway, I wasn't there when you were. If you experienced heavy seas every day in the channel, that's unfortunate, but I have been diving Cozumel for 15 years and I can tell you for sure that that is the exception rather than the rule. If you were expecting a five minute boat ride to every dive site, then you were mislead.

 

[Mawg]

Welp I have been in cozumel for the last 9 days....
Whoever says the dives in Cozumel are close to the shore and you won't get seasick hasn't been to Cozumel in a long long time... if ever.
although it's true the dive sites are within sight of land no dive operator is going to meet you on the shore and shuttle you 200 yards to the reef then back to the shore so you can drive back... That's just a retarded idea...
They pick you up at the docks at the hotels, and depending on where your staying and what sites your diving expect to spend HOURS on the dive boats. Even the Express fast boats are going to take some time.

since wilma hit alot of the old nice reefs are decimated. Paradise reef, tormentos, etc... Those are a mear shadow of their former selves. Palancar Reef, Palancar Caves, and Palancar Gardens and the Villa Blanca Wall are all semi decent but if your staying close to town.....man like 1:30 minute dive boat ride. I don't get sea sick but by the time I got to the dive site my butt hurt bad just from sitting on the boat.

Now lets talk about the calm ocean.... Bullocks. It's been very rainy and stormy in Cozumel this past week. You go out in the morning at 8:15 and it's nice out, sunny, calm as glass and 20 minutes later a squal line blows in, the temp drops 10-15 degrees and it's like Posideon himself wants you dead. If you're prone to motion sickness you will be feeding fish in 10 minutes before you even pull away from the dock possibly. You will be miserable.

You have 2 options.

1. Take Dramamine or Bonine. Start taking it the night before your first dive. That way the posible side effects like dry mouth will work their way through your system. Take a dose 30-45 minutes BEFORE you set foot on a boat. For 80% of the people this will be all you need.

2. You need something stronger. Get an RX for Skopolomin before you leave. This is a transdermal patch you wear for a day before you leave and for the entire time you are on vacation. You need a scrip though. Tell your doctor you're diving and will need extra patches because your going to be living in water. They maybe even could give you an adhesive waterproof membrane to adhere over the patch. Skop patches are RX and thus most likely covered by medical insurance drug plans... bonus. If you are in Mexico you don't need a scrip for anything but I dunno what they have. In Cozumel there is only one REAL Farmacia. Farmacia Doria. They have real medicine rather than the common crap the self medicating hypocondriac blue heads want as they roll off the ships in their Rascals. I wouldn't suggest self prescribing Skop, consult your doctor. It has some bad possible side effects if you have certain conditions and you should be informed of these before using it.
On the island Dramamine is available as is a stronger med called Bonodine or something like that (I don't actually think the name is right) Just go to the Farmacia and hold up a pack of dramamine and say "Necesito algo mucho más fuerte" . It is in pill form and injection form. You can get either without a scrip. You can also buy syringes. Just know how to inject yourself. If that freaks you out the pills work but not as fast, and not as long.

Good Luck.
My wife has trouble with motion sickness on boats and we cleared her up with option #1. Option #2 is a last resort.

Amazing. Simply amazing.

 

[DandyDon]

It can certainly happen with Coz diving, altho less likely than in many other areas. I am not prone, but did get motion illness on some Florida Keys dives once - it just varies with the trips and conditions. I know from others that it can ruin a day, so prevention is a good idea for anyone prone or even unsure.

Since Raymanta did not complete his/her dive info, I can't speak in detail with regard to past experiences and future expectations. Also don't know where s/he is staying or whom s/he is planning on diving with. So, working in generalities here....

1> If you're gonna wear the patch, wear it on the plane down. This will help prevent motion illness for the flight, and give you an early warning should you have an problems with the patch. Very few seem to, but it can happen.

2> Don't remove the patch for a week, as withdrawal can happen. It is a drug pump.

3> Larger boats are usually smoother rides if you have a choice, and short rides from the southern resorts are easier than long rides from town docks.

4> If it does happen, feed the fishes and get it over with. Get in the water ASAP as it usually clears up then, but if it happens in the water, hold your reg in your mouth with your hand so you don't lose it an gag on water, puke thru the reg, and purge quickly to blow it out.

With as many precautions as possible, watch the horizon as much as possible, then expect it not to happen. Good luck.