# Sea Sickness: Something you Grow out of?



## shkad14 (Apr 26, 2008)

Is sea sickness something that you grow out of after spending time on the water? I fish the bays, lagoons and rivers - sometimes in rough conditions and NEVER even come close to getting sick. But, stick me in the gulf and I am puking within the hour. Even with dramamine, it takes me a couple of hours before the nausea goes away.

Also, I am only sick while sitting still. If I start paddling or the boat starts moving, I am perfectly fine.

Why do I only get sea sick sitting still in the gulf? Is this something that my body will eventually get used too? If so, how long?


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

Interesting question. I've never had sea or motion sickness.


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## hogdogs (Apr 19, 2010)

My personal opinion is that seasickness is "all in your head"... Literally... I feel most humans can train out of it.

By "all in your head" I mean it is basically a battle of your senses. I do not get seasickness symptoms often or to a high degree. One thing that will get me queasy is to be in sporty seas and rigging baits etc. If I forgot to focus on the horizon very often I can feel a little green.

My opinion is that is because the fluid in your ears tells your brain to make your body steady you up but your body tells your brain it is stationary so it must be your ears playin a trick on your brain...

When you focus on the horizon, your eyes can tell your brain that the ears are correct and you are swaying but not due to fault of your body balance...

Sounds goofy but that is my ******* take on it...

Brent


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## shkad14 (Apr 26, 2008)

hogdogs said:


> My personal opinion is that seasickness is "all in your head"... Literally... I feel most humans can train out of it.
> 
> By "all in your head" I mean it is basically a battle of your senses. I do not get seasickness symptoms often or to a high degree. One thing that will get me queasy is to be in sporty seas and rigging baits etc. If I forgot to focus on the horizon very often I can feel a little green.
> 
> ...


There might be something to that. I was out Monday and noticed that I only started getting sick when my yak was pointed away from shore. As long as I could see the shore, I was fine - even when it was just in my peripheral vision - and I wasnt even thinking about it.


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## LITECATCH (Oct 2, 2007)

Lots of people "think" or "worry" themselves sick. I used to get sick almost every trip 25 to 30 years ago. Then i decided so what if i get sick. Just throw up and feel better. Heck i have thrown up through my regulator twice. That freaked the divemaster out in Key West!! I have not been sea sick in years. In the last 16 to 20 years i have only felt "funny" a few times. I guess your body gets used to it. Thank goodness!


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## Teater (Jun 24, 2011)

Yeah, the horizon keeps your way about you, lose sight of that and its bad ( for some people, like me)

Store bought pills make me sleepy, I use Ginger, in all forms. So like ginger ale, candied ginger, ginger snaps or even ginger pills.
I learned about ginger on MythBusters, it worked the best without the drowsiness.

I don't know if you grow out of it or not.


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## 20simmons sea skiff (Aug 20, 2010)

never, they say 60% of people get seasick at some point in their life ive been on ocean 45 years, worked on comerrical boats, was out in 40 ft waves, never been sick till last yr at 60 years old, take a lot of meds, but for the ist time i was sick as if i had a bad hangover was about 5 ft waves in my 19 ft boat and it was rolling side to side about 60 degrees. cant ride rides at fair anymore like when i was a kid, went when i was 40 about got sick on ride. one commercial fisherman i worked with had been a snapper fisherman 50 yrs, he still got sick 1st day, unless it was the wine while he was off.


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## shkad14 (Apr 26, 2008)

Teater said:


> Yeah, the horizon keeps your way about you, lose sight of that and its bad ( for some people, like me)
> 
> Store bought pills make me sleepy, I use Ginger, in all forms. So like ginger ale, candied ginger, ginger snaps or even ginger pills.
> I learned about ginger on MythBusters, it worked the best without the drowsiness.
> ...


Thanks for the tip on Ginger. I had forgot about that. I usually sleep about 12 hours once I get off the water after taking the dramamine II.



20simmons sea skiff said:


> never, they say 60% of people get seasick at some point in their life ive been on ocean 45 years, worked on comerrical boats, was out in 40 ft waves, never been sick till last yr at 60 years old, take a lot of meds, but for the ist time i was sick as if i had a bad hangover was about 5 ft waves in my 19 ft boat and it was rolling side to side about 60 degrees. cant ride rides at fair anymore like when i was a kid, went when i was 40 about got sick on ride. one commercial fisherman i worked with had been a snapper fisherman 50 yrs, he still got sick 1st day, unless it was the wine while he was off.


Thanks for letting me know I am stuck with this curse forever! :no: Was hoping that was not the case.


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## Bustedknuckle (Feb 11, 2009)

Ginger thats cool i gotta try that. I dont really get to sick until i get into my cuddy cabin, seems like when theres no wind is when i get the most sick. I do take store motion sickness pills and it works, as far as being drowsy. I cant tel lthe difference because i get so excited to go fishing i only get about 3 hours of sleep anyways. lol. ex: remember being a kid on christmas eve? Sorry im a newbie and just got my boat a yr ago haha.

Also if you take a small squirt bottle of water and put it in ice then spray it on you with a hand fan or battery one helps too.


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## ul412al (Oct 2, 2007)

Not sure of your situation but here are some things that help. When you are baiting hooks or working with your hands hold the item up in line with the horizon. Looking down and close up is a good way to yak in your yak. Stay cool, a towel in the ice chest is your friend. Take a small radio, distracting your senses is sometimes helpful. Work on those and you should see improvement.


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## hogdogs (Apr 19, 2010)

> I dont really get to sick until i get into my cuddy cabin, seems like when theres no wind is when i get the most sick.


This one thing I used to create my theory. I don't do cabins unless it is pretty calm. I will go out on deck often to reacquire my "bearings".

It don't matter if the cabin A/C has the temp under 70... But I do feel dank still air will speed up the sickness and/or make it worse.

But in the cabin, unless I have full size picture windows to look out of, I can get to feeling woozy.

Brent


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## WW2 (Sep 28, 2007)

It seems to me to be a combination of several things. 

1. It can be both in your head and/or physical.
2. It can be fixed by "mentally preparing", chemical/natural means, awareness.

If it is in your head then only you can fix it. I have noticed sometimes that if I get queasy it will be on the days where I didn't get enough sleep or something like that. My brain is sluggish and doesn't deal well with the situation and I just feel like crap. I always try to get lots of sleep if I know I am going out.
I have had some times where someone else is feeling bad and that get's me to thinking about it and once the thought is there is can cause me to get sympathy queasy. lol
I have only been sick enough to throw up 2 times. Once was my first time at sea in the north Atlantic. It was purely mental. I was worried about being sick for 2 days before we went out and sure enough I got sick. The second time I woke up tired before a fishing trip and decided I needed "energy" to get going. I bought a Dr Pepper and some donuts. Puked like crazy that day.

Some people can be fixed with the drugs and others with ginger. I would try ginger as stated above it really helped the Mythbusters and 2 of those guys puke in the shower.


I think you can "fix" it almost every time. If you understand what is causing it at that time.


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## Mullethead (Oct 4, 2007)

Short answer is yes... its something you can grow out of... or grow into

And can definitately be reduced with experience, exposure, and as WW2 says - mental prep or medication.

Worrying about it, watching others get sick, can set some off

However, its not just 'all in your head' ... animals get sea sick ... And some folks i know try every thing, have great attitudes, lots of time on the water and still suffer (I knew one guy who just dealt with in as a fact of life)

And everybody's a little differnt, so for some it takes a certain type of motions (frequency and amplitude) along with visual references, condtioning, and other stimulas.

I finally got sea sick after many years ... In a storm in a forepeak of a sailboat... after i hit my head good ... and was tired ... upside down ... working to fix a leak ... at 400 am.


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## fishn4fun (May 11, 2008)

I get seasick a lot prolly 60-70% of the time i know going that it's something I have to deal with I found that eating light snacks all day helps but usually I just have to deal with it I have been dealing in fish and yaking at the same time on numerous occasions I think attitude about it makes it easier freak with or not


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## shipoke (Jul 11, 2008)

My wife and I were watching the "Perfect Storm" on tv and she started to get quezzy. She didnt finish the movie. 
Now, when we rent a movie, I always suggest the "Perfect Storm". She doesn't think its funny. 
Some people just cant make the adjustment.

Shipoke


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## Jighead (Feb 11, 2009)

hogdogs said:


> My personal opinion is that seasickness is "all in your head"... Literally... I feel most humans can train out of it.
> 
> By "all in your head" I mean it is basically a battle of your senses. I do not get seasickness symptoms often or to a high degree. One thing that will get me queasy is to be in sporty seas and rigging baits etc. If I forgot to focus on the horizon very often I can feel a little green.
> 
> ...


I'll buy that answer. I find when out of sight of land looking at clouds can help too. I've only been out of sight of land maybe 10 times so I don't have a lot of experience.... For me, no cabin except for bathroom breaks or to grab something out of a cooler. I will feel sick riding from spot to spot but as soon as we start fishing my mind is off of it and I'm good until the next ride. On the ride I think it's more from not seeing where I'm going. I get sick almost instantly in the back seat of a car. I couldn't imagine how bad the it would be up where the captain sits. 

My routine, take a dramamine an hour before leaving the dock. No breakfast, not much to drink. take another dramamine pulling out of the dock and eat something small. One more dramamine maybe an hour later. Then eat and drink as I want.


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## Nitzey (Oct 9, 2007)

There are two basic elements to sea sickness, motion in the semi-circular canals in the ear and fear. My son-in-law will get sick on a calm day but it is the rocking motion that gets him. I have a couple of friends who get sick most of the time. They cannot help it, but it does not stop them from going out. Looking at the horizon helps keep your head steady. Fear is something you can grow out of. Hey, there is nothing solid under this boat! I can remember fishing out of New Jersey in Jan. and looking out the cabin windows and often all you could see was water, seas 9 to 12' in a 40 foot boat. I was scared; didn't get sick but was close. Down here have been in 9' seas; got banged around, but did not get sick. However, I took my first cruise this year, and most surprising to me, the unusual motion bothered me. It was a huge ship and seas were 3 to 5' at most. After I figured out I was not having a stroke, felt better.


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## shkad14 (Apr 26, 2008)

Jighead said:


> My routine, take a dramamine an hour before leaving the dock. No breakfast, not much to drink. take another dramamine pulling out of the dock and eat something small. One more dramamine maybe an hour later. Then eat and drink as I want.


I have limited myself to only ONE dramamine per trip. A few years back I overdosed on them. Luckily, I was on a boat with four doctors. They say motion sickness medications can make you halucinate(sp). I can tell you from experience that they do. I was seriously messed up...but I never puked.


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## Sea-r-cy (Oct 3, 2007)

Up and down, bobbing in a small boat doesn't do a thing to me. :no: But, put me in a tilt-a-whirl at the fair, I'll puke before it makes a full circle.  

Sea-r-cy


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## SHunter (Jun 19, 2009)

I worked for an old captain who used to say that I just needed to get my sea legs. After a few trips the sickness went away. I did some of the things that has been mentioned. I've used ginger ale and Coca Cola. I have tried light snacks and I've faced the horizon. On large boats I try to find the center of gravity and stay just behind it toward the stern. I did this on the way to the Dry Tortugas in some nasty waves and I was one of the few not sick. Even the crew looked bad. Also, positioning your feet and kind of riding the swells has worked for me. One thing for sure is to not go into a cabin or be in a place where you cans smell diesel or gas fumes. It may take a combination of things to work for you.


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## hogdogs (Apr 19, 2010)

I just remembered a certain "guys weekend out" on a buddy's 43' Hatt. He knew I had the abilities to run his boat in the dark and that I was the most sober and not tired out. 

Seas were not terrible but his boat being an aft cabin with a hard top above the bridge she rocked and rolled in less seas than many.

Being pitch black and not able to orient to a horizon I was worried I might get sea sick. I flicked on the big roof top spotlight and set it on the water a couple hundred feet off to the side of the bow (to avoid the glare) and would look to the light on the water to let my brain do it's thing realizing why I was moving...:thumbsup:

Brent


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## DreamWeaver21 (Oct 3, 2007)

shkad14 said:


> I have limited myself to only ONE dramamine per trip. A few years back I overdosed on them. Luckily, I was on a boat with four doctors. They say motion sickness medications can make you halucinate(sp). I can tell you from experience that they do. I was seriously messed up...but I never puked.



I did it too but mine was on the patch not pils. This was close to 20 years ago but aparently they had problems with the membrane letting the medicine in your skin too fast. I think I got 3 days worth in a few hours. I fell out of my bed because it was beathing so hard (my bed was breathing) oh and my alarm clock was floating around the room. Next day I was fine.


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## Aquahollic (Sep 24, 2009)

I have been sick twice. Both times were about 10 years ago and they both involved copious amounts of alcohol. I learned my lesson. I haven't been wasted on a boat since. I'll still have an occasional beer but I wont go over the legal limit regardless if I'm the captain or a rider. 
I have a friend that gets sea sick if he isn't gainfully employed. He can rig baits in calm or rough seas no problem. But, if he is just sitting around while we are trolling and he isn't doing anything he'll get sick. Sometimes all he has to do is drive the boat for a while and that will calm his stomach. As I read these posts I see that several people seem to be that way.


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## SHunter (Jun 19, 2009)

I used the scopalamine patch also when I was on a research vessel. The morning after I woke up, the doorway looked sideways. Everything was slanted so it had to affect my brain and eyes. I would only use it again in extreme circumstances. Bonine is a form of the same chemical but doesn't bother me as bad. I think it is better than Dramamine if you must use something.


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## jasoncooperpcola (Jan 2, 2008)

For me, its not thinking about getting sea sick. I always try to keep my mind off that by doing other things. I also wear "sea bands" and take dramamine before i go out and when i get on the boat. I haven't fished alot in the past two years, but before that we was fishing every weekend. For the first few trips out i would get sick, but after that i eventually got over it. I think the stinkin water at navy point has alot to do with it too.


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## birdsnest (Oct 2, 2007)

+1 on the Ginger. I've never been seasick but my wife can't even ride in the bay. She started taking ginger root pills and hasn't been sick since. That includes sailing trips from Miami to Bimini, and Key West to the Dry Tortugas.


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## Floppy (May 29, 2008)

*Seasick................*

It is a real condition that most cannot mentally overcome. My wife just could not handle the motion for more than five minutes before turning green. Her brother introduced her to 'meclizene' (sp) and it has been a lifesaver for her and to the many we shared this info with. It is normally prescribed for 'vertigo' so therefore, it is an anti-vert pill. Taken 30 min before departure after eating something, allows her to stay out all day. There are NO side affects and YES, you can drink whatever you like while taking it. Again, there are NO side affects. Stop the 'scop' patches and dramamine, magnet bracelets, etc. Get you Dr. to prescribe and you won't be sorry.


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## ARfisherman (Sep 2, 2008)

I know "medical" MJ helps with nausea, I wonder if it helped with sea sickness all those times in college.....Might need to be researched more throughly.


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

Floppy said:


> It is a real condition that most cannot mentally overcome. My wife just could not handle the motion for more than five minutes before turning green. Her brother introduced her to 'meclizene' (sp) and it has been a lifesaver for her and to the many we shared this info with. It is normally prescribed for 'vertigo' so therefore, it is an anti-vert pill. Taken 30 min before departure after eating something, allows her to stay out all day. There are NO side affects and YES, you can drink whatever you like while taking it. Again, there are NO side affects. Stop the 'scop' patches and dramamine, magnet bracelets, etc. Get you Dr. to prescribe and you won't be sorry.


Isn't seasickness just another manifestation of vertigo?

My fiancee got seasick badly in the Gulf yesterday and this never happens. It was funny, I was reading this thread and thought about throwing some Buffalo Rock ginger ale in the cooler but didn't.


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## SHunter (Jun 19, 2009)

I think that over the counter Bonine is the same chemical as meclizene. Maybe that is why I can deal with it better than Dramamine which knocks me out. The prescription form may have a different amount for body weight. For me Bonine is kind of like taking a light antihistamine but I am still alert and enjoy the trip.


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## Jolly Mon (Jun 9, 2011)

Floppy said:


> It is a real condition that most cannot mentally overcome. My wife just could not handle the motion for more than five minutes before turning green. Her brother introduced her to 'meclizene' (sp) and it has been a lifesaver for her and to the many we shared this info with. It is normally prescribed for 'vertigo' so therefore, it is an anti-vert pill. Taken 30 min before departure after eating something, allows her to stay out all day. There are NO side affects and YES, you can drink whatever you like while taking it. Again, there are NO side affects. Stop the 'scop' patches and dramamine, magnet bracelets, etc. Get you Dr. to prescribe and you won't be sorry.


Meclizene used to be available off the shelf at WalMart, if I remember right it was the generic version of the original Dramamine. It was quite a bit cheaper and worked real well with minimal side effects. 

I haven't had to buy any for years so I can't say how it's available anymore.


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## pappastratos (Oct 9, 2007)

hogdogs said:


> This one thing I used to create my theory. I don't do cabins unless it is pretty calm. I will go out on deck often to reacquire my "bearings".
> 
> It don't matter if the cabin A/C has the temp under 70... But I do feel dank still air will speed up the sickness and/or make it worse.
> 
> ...


I am the same way. I can not go into the cabin of the boat. Espically if its dark, stuffy, & a lot of people are in it. Been on charters & it was raining. Everyone was inside except for me. Been on long trips, everyone was inside, snoozing or snacking, me,, outside standing or trying to find a place on the deck to sit or lay down.


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