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How To Deal With Seasickness (Motion Sickness)         by Dave Reed

The big question asked by a lot of first time fishing charter customers is whether or not they might get seasick. We would like you to completely understand seasickness and maybe even suggest a few thoughts on how you can deal with this issue ahead of making your trip.  

Seasickness is actually just good old motion sickness. First off you should know that it is estimated that 80% of all people will experience motion sickness in some form during their lifetime. Even NASA trained astronauts often require motion sickness medicine while in space. It is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.  Unfortunately, that’s not much comfort to the uncomfortable person experiencing it. 

Motion sickness is caused by the body’s confusion of feeling one thing through its five normal senses but seeing something different then it is feeling. In rough water a boat rocks, rolls, pitches, and heaves. The signals sent to your brain by your eyes and inner ears, conflict. It's visual disorientation and means that while your inner ear detects that you are moving, your eyes detect that you're not. The body feels forces coming from different directions that it doesn’t understand. It reacts by feeling unbalanced and unstable. This causes an entire host of symptoms including nausea, vertigo, headache, dizziness, and even mental panic. Anyone that has experienced seasickness knows that it is not pleasant and that is an understatement. Someone once said, “No one ever died from seasickness.”  But when you are the one that is seasick that quotation is going to sound like a big fat lie to you!

The level of severity of symptoms varies greatly in people. Some people actually even increase their own severity through nervous anticipation. Learning to deal with your seasickness is sometimes called getting your “sea legs.” It is our hope that by explaining what this is and how to deal with it we can encourage you not to let nervous anticipation ruin an exciting charter fishing experience.  

Precautions/Preparations: 

There are some simple things that people can do for little portions of immediate help. If you begin to feel queasy avoid staying only in the salon. Remember, in the salon your eyes are seeing a nice stable four walls, a ceiling, and a floor but your body is feeling something entirely different. If you do have to stay inside the salon, at least try to stand or lean somewhere and look forward watching the outside horizon through a salon window. As an alternative you might lay in a comfortable place and just close your eyes. As a veteran of many, many charter fishing trips, I used to make it a habit to sleep the entire way out and in until the time I became a bit more sure of my sea legs.  

The least amount of slamming motion on a large fishing boat is normally going to be right at the boat’s transom. Some boats have portable boat chairs or even bean bags that can be set at the transom looking forward during running. From this location you can try to give your sight the ability to see what you will be ultimately feeling.  

Some people do well with my next suggestion and some don’t but at least it is worth a try. Going up on the bridge with the captain does a couple things. It gives your senses a different perspective of what is happening and sometimes it is enough to help equalize your body's balance and your brain. Also, in some cases a conversation with the captain helps take your mind off your symptoms. Once you begin to get control of your senses this little improvement in location might get you past your symptoms.  

Natural Remedies:   

There are several natural potential remedies for seasickness. Some of them only seem to work for some people. Hopefully you can find the right combination of things for your situation.

• Ginger for some reason seems to be one of the better natural cures. Try a combination of things like ginger tea, gingerale, ginger cookies, and ginger pills before and during your trip. Ginger root powder capsules are also available in health food stores and many people swear by the powder.
• People that tend to get motion sick or people that are not sure should always avoid caffeine and alcohol before and during offshore trips.
• Eating saltine crackers and drinking Coca Cola seems to help some people and can even act as a placebo when nothing else is available.

MotionEaze, a natural oil can be applied behind the ear and is absorbed through the skin. It is said to also be effective in circumstances where you may already be feeling nausea. It has no side effects.

• Try to remain in a place where fresh air is blowing on your face.
• Try to keep your mind occupied. 
• Try to keep your eyes directed at the fixed horizon as much as possible.
• Lay down and close your eyes.
• Climb to the bridge and if possible sit there and watch ahead.
• Try an anti-nausea wristband which has a small plastic ball pressing against an acupressure point on your forearm.
• My favorite natural method which works for about 95% of the people that have tried it is the Relief Band. These electronic wristbands emit an adjustable electric shock to your wrist. This is the only natural method that I personally have ever seen that actually works even after the patient has already begun to show strong symptoms of seasickness. Although not sold for these uses, they are also becoming popular for morning sickness among pregnant women, amusement park riders, help in blood pressure regulation, race car drivers, Meniere's Disease, vertigo and even joint and back pain. Unfortunately, although they were available over the counter previously, now they have been reclassified as Rx only and the price has more than doubled. You should see your doctor if you would like to give these a try

Prescription and Non-Prescription Medicines:

For those that don’t mind taking medicines there are several possibilities both over the counter and prescribed. All have varying side effects but the prescribed medicines tend to be effective but with stronger side effects.

The most common drugs are Dramamine, Dramamine II, Antivert, and Bonine which are all essentially antihistamines. They are available over-the-net or over-the-counter at most pharmacies. Antihistamines will make most people drowsy and Dramamine will almost certainly have that effect. Dramamine II and Bonine are non-drowsy formulas but they still put some people to sleep for a few hours. How do they help seasickness? Basically they deaden the senses and tend to lessen the whole experience.

Prescription Scopolamine patches, worn behind the ear like a tiny band-aid, are the most common prescription drugs for seasickness. Scopolamine also comes in pill form. The patches last up to three days, provide time-release doses of the drug, and are usually very effective for preventing nausea. The side effects are somewhat severe in many people and sometimes include extreme drowsiness, disorientation, bad taste and even blood pressure problems. 

Hopefully this article will help you prepare for and deal with the possibility of seasickness. If you have already experienced it and know that you are susceptible please read the article again carefully and take precautions ahead of your charter. If you are not sure, take the precautions ahead of your trip anyway! Remember, statistics show that you are very apt to be susceptible. Don’t let the fear of seasickness ruin your plans or your trip. Instead use this knowledge to defeat your fears.