The Joy of Motion Sickness

[sumbeech66]

In 22 years of chartering off the coast of S.E. Alaska I've never been sea-sick but the stories I could tell.

I think a lot of people here like your stories, but you stopped telling them!    What gives?     

[Angus]

I was off work for 10 days after having my gall bladder removed and was bored, good way to kill some time. Might come up with more if anyone's interested.

[dewandgin]

Been out numerous times and got sick twice and both times it was because I went out on less than 2hrs sleep. First time took a short nap and was fine. Second time I thought I was gonna die and wishing I would. Still fished but threw up every 10-15 min. Got to shore and was starved the rest of the day. My uncle gets sea sick looking at a boat He has tried everything including prescriptions and nothing works. Loves to go fishing but quit because of this.

[WCTaxidermy]

I open a can of smoked oysters and crackers and that does it for me.

[lokidog]

I grew up boating in the Puget sound so when Loki took me and my son fishing I totally went in thinking I would be fine, he did have all of us take a Dramamine just in case that was a good call...because after a little bit of... top of wave, bottom of wave, top of wave, bottom of wave...... I was getting a little woozy, my kid turned green but thankfully fell asleep and slept it off once the fish started biting all was well....

So no idea what to do or not do

   Always listen to the captain....  My mom went out with me once on the 21' Trophy, "I don't get seasick" she says, you can guess where it goes from there.  All I can say is, I don't go in until I'm done fishing, even for my mom.   

I always take Dramamine/Bonine on the way to the coast, our saying was take your dramamine in Aberdeen, just because I don't like even feeling queezy.  Never had issues in the Sound though.

Many years ago, I worked for NMFS on commercial tuna seiners, 175 to 205 foot long.  Rode out a couple of hurricanes (on the edge) and a huge blow off the Gulf of Tehuanipec (sp?) where the 175 footer would have the stern slide sideways while going down the back of the swells, and never got even queezy.  Then, my last trip, I spent two months on a 75 foot albacore troll boat north of Vancouver Island... I was seasick almost the entire trip, though I never did puke.  My routine was wake up, eat breakfast, slowly feel worse, take a nap, wake up, eat lunch, slowly feel worse, take a nap, wake up eat dinner, slowly feel worse, go to bed, rinse, repeat. 

Sleeping and a full stomach seemed to help me feel better, and catching fish, I never noticed it when there were fish on the line.

Oh forgot to mention, the boat also had a flea infestation from the captain's dog that was onboard before we left Monterey, and I am way allergic to flea bites.  This was not one of my more enjoyable times spent on the water.

I had a girlfriend in San Diego that swore by the bracelet when we would go out in my 12 1/2' Zodiac fishing or dolphin watching.

[rainshadow1]

I grew up commercial fishing, on board from infancy, working on deck from 4yo. Usually got sick. Brother didn't, had friends and crew who did and who didn't, couldn't predict. Some got sick in the channel on the way out, others only when it got rough. I toughened over time, but ground swell was always my nemesis. Also had triggers, like diesel smoke, heat & noise, etc.

I started trip fishing out of hs and learned that I would recover after 36 hours and be absolutely bullet proof until my foot touched a dock again (that was like a reset button. Only took an instant... =another 36 hrs of hell!) After 36hrs of heaving, it could blow up to the point where my crew feared for their lives, I was impervious to it. It was wierd.

I learned to work with/through it. Never to live with it though. Probably the #1 reason I don't fish anymore. I wouldn't wish severe nausea on an enemy. I've been to the rail several thousand times (no exaggeration.) I've violently dry-heaved for more than 6 hours straight... more than once. All the while baiting hooks or shoveling ice or sorting fish or navigating...

Enough to abandon my 4th generation heritage and seek employment elsewhere, I'll tell you that!

[nocklehead]

I feel sick just reading this thread! Once youve had that feeling you never forget it.
I found the best medicine for me is to hear "FISH ON"! when the fishing is good and everyone is active Im fine, what gets me is 5 hours of watching my rod as the horizon goes up and down, up and down....

hey iceman, careful with that scopolamine!  I just saw a documentary on that stuff, I guess after too much you go into a highly suggestive zombie state! They call it the scariest drug in the world!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToQ8PWYnu04

[Fishstiq]

I don't get sick.  By that I mean that I don't vomit.  Ever.  For any reason.  Alcohol, influenza, nothing can make me vomit.  I hold it all in.  Can you imagine how bad this is when you are on a fishing boat, and cannot relieve yourself?

This is exactly what happens to me as well.  I get more and more nauseous, dizzy, and generally miserable.  Never vomit though, even when I try to by leaning over the rail and sticking a finger down my throat to get it started. 

As far as what helps, don't discount the cabin!  When I'm seasick, i head downstairs into the cabin and find a bunk, usually somewhere near the bow.  I curl up in a ball, laying on my left side, and as long as I stay there the nausea is held at bay for the most part.  As soon as I leave that position though I'm sick and dizzy again in under a minute.

Dramamine used to work for me, but it doesn't anymore.  I haven't tried the patches yet, might have to give that a go.


For me, the worst part of being seasick isn't the nausea, or the dizzyness, or the wishing I could just die and get it over with.  The worst part is all of you non-seasick *******s giving me advice on how to feel better!!  "Don't go in the cabin, try drinking chamomile tea, bite the head off this herring, blink your eyes fast, look at the horizon, blah blah blah blah....", for the love of Neptune will you just SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!  I didn't ask you the best way to kill myself, I'm trying to die in peace over here!! 

[Becky]

I don't get sick.  By that I mean that I don't vomit.  Ever.  For any reason.  Alcohol, influenza, nothing can make me vomit.  I hold it all in.  Can you imagine how bad this is when you are on a fishing boat, and cannot relieve yourself?

This is exactly what happens to me as well.  I get more and more nauseous, dizzy, and generally miserable.  Never vomit though, even when I try to by leaning over the rail and sticking a finger down my throat to get it started. 

As far as what helps, don't discount the cabin!  When I'm seasick, i head downstairs into the cabin and find a bunk, usually somewhere near the bow.  I curl up in a ball, laying on my left side, and as long as I stay there the nausea is held at bay for the most part.  As soon as I leave that position though I'm sick and dizzy again in under a minute.

Dramamine used to work for me, but it doesn't anymore.  I haven't tried the patches yet, might have to give that a go.


For me, the worst part of being seasick isn't the nausea, or the dizzyness, or the wishing I could just die and get it over with.  The worst part is all of you non-seasick *******s giving me advice on how to feel better!!  "Don't go in the cabin, try drinking chamomile tea, bite the head off this herring, blink your eyes fast, look at the horizon, blah blah blah blah....", for the love of Neptune will you just SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!  I didn't ask you the best way to kill myself, I'm trying to die in peace over here!!

  I don't vomit either, I get very motion sick on any moving thing and it's worse if it's only slightly moving instead of full on wave jumping action. Headache, nauseous dry heaves, dizzy, wishing for death - It will put me out the entire time until I'm on non-moving ground again.

For me, the cabin is the ABSOLUTE worse place to be, if I'm not able to look out at something, I'm done for. Riding in a back seat of a car with out clear view outside the windshield, I'm done for. It sucks, I get it from my dad, he's an avid hunter/fisher with multiple trips to Alaska for everything but he still will get sick as a dog on water.

I swear by the scope-patches, I use them for planes, boat trips, long car rides. If you haven't tried them out yet I fully recommend you do  put one behind your ear the night before a trip and you're good to go for 2 days.

[wildweeds]

Have you tried the pressure bands that target the accupuncture pressure point on the wrist? My buddy swears by them(as well as the guides/deckhands on the tuna boat we chartered on)

I don't get sick.  By that I mean that I don't vomit.  Ever.  For any reason.  Alcohol, influenza, nothing can make me vomit.  I hold it all in.  Can you imagine how bad this is when you are on a fishing boat, and cannot relieve yourself?

This is exactly what happens to me as well.  I get more and more nauseous, dizzy, and generally miserable.  Never vomit though, even when I try to by leaning over the rail and sticking a finger down my throat to get it started. 

As far as what helps, don't discount the cabin!  When I'm seasick, i head downstairs into the cabin and find a bunk, usually somewhere near the bow.  I curl up in a ball, laying on my left side, and as long as I stay there the nausea is held at bay for the most part.  As soon as I leave that position though I'm sick and dizzy again in under a minute.

Dramamine used to work for me, but it doesn't anymore.  I haven't tried the patches yet, might have to give that a go.


For me, the worst part of being seasick isn't the nausea, or the dizzyness, or the wishing I could just die and get it over with.  The worst part is all of you non-seasick *******s giving me advice on how to feel better!!  "Don't go in the cabin, try drinking chamomile tea, bite the head off this herring, blink your eyes fast, look at the horizon, blah blah blah blah....", for the love of Neptune will you just SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!  I didn't ask you the best way to kill myself, I'm trying to die in peace over here!!

  I don't vomit either, I get very motion sick on any moving thing and it's worse if it's only slightly moving instead of full on wave jumping action. Headache, nauseous dry heaves, dizzy, wishing for death - It will put me out the entire time until I'm on non-moving ground again.

For me, the cabin is the ABSOLUTE worse place to be, if I'm not able to look out at something, I'm done for. Riding in a back seat of a car with out clear view outside the windshield, I'm done for. It sucks, I get it from my dad, he's an avid hunter/fisher with multiple trips to Alaska for everything but he still will get sick as a dog on water.

I swear by the scope-patches, I use them for planes, boat trips, long car rides. If you haven't tried them out yet I fully recommend you do  put one behind your ear the night before a trip and you're good to go for 2 days.

[sumbeech66]

Im to chicken to try all the drugs,bracelets and home remedies because if they dont work... guess what, its could be 8 hrs. of wanting to die.

Its kind of like poking at a bruise and saying "it hurts when I poke it" WELL DONT DO THAT ANYMORE!!

Im  a wuss. maybe I'll try it again someday. 

[PolarBear]

Taking a lot of ginger the week before has worked well for me.  I usually barf before crossing the bar but that last couple of times ginger capsules, snacking on ginger snaps and eating candied ginger kept me from getting sick, even in 16 foot swells in my 18 foot boat!

[lokidog]

Taking a lot of ginger the week before has worked well for me.  I usually barf before crossing the bar but that last couple of times ginger capsules, snacking on ginger snaps and eating candied ginger kept me from getting sick, even in 16 foot swells in my 18 foot boat!

It's hard to get sick when you are terrified....     I had the coasties tell me I had to go back in to Coos Bay once when out in my 12 1/2 Zodiac, I guess the 30' or less bar restriction was too much for them.