How to avoid seasickness

Sea-sickness can occur on a large or small boat under certain conditions.

It’s a malady that can bring a man to his knees faster than a sucker punch, and it can happen to anyone, at any time.

It can strike young and old alike. It’s called seasickness, and early summer lake trout and salmon trips on wind-swept waves can cause major problems for those who are ill-prepared.

My buddy was deep in the throes of this marine illness. He was gut-wrenching seasick. Knee-walking ill. Puking his guts out, and then a bad case of dry-heaves set in. A feeling of dizziness swept over him. His face was pale, perspiration dotted his brow, and he was sucking air like a person after running a 1,500-meter race. He was in sad shape.

Don’t talk or think yourself into getting sea-sick.

We were 10 minutes from port, and the boat was rolling in five-foot swells pushed by a stiff northwesterly wind that was blowing foam off the top of the whitecaps. Five minutes after reaching open water, he was hanging over the rail while I kept him somewhupright by grabbing his belt and hoping it would hold.

All this didn't make him feel any better. In fact, it made him feel even worse but I was trying to keep him from pitching head-first into the rolling foam-flecked waves.

“Oh, God, I’m sick,” he sputtered, vomit dripping off his chin. “How long will this last?”

The skipper, unsympathetic as most are to people who are afraid others will think they are a wimp if they take medications to prevent getting ill, said: “It will last until I turn this boat around and drop you off on shore.”

Stay busy doing things aboard the boat. Set lines, downriggers, stay outside.

Bob’s ongoing vomiting brings truth to an old saw often spun by ancient and modern mariners — when a  person first get seasick, they are afraid they will die. After a prolonged bout with this malady and the dry heaves, they are more afraid they won't.

This is how Bob felt until we took him back to shore. Five minutes after his feet touched dry dirt, and he kneeled to kiss the ground, he experienced a miraculous recovery.

Seasickness can affect anyone, at any time, and its causes are many. The only sure cure is firm ground underfoot, and even then, nausea or queasiness in your guts can linger for hours.

What is seasickness, and how is it treated?

I've never (the noise you hear is me knocking on wood) been seasick, although I've had an upset stomach several times. What causes the illness is hard to determine although there are many guesses as to its many causes.

Boating sickness is another name for this problem. Motion sickness is another. It can occur in a car, boat, bus, roller coaster, Ferris wheel, or bumpy airplane rides, to name a few. Motion upsets the middle ear, which helps us maintain our balance or equilibrium, and this sets up a feeling of exaggerated movement. Rough water isn't the only thing that makes people ill.

One major factor in seasickness is fear. Few people readily admit they fear the water, but they may be very uncomfortable being on big water, regardless of the boat size or the captain’s skills. They subconsciously think about the boat tipping over, them being thrown overboard, and they become nauseous and ill.

Some of the many causes of sea-sickness. Some of is fear-related.

This part is all in their head. They talk themselves into getting sick, and this is the one thing over which they have some control. Don a life jacket, tell your friends you’re a weenie, and go fishing and don’t think about the waves, motion and stomach queasiness.

What an angler or boater eats or drinks can trigger seasickness as well. What a person thinks or hears also can do a nasty job on those on the cusp of becoming ill.

Drinking alcoholic beverages before or during a boating trip is one major cause. A booming morning hangover after a long bout on the bottle can lead to a naval stomach disaster.

Certain foods are known to precipitate motion sickness. Orange, grapefruit or other citrus juices are high in citric acid, which can trigger seasickness. Avoid tomato juice as well, and apple juice can make some people very ill.

Little or no sleep will hammer most people prone to this problem. Too much coffee or pop are major factors that lead some folks to becoming sick on the water. Eating fried eggs, hash browns and greasy bacon or sausage for breakfast, and then chasing it down with a large OJ, is a great recipe for on-the-water barfing.

Don’t yuck it up about people getting sick. It can cause problems.

Sometimes, even talking about motion sickness makes people ill, and some old salts who never get sick take savage delight in talking about the illness. I once watched a father talk about getting seasick, and he literally talked his son into leaning over the rail to upchuck his breakfast.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I told the father. "Sometimes that kind of comment will come back to haunt you."

His son recovered, and then the Old Man got sick. He got zero sympathy from his kid or me. Keep such comments to yourself, and it makes for a better fishing experience for everyone.

Impending seasickness is easy to spot. The victim begins to sweat and often feels nauseous. Gradually, skin color becomes pale or white, and cramps hit the abdomen like getting kicked in the stomach. The cramps can, and often do, double a person over.

Sucking noises are heard as the victim tries to take in more air through the mouth to offset hyperventilation and to ease stomach cramps. The next step – nausea — continues until the stomach is emptied and the dry heaves set in.

It's no fun for the victim. Frankly, others never enjoy watching the results of this malady in other people. It can be contagious, and if one person gets sick, that causes others to do the same.

Try some of these measures to reduce the risk of getting sea-sick.

What can be done to prevent seasickness? Numerous over-the-counter medications such as Dramamine are available. One or two pills should be taken the night before a trip and one should be taken at least 30 minutes before leaving the dock. Check with a doctor to see if Dramamine or any other motion sickness pill is right for you, and prescriptions are needed for some medications. Plan ahead to keep it from happening.

Don't take anti-motion pills after becoming ill. Scopolamine, an anti-motion sickness medicine, is released slowly into the skin through a behind-the-ear patch, and it works for many people when  properly used. The patches are obtained with a doctor's prescription. It's recommended that a patch be applied the evening before a boating or fishing trip.

If you start feeling ill, start doing some boating chores. Don't sit motionless and hope the queasiness will go away. It usually won't. Don’t go below deck and sit in the head (bathroom) because that will only aggravate the motion problem and make matters worse.

Rig tackle, watch other boats, study the rods or look at the distant shoreline or horizon. Stand in fresh air, hopefully with the breeze in your face, and breathe deeply. Don't inhale gasoline or diesel exhaust fumes, and do not sit or lay down. It only makes it worse.

Avoid unpleasant odors. A lack of ventilation and close quarters can cause an attack. Never go below or lay in a V-bunk if illness strikes. Stay in the fresh air, and remain upright, and look at the horizon. Never look down at the deck or down at the water.

Try eating dry bread, gingersnap cookies, lemon drops or mints. Eat slowly, do not swallow air and think about something other than a queasy stomach. Do not drink milk, alcoholic beverages or soft drinks. Bottled water and mints are good to rinse out a mouth after vomiting and the mints will freshen the mouth and relieve some of the nasty aftertaste of vomit.

Seasickness can strike anyone, anytime. I've been lucky, but someday I'm sure my time will come. Hopefully I'll be able to follow my own advice, and conquer the problem before it overwhelms me.

Title: How to avoid seasickness

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, seasickness, causes, prevention, motion, sickness, fear, horizon, shore, alcohol, pop))