Seasickness on a Bareboat Charter

Avoiding Sea Sickness
A fun day out on the water just might turn into one of the worst days of your life. While seasickness is somewhat rare in Kona because of the (mostly) calm seas, seasickness hits some people even on the calmest of days. If you or someone in your party is prone to car sickness in any way, they NEED to prepare. Sea sickness is 99% preventable but not very curable. There are many remedies for sea sickness and the most popular of these is the worst. I’m referring to Dramamine ®. DON’T TAKE IT!  Not only is it a poor sea sickness medication but the side effect of “sleepiness” can ruin your fun also.
Here’s a list of remedies in order of effectiveness:

Scopolamine:
For the hardcore “I always get seasick” and “I get car sick easily” types. This remedy is also referred to as “the patch” and can be obtained by prescription from your doctor. It looks like a little round Band-Aid and is worn behind your ear. There is a certain percentage of people who have adverse side effects to this medication. I highly suggest that if you’re using this remedy for the first time, try using one at home first. You don’t want to find out that you have an adverse reaction to this stuff when you’re several miles out at sea.

Bonine ® :
This is the best pill form, an over-the-counter remedy.  Highly recommended! Don’t let a doctor or pharmacist talk you into any other kind of pill form. There are no others that are “just like Bonine®”. You will need to get this stuff working in your system well in advance of your trip. There’s little to no side effect. The biggest mistake people make with pill-form remedies is that they take their first dose either right before or right after stepping on the boat. That’s too late! Seasick-prone people usually spew these pills out before they can take full effect. I highly recommend taking one dose of Bonine® the night before your trip and another dose in the morning when you wake up. For long trips, don’t forget to keep up with the recommended dosage.

Sea Band ® :
These are pressure point therapy wristbands. Most people discount this remedy because it “sounds” like a gimmick.  They work!  There is also an electronic shock version but, the non-electric ones work just fine. The nice thing about this remedy is that it can be added along with any of the other remedies without conflicting with them. I try to keep at least one pair around for those that didn’t prepare but too often, people walk off the boat forgetting that they have them on. Many drug stores carry these bands as a cure for morning sickness. (Go onto www.westmarine.com and type in “seasick band” as a keyword)

Ginger:
That’s right. Plain old ginger root. You can get this stuff in pill form, candied, raw, powdered, as a paste, dehydrated, in cookies………well, you get the idea. Ginger settles your stomach quickly and, just like with Sea Band ®, ginger can be added along with any of the other remedies without conflicting with them. I try to keep ginger candy on the boat and I can cure a good number of people with a combination of ginger candy and Sea Bands. Don’t rely on me having either of them though.
Just one more note.  Some people have a tendency to “overdo” a good thing when they’re on vacation. Go easy on the dinner the night before and breakfast in the morning before you go out. Don’t stuff yourself. Don’t get drunk the night before (hangovers are even worse out at sea) and get a good night’s sleep.
Aloha, Have a great day on the water!