As someone that has spent most of their adult life on the water I know more about seasickness than I care to admit. On several occasions I have been a victim of the discomfort and agony cased by ocean induced motion sickness. Luckily I am not alone, motion sickness is merciless and seemingly random when it chooses it's victims. Men, women and children of all races appear to be vulnerable to seasickness, no matter how nice of a day it is, or well the fish are biting. Fortunately there are few thing you can do to help fight off motion sickness, here are my top 5 five recommendations.
1. Avoid drinking alcohol the day of and night before your fishing trip. I know your on vacation and a little pregame celebration sounds like a good idea, but trust me hopping on a fishing charter with a hangover will almost certainly end in nausea. Having alcohol in your bloodstream actually increases the chances of you getting seasick. Instead wait until you have reeled in a few trophy fish and the boat is making it's way back to shore before you pop a cold one and cheers with your friends.
2. Get plenty of rest and avoid dehydration. Believe it or not deep sea fishing takes a lots of energy, and people often become exhausted from the physical stress and long exposure to the Sun. If you are going on a full fishing day trip make sure you take a break every hour to chat with crew members and other fisherman. Drink lots of water and for goodness sakes please wear sun screen.
3. Dramamine is your friend! Taking Dramamine or Scopolamine is a great way to prevent motion sickness, however few people use them the correct way. In order for these kinds of medications to be effective you must begin taking them 48 hours before you step foot on a boat. This gives the medication ample time to build up in your blood stream to proactively fight off any symptoms of motion sickness. Dramamine is available over the counter and works well, Scopolamine must be prescribed by a doctor and is slightly more effective than Dramamine. Transderm Scōp has recently devolved a Scopolamine patch that is now available.
4. Stay on your feet. If you feel like you are beginning to get sick do not lay down. Try to keep moving and stay active, only sit for short periods of time when you need to. Once you lay down on your back you are pretty much throwing in the towel and admitting defeat.
5. Mind over matter. Being seasick is mostly mental, while it may be hard to accept it is in fact true. We begin to experience nausea when we become disoriented from the constant motion of the waves. It's at this point that you need to convince yourself that nothing is amiss. Focus on your breathing, try to stay calm and move with the waves. Stay committed to feeling well and adjusting to notion of the sea and you should be just fine.
