How to Prevent Seasickness
How to Prevent Seasickness
Getting sick when you’re supposed to be having fun during Kona snorkel tours isn’t what we’d call a good time. Anyone can get motion sickness and it’s nothing to be ashamed about, but I can tell you it’s best to take steps to avoid it! You miss enjoying the experience, feel awful, and let’s face it – no one likes to be around people that are sick.
Motion sickness happens when your brain gets conflicting information from your body, your eyes, and your inner ear. If you’re on our boat your inner ear may detect the rolling motion of the ocean that your eyes can’t see. That can cause the dreaded motion sickness. While nausea and vomiting are the most common symptoms motion sickness can also cause cold sweats, headaches, turning ghostly pale, getting super sleepy, and producing more saliva. Did you know that yawning can often be the first sign you’re well on your way to getting seasick?
You may already know if you are prone to seasickness. Do you get carsick? Airsick? It’s likely you’ll experience seasickness too and we’d like to help you avoid it so you can focus on having fun.
Even if you’ve never experienced any type of motion sickness it’s often better to be safe than sorry, especially If it’s your first time on a boat.
Women and kids are more likely to be affected by seasickness as are Europeans and Asians, but there isn’t a real test to determine who will get seasick or not. Additionally, it may happen sometimes, but not all the time.
There are a number of options to combat seasickness, but when there are so many options it can be overwhelming. While we are not medical professionals (we are professionals in having fun) and you should always consult your doctor before taking any new medicine we can tell you what we’ve found helps our guests the most.
Preventative non-drug measures
- Hydrate! Make sure you are well hydrated before the tour and throughout the tour. This alone solves so many problems!
- Don’t have a big meal before your tour, keep caffeine to a minimum, and don’t be hungover.
- Look at the horizon – easy to do on our day snorkel tours, but more difficult on our night manta snorkel tour.
- Suck on a lozenge – preferably one with ginger in it.
- Use an acupressure band – we have Sea-Bands for sale at check-in for all our tours
- Quease Ease – a unique blend of essential oils to calm queasiness
- All natural patch – an alternative to the prescription kind
Medication options
If every time you’ve ever stepped foot on a boat you get seasick then it’s best to bring out the big guns and get the Transderm patch which is scopolamine. This can only be obtained with a prescription. As for the over the counter options they may give you a dry mouth and make you drowsy but it’s better than being sick! Dramamine can be given to kids 3 years old and up.
Over-the-counter medications for Seasickness
Prescription medications for seasickness (the good stuff)
As with all medications, it’s best to check with your doctor first and also to try a test dose before the activity. For long voyages the scopolamine is probably going to be your best bet but if you do take the tablets it’s best to start taking them the night before if you’re going in the morning or early in the day if you’re going later to get your system prepped for the voyage ahead. Do not wait until you get on the boat to take these medications!