Seasick and Fishing Charters

Seasickness fishing charter Seasickness motionsickness getting sick on your fishing charter sucks.

Have you ever had one of those nights? The all nighter with some friends and you just had way to much to drink and the porcelain God is who you pray to for the next few hours until you expel all of the poisons your body ingested that night? Yea, that feeling? Add that to being out on a boat with clammy skin, disorientation, a feeling of doom and longing for stable dry ground and you are getting seasick. Some call it motion sickness others call it life in Hell.

The Cause

Most that suffer from seasickness will say the cause is just being on a boat. Not so. The cause is your body being on a shifting, rocking, rolling and moving platform. Sometimes enhanced by certain smells such as the exhaust from a diesel engine. Often exasperated by high humidity or hot day out on the boat. The reason the body or in this case the brain is reacting making you feel sick is from your inner ear where your balance comes from trying to keep things together in conjunction with what your eyes, sense of smell and and ears are telling your brain is actually going on. Its all conflicting information and your body is reacting to it like it would a poison trying to reject it through vomiting, clammy skin or just plain feeling of death.

Good News… There is no record of anyone dying of seasickness that we know of. Although there are mentions of patients wishing to be dead..

The Cure

To cure seasickness after the fact get the person to stable land or calmer waters. In extended cases many that suffer from seasickness get better with it over time, such as a 3 day cruise or long distance sailing trip. Often times on fishing charters vomiting can extend the amount of time a person suffering can stay offshore to appease others in their party for this.. But ultimately getting of the sea is the key to cure.

Prevention

There are so many people that love to go deep sea fishing but still get seasick. There are several over the counter and prescription medications that can be taken to decrease or prevent the onset of seasickness symptoms. There are also some holistic remedies as well. See below for links to pick these items up from Amazon for your next Key West fishing charters. You can pack all of these in you suitcase for plane travel.

  • Dramamine is an over the counter medication that claims to prevent seasickness. I personally think it works IF taken 1 hour before the time of stepping on the boat.
    • Can Cause drowsiness
  • Bonine is an over the counter medication that claims to prevent seasickness. I personally think it works IF taken 1 hour before the time of stepping on the boat.
  • The Patch is also a great way to go from what I hear.
  • The wrist band has been effective as well for certain folks..

Care For Person That Might Be or Is Seasick

Being seasick truly sucks. I have seen people on my charters and when I was in the Coast Guard offer up their first born, body parts, extra money, life savings and even personal favors to get back to shore and feel better again. Depending on how far the symptoms go is what I will do for the person. There are several things (tricks) that may help, but if the persons mind is set on being sick there may be little anyone can do to get them better..

  • The Horizon is a great focal point. This offers the patient a stable visual to help the inner ear balance to understand the motion it is experiencing.
  • Saltine crackers are a great offering to help folks that are throwing up to keep them from doing any damage. They are also a good to settle the stomach. Some say that ginger root is also good.
  • Keep the person cool. Towels in the cooler then draped around the neck.
  • Make them busy. Sounds crazy but i have cured folks from being seasick just by making them steer the boat, catching a fish or any menial task for the day.
  • On Dive boat Charters take off your wetsuit. The largest organ of the body (the skin) needs to breath.

Fishing Charters And Seasickness

Folks get seasick it’s part of life in the Key West fishing charter world. Most private fishing charters will not offer discounts for unused portions of fishing charters due to the fact someone got seasick and coming in early. Split or shared fishing charters can be especially difficult for anglers that get seasick because there are a bunch of strangers that don’t care if you are puking your guts up.. Party Boats are equally as bad, there are even more people that don’t care about you not feeling well.

For those that are not sure if they get sick or not I recommend trying a backcountry fishing charter to dip your foot in the pool. Here you will be in calm waters and fishing. Save some money too. So far we have yet to get anyone seasick on a Key West backcountry fishing charter.

 

Fishing Charters Questions Or Bookings.
Call Us.. 1-305-292-7212

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Here are some items you may wish to consider if you are going Fishing Key West

     

About Capt. Steven Lamp
Dr Catcher Is - Capt. Steven Lamp - Owner of Dream Catcher Charters is a veteran Key West fishing guide for flats fishing, deep sea fishing, wrecks and reef fishing, and fly fishing. An expert waterman and licensed captain since 1986. A Veteran of the United States Coast Guard Heavy Weather Search and Rescue, I.G.F.A. Certified Captain and Standing regional board member of The Florida Fishing Guides Association