Founder/Administrator
Joined: 14 Feb 2005
Posts: 5662
Location: Cayman Islands
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 Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 6:50 pm Post subject: |
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| MommaSpice wrote: |
| Curious about the boat ride out to the sandbar, although I will probably be prepared with my medication to prevent seasickness, what kind of boats do they use? (I have no idea who the cruise ship charters with).Sincerely,MommaSpice |
MommaSpice: - Thank you so much for all of your kind words of appreciation. 
Soto's Cruises has a very large boat—over 40 feet and well
designed to provide a very comfortable ride.
Stingray City and the ride there and back is all inside the calm
north sound—well protected by a barrier reef from the relatively
rougher open water on the other side. Under most circumstances,
any waves you may encounter will likely not be any larger than
a couple of feet—barely noticeable on a boat of this size.
 Tips for Not Getting Seasick:
» Avoid heavy, greasy, acidic foods for breakfast. Try to eat things like fresh fruit and cereal
» Spend as much time in the water as possible. Be the first one in and the last one out at both snorkel stops
» During the ride to and from destinations, avoid looking at the water. Maintain eye contact when conversing and look at the horizon while enjoying the scenery.1
» Take the recommended dosages of an anti-sea sickness medication such as: Dramamine or Bonine at least one hour prior to your scheduled time of departure.2
» Get a good night's sleep the night before and avoid drinking alcohol, with the possible exception of a glass of wine or other beverage with dinner. Fatigue, hangovers and weariness will substantially increase the likelihood of sea sickness.
» There are people that swear by things like patches, wrist bands and other such devices although I have never been able to find any convincing data to support them; nor have I ever observed any first hand experiences of these devices working to any significant extent in any of the tens of thousands of passengers I have taken out to sea throughout the past few decades.
» Drink plenty of water before and during your trip. All Activity Guide recommended establishments provide plenty of clean, fresh drinking water. Try to double your normal intake of water before and during your snorkel experience.
» Position your seating on the boat so you are as close to amidships as possible, which is the most stable area of any boat or ship Avoid confined areas like the cabin in favor of places with a cool fresh breeze. All Activity Guide recommended establishments have clean efficient engines with the lowest diesel emissions possible; in fact, this is one of our evaluation parameters for selecting our dive companies. However, all diesel boats must emit at least some level of fume so find out which way they are blowing and sit somewhere else. While any noticeable fumes will typically be the most prevalent near the stern, other factors including prevailing winds and boat design help determine the specific areas that are virtually immune from any fumes whatsoever.
» At the slightest onset of even the most mild possible onset of symptoms, stand up immediately. A standing position over remaining seated helps many people, provided they are able to resist the temptation to gaze at the beautiful turquoise water.
» Bring a bag of plain crackers, rice cakes or any bland snack that does not contain any fat or oil. The old adage about eating and swimming is pure nonsense.
1Motion sickness is essentially a conflict between your senses. A canal in your inner ear controls your sense of balance by signaling your brain when your body is moving; when that conflicts with what your eyes actually do see in many circumstances, such as looking at the surface of the water or an apparently stationary boat cabin—which should not be moving— sends mixed signals to your brain that causes your brain chemistry to be out of balance with your physical senses. When the two are out of balance, many people react with varying degrees of sickness. I have no idea of the survival advantage to this apparent dilemma or why it is so much more prevalent in some than in others but spending decades at sea has exposed me to many of the most successful methods of minimizing and even eliminating sea sickness. I don't think sea sickness is something that can ever be cured—some people are just much more prone to it than others. Entire races, which include Japanese and to a somewhat lesser extent all Asians tend to react more frequently and intensely than others.
2Different people will swear that one is better than another. I have never used any so I can only speak from observation; however, very close observation having a Japanese wife. Dramamine in general seems to work as well or better than Bonine but causes more drowsiness. It is worth mentioning without getting overly involved that all antiemetics cause some extent of drowsiness and provide different relief for different individuals. My recommendation is to start with Bonine based on the majority of success I have witnessed. No matter what you take, be absolutely certain to take it at least an hour prior to boarding. |
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Joe Stebbins, Editor
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