>>Crawling out of lurkerdom,
>
>Glad to see it!  You should add your self-intro to the folks here
>and "immigrants" from Scuba-L.  You're certainly one of the
>netizens from Scuba-L who has the most "seniority" and should
>command complete respect from everyone (which I have always held
>about you) for NOT having engaged in flamewars with anybody --
>not even ME!  :-)   Now THAT is a rarity of the first order.
>To top it all, we DON'T even AGREE on everything!!  (As you
>can all see now <BG>)

Hehehe, we couldn't even agree when we called a mutal listee
dai see fut lone :-)

Actually I did the intro a few weeks ago, but it was probably
lost in the whole slew of intros :-)  Lemme see if I can
dig it up again.


While others may have studies that ginger is a placebo, I'll
still use it.  Mind over matter, and no side effects.

On some trips to Aur or Tioman, we take converted fishing boats,
about 40footers.  At the tail end or start of the monsoon, the
waters get kinda choppy.  I've found that sitting at the prow
is a good place - you get fresh air, no exhaust smell, and you
are far forward and above not to get the spray.  Just remember
to apply sunblock liberally _before_ occupying that position.

>To make a long story short ... I tried EVERYTHING, from wrist
>beads, SCOP patch, prescription and over-the-counter pills, ...,
>when the motion is SEVERE (such as crossing to Cocos, and
>sometimes on the 7-hr crossing between Grand and Little Caymsns)
>NOTHING really worked (again, for ME) when the motion is "severe
>and sustained over a long period".

Drammamine and stugeron worked for me (only stugeron is prescription
stuff here), but I didn't like the sleepy feeling.


>>very prone to seasickness.  Very thinly sliced fresh cut ginger,
>>or fresh grated ginger.  Take before symptoms of seasickness
>>appear, after that, its too late for ginger.
>
>You are ONE of many for which said remedy seem to work.

Even if it's a placebo and it works, don't mess with success.

>>Also know what are your triggers of seasickness.  For me its
>>diesel exhaust (so keep upwind), lack of a fixed reference
>>point, so focus on the horizon and better yet, stay near
>>the the centre, usually beside the helm :-).
>
>No focus point worked for me in the SEVERE cases of motion.
>Otherwise, an excellent advice.  The latter about staying at
>the CENTER of the boat is a FACT that is supported by the
>law of PHYSICS alone.

I read an article somewhere (many years ago) that you should
sleep parallel to the axis of motion ie sleep with head/toe
axis parallel to beam when boat is pitching.  Of course,
the nearer you are to the centre, the better, otherwise you'll
have to deal with up/down motion too.

>Nearly every big boat has a stationary point near the center
>of gravity of the boat (the middle).  On the other hand, the
>farther away you're from that point, the more "rocky" it gets.
>
>On the Cayman Aggressor trip LAST year, I was put in the "best"
>room (called the "Honeymoon Suite") on the boat.  Unfortunately,
>it was near the BOW of the Aggressor boat.   It was a calm
>crossing everywhere else on the boat but that CABIN.  :-)  A new
>member of the crew who changes linen on the boat said he nearly
>got seasick just walking into that cabin for a few minutes -- that
>was when the boat was moored in completely still water on the DIVE
>SITE.

Yeah, you get so sick you stay in bed.  Now I see why it's the
honeymoon suite.  Hey, isn't the bow where the anchor is?
I remember during a trip some time back - those drawing the short
sticks got the bow cabin.  The boat moved during the wee hours
and let down anchor just b4 dawn.  Let's just say sleep was
unpleasantly interrupted.

>Asking for a cabin NEAR THE MIDDLE is what I routinely do now when it
>is KNOWN that there will be LONG crossings of severe motion.

Some of us sleep on the roof of the small boats.  Fastest one gets the
spot above the helm.

>
>Otherwise, for short durations like riding 8 to 10 ft seas to dive
>sites in Palau, ONE bonine would do find for me for 24 hrs.  Again,
>YMMV on bonine, but that's the most CONSISTENTLY effective over-the-
>counter preventive that I know.  Also, it does NOT have the side
>effect of drowsiness as in dramamine and other medications.
>>
>>Favourite foods like greasy fried eggs and bacon washed
>>down with thick coffee also make me susceptible.
>>
>>If you can, sleep on the way out.
>
>IF you can sleep at all and not barf intermittently.  :-))

I usually have no problems sleeping, so long as I fall asleep
before the rodeo ride begins.

>That's one thing the Sturgeron pill does -- it is VERY effective
>in putting one to sleep.  :-0  Read my posts in Scuba-L about
>my "dry run" trying that pill at home.

That was amusing :-)

>
>>Wake up, gear up
>>and get into the water - for some reason, you don't
>>feel so sick once you're in the water.
>
>YMMV in several respects.  I was as good as DEAD on my crossing
>to Cocos.  But as soon as the boat STOPPED in calm waters, I was
>completely recovered IMMEDIATELY, even before getting wet.
>
>Others have "lingering" effect.  An NBC Special on the Cocos trip
>talked about a lady on her honeymoon who stayed seasick for days
>after the boat got there.  After she FINALLY manage to dive on the
>5th or 6th day, she said it was "worth every bit of her suffering"
>to make those dive with the hammerheads.  Quite an endorsement, and
>good sport!
>
>You don't get so sick being in water is because while the 10-ft
>seas are raging above (as I had the first hand experience), as soon
>as you get below 20 ft or so, it becomes perfectly CALM.  BUt of
>course you have to worry about dehydration and other problems if
>you're barfing already -- which I wasn't.

Agreed, but actually my mal de mer disappears even when I'm just
floating on the surface.  Possibly because the eyes and the ears
don't get conflicting information.

>Since this IS an International group (now) :-), Sturgeron is
>available in most European countries (though very new still), but
>NOT approved by the USA yet.

Strange, I've use stugeron more than 10years ago.  One advantage
of living in a third world country :-P

>Lawrence, I hope to see you back here MUCH more often than you had
>appeared in Scuba-L before.

Sure, I'll disagree with you as well.  I'm a disagreeable person :-)

>I'll be the one LURKING much more (and when I have access) because I'll
>be ROCKING and ROLLING on boats more often than I stay at home!  :-)))))

Lucky b****** :-)  It'll be a bit longer before I get wet again - currently
recovering from a fractured knee cap.

>I am putting some extra time now before I UNLURK just to welcome
>ununlurkers like yourself!

I'm flattered!

Cheers
Lawrence