Seasickness on a Myrtle Beach fishing trip: how to avoid it

Choose the right trip and day

1. Match the trip to your experience. If you have never been offshore, start with a half-day nearshore trip, an inshore trip, or a pier. Gulf Stream trips mean hours of open ocean.
2. Watch the forecast. Check the NWS Wilmington coastal and offshore forecasts, and the buoys. Look at wave height and period: 2 feet at 8 seconds is much gentler than 3 feet at 4 seconds.
3. Build in a backup day. Captains cancel for rough weather, and moving a trip a day is better than suffering through it.

The night before and the morning of

• Sleep well and skip alcohol and smoking. The CDC notes that sleep loss, alcohol, and nicotine all make motion sickness worse.
• Eat a light, bland breakfast: toast, a banana, crackers. Avoid greasy food, acidic juice, and lots of coffee.
• Take motion-sickness medicine before you board, not after you feel sick. The CDC notes that medicines work better as prevention. Over-the-counter options and prescription patches exist; some cause drowsiness. Ask a pharmacist or doctor which is right for you, and follow the label, especially for children.
• Ginger and acupressure wristbands are popular, but the CDC says evidence for ginger is weak and that wristbands performed no better than placebo in lab trials. If one helps you, it does no harm, but do not rely on it instead of medicine.

On the boat

• Stay outside in fresh air, in the middle of the boat and as low as you can, where motion is least. Avoid the bow, which moves the most.
• Watch the horizon. Keep your eyes on a steady point, not on your phone or a book.
• Stay away from engine exhaust and the cabin.
• Keep sipping water and nibbling crackers.
• Keep busy. Fishing, talking, and moving around the deck help many people.

If it hits anyway

• Go to the rail on the downwind side (ask a mate) and do not go inside.
• Rinse your mouth, sip water, and rest in the shade facing the horizon.
• Most people feel better within minutes of being on land, and many feel better at anchor or once fishing starts.
• Tell the crew. They have seen it many times and can help.

Bringing kids

The CDC says susceptibility to motion sickness peaks between ages 7 and 12, and that medicine for children should be used with caution; ask your pediatrician first. Choose an inshore trip, a half-day headboat, or a pier for the first outing. See family fishing.