One of the biggest and most annoying irritations when going on a cruise or swimming with dolphins is seasickness.  Fortunately Black Cat Cruisesoperate in the sheltered waters of Akaroa Harbour, but sometimes when the swell is particularly large, or the dolphins we are trying to locate are slightly out of the harbour, we encounter turbulence and the resulting seasickness for some of our clients.

As a sufferer myself, it is extremely annoying when you seem to be the only one on the boat going green!! .  So I decided to look into this phenomenon and see if I can pass on any words of wisdom to help prevent seasickness for my fellow sufferers.

Firstly, what is it? Motion sickness is a conflict between your senses.  The fluid filled canal in your inner ear tells your brain that you are moving while your eyes tell your brain that you are not!!  That conflict can cause your body to be out of balance.

What to do to try and avoid it: – 

1.       Stay at the stern (back) of the boat where there is less motion.  The bow of the boat pounds through the waves, up and down the stern drags through the water.

2.       Try and roll with the boat instead of fighting the motion. It’s called getting your sea legs.

3.       Fresh air is good but you want to stay low and to the stern of the boat. That is where you will encounter the least motion.

4.       If you are beginning to feel a bit queasy, stand up and look out over the horizon, fixing your eyes on something straight ahead.

5.       Get lots of rest before you go on a cruise and do not drink alcohol! Drink plenty of water instead.

6.       Do not skip eating before your cruise and avoid fatty acidic foods

Some Remedies:-

1.       Steering the boat or finding something to take your mind off it is an instant remedy.

2.       Ginger is a natural preventative. It soothes a queasy stomach and has no side effects.

3.       Eating peppermint in conjunction with ginger is reported by as being even more effective.

4.       Another treatment is an accupressure wrist band. It applies pressure to a particular point on your wrist which can prevent the feeling of nausea.  We have these for sale in our shop on the main wharf in Akaroa, or we have some you can borrow.

5.       Try to eat something salty.

6.       There are some prescription medicines out there for those who really need it.

I hope this article will help some of you, but make sure your fear of seasickness does not stop you from getting out there and enjoying some of the most amazing experiences you will ever have on the water.