Seasick on a SUP?

[JT]

I've done time on recreational sailboats and fishing boats in the open ocean without ever having to give a thought about seasickness. I even once hitched a ride into the teeth of a massive storm on one of those Coast Guard ships designed to turn turtle and eventually right itself without having to worry about losing my lunch.

YET, if I paddle out on a SUP in windy, bumpy, wave-y conditions, I feel like hurling. And this feeling doesn't go away at least until I've nabbed a few waves. If then.

Anyone else experience this?  Any suggestions on how to avoid the easy queasy feeling? I haven't yet had to abandon a session, but it might just be a matter of time...

[hbsteve]

Are you focusing on the board or the horizon?
I hope you answered the board.  Why?  Because now you can focus on the horizon.
Are you almost too warm?  That sounds like a strange question.  I sailed a lot in my younger years.  I rarely had a problem.  When I did, I started taking off layers or cooling down by splashing ocean water on exposed skin.  That really made a difference. 
Also, pay attention to what you are eating or not eating before you go out.  I don't have any specific suggestions here, as there are too many variables. 
I hope this helps.

[Weeble]

All of my life I have been the designated "chummer" when I have gone deep sea fishing, and even scuba diving.  Hell, I was out one day and it was so rough that I got sick as we were trying to get our scuba gear on and drop onto a wreck at 90 feet.  From about 15 down to 50 feet, I was throwing up through my regulator!  The seasick pills usually helped...especially the Bonine.  The funny thing is that on SUP as we paddle around in some rough stuff and bobbing around when we sit on the boards to take a break and eat/ hydrate....I have no problems....I am the Yang to your Yin !

[RyanSurfNTurf]

Are you paddling too hard? Just a thought.

[ron.c]

Haven't felt it yet; but a good windsurfing session will put my stomach in a knot. 

Because I know what the cause was, it's a welcomed annoyance.

RC

[sup_surf_giant]

Thankfully, I'm all good on a SUP...a boatride to Catalina will turn me green for sure though.

[shapeshifter]

Polarized glasses may cause motion sickness for some people given certain lighting conditions.

[headmount]

I'm no good if I'm in the cabin of a boat.  What the others said about horizon is right on.  I go out in some real rough stuff and am fine but what throws me a loop is when it's just mildly choppy .. and warm.  That's when I begin to fall apart.  It was worse when I first started SUP but has improved alot since then.  Fo me light food intake before a paddle and nothing like sloppy Joes.  Lots of fluids like coconut water before and during.  Good luck.  I hate that feeling.

[surf4food]

No.

[RainWaves]

 I've battled seaickness my whole life . I grew up working on tugboats, most of which was on the "inside passage" here in S.E. Alaska and down to Seattle. But it can get plenty nasty as many of the channels are open to the ocean on one end, and 100 miles of fetch & huge tides can be hell. I'm not really affected when I'm in a small boat that doesn't get to pitching and rolling like a 70'-80' tug though. What others have mentioned about heat/cold is certainly true in my experience. I finally gave up working on tugs about 12 years ago. Captains wages are great, but barfing for a living just plain sucks!
 When I was on my Maliko run a month ago, we had good size sets from the North rolling through along with the Trade swell from behind, and I remarked to Pono & Headmount that that was the kind of stuff that would have had me "puking my guts out" if I had been on a tug. So, in a nutshell no!(thank goodness .

[adios pantalones]

I've spent a lot of time on boats. I'm not prone to any trouble myself. (except one bad shrimp burrito before departing Cabo)

What does work is an age old remedy. Ginger. In any form. I always keep Ginger Ale or ginger candies on the boat for guests. I save the little packets of ginger from take out sushi too. Try having a Ginger Ale or Ginger Beer before you paddle.

Good luck.

[raf]

Ugh, seasickness is awful.  I'm almost immune, but a winter cod-fishing trip out of Long Island had me close.  My brother collapsed into the head within 10 minutes of leaving port and wasn't seen until we returned.  Within an hour, everyone on board, including one of the mates was ringed around the 2 trashcans, filling them with vomit.  Was truly a scene from hell. 
I stayed outside the whole time.  It was just too gross inside. We'd pull up to a "good spot" , the horn would blow, and maybe one or 2 people would amble out of the cabin , wiping their mouths, and then we'd all start kicking and twisting the rods to break them free of the ice.  4 fish were caught the entire trip; I had the pool winner with a 5 pound runt up until the very end, when someone managed to actually land a decent fish. 
My tip is don't think about it, and keep your eyes on the horizon.

[JT]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to monitor what I eat and drink (or don't) and focus on focusing on the horizon. Plus, I'm going to warm up gradually rather than go full tilt right away in order to catch those first few waves.

Luckily, this mostly happens in "bad" surf conditions, e.g., short-interval wind slop with rips. I think it's the yawing added to the usual pitching (bobbing?) that gets me. For some odd reason, long-interval ground swells with light offshores don't bother me a bit!

In any case, I see myself becoming a lot more sympathetic to those prone to motion sickness in the more typical scenarios...

[PonoBill]

I get vertigo sometimes from the sun dancing on the moving water if I'm wearing Polarized glasses. Not all polarized glasses bother me--the very best glasses for keeping your eyes rested in tricky sun (Maui Jim's) are the worst for vertigo for me. It usually happens at the end of a run, so fatigue or stiffness has something to do with it. A few times I've had to paddle the last mile on my knees on a Maliko run.

[catdailey]

Ponobill:

I'm prone to vertigo as well. One thing I've notched is that dehydration makes it much worse. After a long paddle or bike ride, I am a little low on fluid despite my best efforts to stay fully hydrated...maybe this happens to you, too?