# sea sickness in yaks?



## JWF (May 8, 2008)

may be a silly question this one - but would one who gets crook in a boat outside in a smallish rolling swell be subject to the same in a yak?? - ie does anyone get crook and take the usual remedies if so? I would have thought that if u are pretty busy either paddling or chuckin plastics and focussedhorizon levelmostof the time, one who was prone would be ok......???


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## blaggon (Jan 14, 2008)

i have always been a little susceptible to the old mal de mer 
and have found it can be worse on the kayak for me, ( compared to a larger craft ) not really sure why :? 
fishing at water level maybe i dunno...
for an easy fix i take 2 Kwells before i go and then its no problem


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

It depends on the individual. Some get sick; some don't. The best thing to do is try it out and see how it goes. If you start getting sick, try keeping your eyes on the horizon. Most importantly; keep a positive mental attitude. If you go out thinking that you are going to get sick, you probably will.

Maybe its just me, but I am affected less by the movement of my kayak than I am by the rocking of a boat. I attribute this to being closer to the water. On a kayak you are essentially floating on the surface of the water. The motion is very similar to floating in the water. When you're on a boat, you are at the end of a swing arm. A swell of a given size actually moves you more than when you're down on the water on a kayak.


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## JWF (May 8, 2008)

yep I hear ya re the positive mental thing - once I stopped getting on the turps the night before and doin what was suggested I have been heaps better but I reckon theres good fish to be had landbased and in big easturies so I dont push my luck to much.

I plan on only yakkin outside for reds in winter when the westerlies are blowing and the big knobs come in close and shes flat (famous last words so I should be right...in summer the rivers hot up in my area so dont need to go outside. Been getting into the whole whiting/flatties on poppers on the flats thing and love chasin eastury jew so plenty to do there.

re "Yep, yakers yak while out on their yak" - thats gold!


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

A friend of mine does (fairly) long distance ocean swims. Some of the people who swim with her get seasick swimming.

I used to get a little queasy in swell on the yak, but am now pretty much over it.


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## pavariangoo (Mar 1, 2008)

Personally I love the movement of the ocean. I know someone who experienced a rather bad feeling after eating passionfruit on an empty stomach, then going out on a boat. :shock:

Kristian


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## HardPlastic (Jul 2, 2007)

Hi JWF. Welcome to the site. Yeah I'm like blaggon. I get crook in only a smallish swell. A positive frame of mind has helped but only prolonged the inevitable for me, unless its completeIy flat. As Doug says, see how you go first. I'd recommend not going out very far though until you're sure. Nothing worse than being out a way and feeling crook. Takes about 0.5hr for me to feel sick. In terms of preventatives I take either Kwells or Avomine (need only 1 of the latter in 24 hours). They can make you thirsty and drowsy though.

Good luck

Greg


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

The rougher it gets the more I enjoy myself. Interestingly though, I often get seasick on boats. It's a strange world.


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## pavariangoo (Mar 1, 2008)

L3GACY said:


> The rougher it gets the more I enjoy myself. Interestingly though, I often get seasick on boats. It's a strange world.


Mate that is exactly right. I think somehow kayaks make me less ill because I am already covered in seaspray so am already wet, and how many people feel seasick when they are swimming and wet? On a boat it is different because you are dry, but on a kayak you are much more likely to be wet and have wind in your face which I think is why you feel more like you've been for a swim, then seasick.

Kristian


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

i get it but fingers crossed it's getting better.
I have been known to take ginger tablets, one kwells, and wear wrist bans.
I only have a problem if it is lumpy and i have to tie a new leader etc.

I haven't taken kwells in a while :lol:


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## Fishpod (Oct 11, 2006)

Yep. I suffer with this bigtime. Always been prone to sea and motion sickness and have had some awful sessions out on the water. It is near impossible to spew off a yak and not cover yourself - not real nice.   . I know take a kwell the night before and then half an hour before launch. It works for me but as Greg says you get a pretty dry mouth and the drowsiness is definatley a factor. I really hope you find a good remedy - good luck and happy fishing


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## Physhopath (Jun 21, 2007)

I am one of the lucky ones that doesn't suffer from motion sickness, touch wood, But I still get wobbly/ swayee :? if I have been out on the briney for awhile once I return to the solid stuff,seems worse if you have a hot shower afterwards, Must look like I'm a bit pissed, LOL  
Noticed it happens also if I've been out in a stinker all day.


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## diabolical (Mar 30, 2008)

I have yet to buy the Outback I have my eye on and never really considered sea sickness.
I suffer pretty badly on boats and have got it down to a few things that help me enjoy my fishing a whole lot more.
1. Take one tablet the night before and one next morning. 
2. A good nights sleep if possible and no grog the night before.
3. Good breakfast toast ect.. to soak up the some of the fluids in your gut.
4. Ginger beer for me is a must, regular sips and plenty of it.
5. Stay out of diesel/2 stroke fumes. Not a problem in a yak unless being run over.
It helps if the fish are biting but at anchor in a solid swell seems the worst.


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## hobie1kanobie (Apr 7, 2008)

My fellow Yakers, lend me your eyes.

Ginger is the word.....

i have a friend whom i take on a regular basis fishing in my big girl, and without fail, BERLY UP over the side we go. :lol: 
he has tried some of the products we have on the market, nothing seems to work for him :? so i goes into my vast aray of books on Ye Olde Folke Lore, and find that chewing on raw ginger treats all forms of motion sickness  yes most commercial stuff has some form of ginger in it, but for some reason they dont seem to work. 
so without fail, said friend buys a large knob of fresh ginger and chews away happilly, whilst fishing to his hearts content. ;-)

too bad tho, i used to save a heap on berly back then :twisted:


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## paffoh (Aug 24, 2006)

2 x original Travelcalm tablets 1 hour before launch...

Has worked for me many times, but yeah... COTTON MOUTH!


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

I just get bloody annoyed at those guys who heave then catch fish. Its not right Michael


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## kayakfisher (Jan 3, 2008)

Avoid Bananas! They're a sure fire recipe for sea sickness.


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

I occasionally got seasick in a boat but in the yak i havent felt the slightest bit sick yet.


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## Physhopath (Jun 21, 2007)

kraley said:


> Its a product of the pitch and yaw on any given day.
> 
> Gatesy pukes just about every time out, except lately he seems a bit better.
> 
> Anyway - try to avoid doing close in work if you are susceptible (knot tying or rigging can do even the most iron-clad stomach's in). Also, try to can the alcohol the night before - it helps..........


Totally agree, if you have to redo a leader or that type of work take your time and,

LOOK UP LOOK DOWN LOOK ALL AROUND, the key being not focusing in the one spot ( while your ears & body tell you otherwise), take your time and be Positive. ;-)


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## Aquaholic (Apr 1, 2008)

I read a remedy somewhere that if your right handed you put an ear plug in your left ear and visa versa.
I guess if your ambidextrous you put a plug in both ears....I dunno...just trying to help.
I got a bit sea sick for the first time last week while on a boat at night, no ear plugs available to test this trick.
I can get a bit woosy tieing a rig in my yak as well.....don't look down...look at the horizon.


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## madfishman (Dec 10, 2007)

When i was younger i used to get " GANG GREEN" and my uncle would tell me to put up with we aint goin back, till my old man was sttarting up the boat and heading back,( he really got bad) but after a few trips ive been fine ever since, my old man swears by AVIL tablets now, and i go back to WA once a year and we end up 20-30 mile offshore over a couple weeks and my old man never gets crook, so AVIL is what i recommend. But i know a few asians who chew on Ginger.
I think the main thing is if you get out there and get sick , its your choice, go home or keep fishin, after a while you should get used to it, but each to their own.
Good luck dude.


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## murd (Jan 27, 2008)

Yeah, I saw a section on Mythbusters re seasickness and they proved that ginger really does work. You can buy the stuff from Chinese shops that is red and has been treated with salt/sugar and is quite nice. I grew up on it in PNG so I'm used to it but newbies tend to screw their face up when they place a slice into their mouth.

Luckily, I've never been seasick in my life. But, I chew the Chinese ginger because I like the taste. Maybe there's a connection?


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## yankatthebay (Dec 14, 2007)

I have only been sea sick once, and that was on a jigging trip after a big night out, so I am not sure that I was sea sick, or just hung over.
That being said, I find that I feel a little queezy when I have to re-rig and dont keep looking up at the waterline every 30 seconds or so. If I look down at the yak for too long, when I do finally look up, I feel terrible. But I am soon better when I get my bearings. I guess I am one of the lucky ones, I have never had a problem with big swells on any sized craft, I have been fishing with lots of people and I dont find very many people who have the same experience as me. So I guess I am one of the lucky few.


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

hmm, I've only been crook once - during our FAD trip early last year. However I'm blaming the lumpy trip out in Kens boat (bashing and crashing over the waves) and the engine fumes from his motors for making me feel queasy before we'd even got onto the kayaks.

Theres NOTHING you can do to stop the berley valve opening once you get 'that feeling'. Best thing to do is heave overboard and then keep fishing.

I think GAtesy and Ken also were crook that day, however man of steel JT simply soldiered on...


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## kayakity-yak (May 31, 2007)

A slightly contraversial remedy I've heard is a puff of whacky-tobaccy :lol: My mates dad swears by it but its not a good idea out on the water so I do not suggest it.

What works for me has already been mentioned

Ginger
water
Dont look in the boat too long, tying knots etc
Watch the horizon
Keep positive and enjoy the experience
and the best remedy of all is catching a good fish (simple ay?)


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## blaggon (Jan 14, 2008)

when you talk about Ginger as a remedy, do you mean the fresh Ginger root that you use in cooking or the crystallized version ?


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## kayakity-yak (May 31, 2007)

blaggon said:


> when you talk about Ginger as a remedy, do you mean the fresh Ginger root that you use in cooking or the crystallized version ?


I think any form of ginger. Sailors used to chew the fresh root, but I guarantee you that is not very pleasant. Last time I went out I put a whole load of powdered stuff into a bottle of water and gave it a shake. That wasnt very pleasant either and had to chase it with some coke but I didnt get sick


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## JWF (May 8, 2008)

thanks for the replies all - Im loving the willingness of members to share their knowledge - good site this one.


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## theclick (Jun 25, 2007)

Never thrown up at sea, but ive only really been offshore a few times in my life. Last time i went offshore was on a charter on a very marginal day. The uncle was burleying within 10 minutes, and i had a very queezie stomach but no chunder. I even got a bit woozie in a tinny at the goldcoast seaway. But i've never felt off on a kay, probably because the movement is a lot more natural, and it goes with your weight.


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## murd (Jan 27, 2008)

blaggon said:


> when you talk about Ginger as a remedy, do you mean the fresh Ginger root that you use in cooking or the crystallized version ?


Get the red preserved Asian stuff from the Asian shop. Ask Mr Wong at the counter where he keeps the 'red preserved ginger'. Also, the pickled red ginger is good, i.e. the same stuff they use in those sushi rolls.


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## fishydude (Dec 30, 2007)

Yup, ginger lollies, ginger bread man for a snack washed down with ginger beer might just do the trick. For me, I am one of the lucky ones who has no yak yakking problems. I feel slightly off if working on dive gear on a cat, and have been in pretty good shape in some real carp weather in a patrol boat. But the long slow movement of a frigate over big swells makes me want to die...lol. The solution that I discovered ( and don't really recommend) is to drink to excess all night before going out on the water. You feel so carppy that seasickness is not even noticed over the other pain. By the time you get over the alcohol you have your sealegs. This may not work for a yak fishing trip...lol. Of course drinking was my solution to every problem, which is why I don't drink now...Well, not often. I find the biggest problem for me in the yak is after 7-10 hours of bobbing up and down I go home and sit down on the couch or wherever and I am still bobbing up and down...lol.
Cheers
Mike


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## pavariangoo (Mar 1, 2008)

fishydude said:


> I find the biggest problem for me in the yak is after 7-10 hours of bobbing up and down I go home and sit down on the couch or wherever and I am still bobbing up and down...lol.
> Cheers
> Mike


  That was very confusing the first time it happened to me 8) :lol:


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## blaggon (Jan 14, 2008)

pavariangoo said:


> fishydude said:
> 
> 
> > I find the biggest problem for me in the yak is after 7-10 hours of bobbing up and down I go home and sit down on the couch or wherever and I am still bobbing up and down...lol.
> ...


omg 7_10 hrs in a yak ?
i must be getting old lol.. could not imagine sitting in my yak for this long.. 3-4 hrs is enough for me


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