sickness

[Unregistered]

i am hoping to join a cadet-ship in the September intake this year, and have been looking into various aspects of a career on-board. from a young age i have been susceptible to motion sickness, and although the companies i have applied too use large container or oil vessels i am concerned that my motion/sea sickness will hold me back. is it a major problem on-board or is it unusual on-board ship, also will this be a major limitation in a future career within the merchant navy?

thanks in advance

[Laser]

Every one gets sea sick at some point, whether they like to admit it or not. The real men aren't the ones that can fight sea sickness, but the ones that can fight through it and keep working. I haven't been on my sea phase yet but when I'm on yachts the first hour or so i always feel uneasy but after that I'm perfectly fine. Another thing to point out is i get car sick very easily, I feel violently ill after a short ride to the supermarket.

[Faust]

Depends really, I work in the offshore supply ship industry where it is notoriously rough.

Equally, you could be in a VLCC getting thrown about in a storm Mid-Atlantic... I know some people that had 20 - 30 degrees of roll on a BP tanker last week coming across the Atlantic for a few days.

Does you feel better if you take sea sickness tablets?

[Clanky]

I used to suffer quite badly from seasickness, but I have got much better in recent years, I would definitely advise looking for bigger ships, but also go along and ask your doctor about beta-histine (or beta histadine, I can't remember exactly) it is used to treat vertigo and I have found that it was about the only thing which actually worked for me after a series of anti-nausea pills and other attempts like magnetic wrist bands and so on.

Started taking it and since then I am much better even when I don't take it.

[Faust]

The first time I went to sea I felt pretty sea sick, didn't eat much for the two weeks I was on.

Now I'm fine, your body will adjust to it.

[Ganner]

My fiancee's dad is ex RN and he says that after the first few weeks everyone gets their "sea legs", I am hoping this is the case as I am a bit concerned myself as my exposure to ships and the sea is limited, infact the third ever time I have been on one was on the ferry to gosport for my AIB lol

[Chiefy]

I tend to get Sea Sick IF we have a period of nice flat clam and then hit a "funny" swell or roll and the motion doesnt have to be big but causes me mayhem, I retire to my day bed for 12 hours till my inner ear settles again, then we are good to again Oddly really rough weather of the North Sea type doesnt affect me as you move too much too fast (if that makes sense)

Oh how I DO NOT miss the North Sea weather so glad I came back to Deep Sea

[Polaris]

I too suffered from car sickness whenever I'm a backseat passenger as a child and thought I'd have problems at sea. I've been onboard almost 6 weeks now, first week or so we had some rough weather and one day I was stuck in a some cupboard making up an inventory and I felt awful, almost wanted to die. Same when I was supervising/watching the guys clean the FW tanks in the engine room, hot, noisy and rolling like hell, again wanted to die. Since then I've had no problems, my solution, a full stomach and plenty of orange/apple/pineapple juice (has a acid regulator good for calming the stomach.)

If you're still struggling, get yourself on the bridge and ask to steer for half an hour, you'll be concentrating so hard on keeping her steady in the roll that you'll forget about feeling ill.