Motion Sickness

Hello World,

Let’s talk about motion sickness. Aaaaaah! I know you were waiting for this topic.

This is actually the first question you asked me when I told you I was going to be a seaman. “But are you seasick? Because if you don’t know and you are seasick, it will be a shame to discover it while you’re at sea.”

Let me tell you something I’ve learnt from the medical team: “everyone can be seasick”.

Motion sickness is the global term. While you are on a boat, a plane, a train, a car, etc. I am not a doctor so I can’t explain (and Google will always help you by the way) but the motion sickness is due because of your ears. The movement disturbs your senses, and you feel sick.

Everyone can be seasick. Even trained seafarers. During a strong storm, the movement is intense and your body can be completely disturbed. And you are sick.

What happens when you are sick? Again… It depends on the individual.

You have a headache, or everything is moving around you. You loose your appetite. You vomit. You are sweating, etc.

“But..come on. We want to know. Have you been seasick? ^^”

Yeup! Once! And I don’t feel any shame.

I’ve started my career at sea with a ship doing one itinerary: USA-Mexico-Nicaragua-Panama-Costa Rica-Bahamas

Close to the coast, the water is calm. Especially around the US and Mexico.

So I was confident. Never felt weird. “So cool, I am sure now that I am not seasick!”

But… I have been transship. Meaning that I have been sent to another ship. And I started my journey in Hawaii. And we were heading back to the US.

Well, let me tell you that when you go away from the coast, the Pacific Ocean is very unfriendly.

I started to feel sick. Headache the first day. Everything was moving. Lost of appetite. I thought it was normal. Different waters. Just needed to get use to it.

I didn’t say anything. Afraid to actually be seasick and people make fun of me.

However the next day, it was even worse… So I couldn’t concentrate, and I was sick. I vomited once and couldn’t eat anymore. I had to see the medical centre and talk about it.

And this is how I discovered that everyone could be seasick. I also talked to my colleagues as they noticed that I couldn’t eat. I was ashamed to admit it.

I told you in the previous post that people were amazing. Well I confirm this again. My colleagues were very supportive. We don’t talk about motion sickness on the ship but everyone easily admit they can be sick sometimes on the Pacific Ocean. It’s normal. No shame.

All medical centres have motion sickness tablets. You take them when you wake up in the morning and you don’t feel sick. Great! They just cause drowsiness… Not ideal to concentrate. But at least, you are not sick anymore.

To conclude, motion sickness is a reality on a cruise ship. We don’t talk about it but everyone has been seasick at least once. And it could affect everyone, at anytime.

After all, true seafarers are a minority on a cruise ship. Most of the crew are cleaners, cooks, etc. People are born and raised on land, wishing to go at sea to make money. So a large majority is sensitive to the ship’s movement.

But don’t worry, I am now around Mexico and it’s quiet and beautiful. I will be back in Hawaii in a few months… 🙂

Kevin

From Manzanillo, Mexico