Another vote here in support of Bonine. I think it works much better than Dramamine. And I’ve never had any luck with the wrist bands.
Also - another vote for staying up on deck and focusing on the horizon. For me, I try to get near the bow of the boat - being near the centerline minimizes some of the rolling, which helps. Also - being lower helps. Finally, I like the random spray from the ocean which distracts me from the waves in my stomach.
ETA: Definitely take it well before you get on the boat. Once you’re sick - you’re sick.
I normally take Dramamine. I’ve done Bonine before, but it doesn’t work for me. Dramamine non-drowsy is very similar to Bonine, I think.
Not all medications work for all people.
That being said…when I was in Fiji six years ago, the water was fairly calm. I think I actually stopped taking my sea sickness pills… but you can’t count on that.
Things to do - see a native village if you can. We thought we were doing that…and ended up at a ‘recreation’ of one…but it was still fun.
Have some Kava. I got a bad hangover from mixing kava and beer…and I don’t normally get hangovers.
I spent most of the rest of my trip under water…so I can’t offer too much else…sorry.
I get sea sick, no motion sickness. Ridding in cars on winding roads. Flying during the landing or bouncy weather. Ships, longest time sea sick 1st time at sea for 12 days. I am a Shellback in fact and still get sea sick.
What I do is ginger root from the health food store. Never take an antihistamine before flying or going on a ship. And keep myself from geting hot if possable. When I get on a plane I take my jacket off. If I start to get sick a ice bag applied to my neck to cool the blood going to my head. If necessary a second ice on my forehead.
Another vote for dramamine (known here in Canada as Gravol). And another vote for ‘keep your eyes on the horizon, or at least where you can see the reason for your motion’. When I was 15, we went to BC and went out on my uncle’s cabin cruiser. As usual, I started to feel seasick, and I went inside and that made it much worse. My aunt had to come down and get me and take me back up to the outside deck, where I slowly felt better.
Ginger root keeps a long time at room temperature, buy some and throw it in your bag. Gnaw off hunks of it every so often. I use it for my motion sickness, but I loathe the taste of it so much.
I would take exception to the ‘once you are sick, you are sick’ myth. If you do get sick, don’t curl up in a ball on the deck. Stand up, plant your feet firmly on the deck, keep your eyes on the horizon and try to maintain your balance. If you can learn to keep you balance (get your sea legs) it goes a long way to relieving that sick feeling.
Unfortunately, I may not be of much help. Being a diver, and Fiji being a world renown dive site (famous for the soft corals), most of our activity was being under the water.
Also the various islands of Fiji are fairly diverse. We were on Taveuni, and really didn’t spend much time on Viti Levu other than Nadi airport. (it’s pronounced “Nan-dy” - like “candy”, BTW). So I can’t even tell you about diving/snorkelling off Viti Levu.
That said, here’s what I can tell you:
Nadi:
in the waiting area for the international departures, there’s a small “mall” of gift shops. So if you want any last minute gifts (carry-on), you will have lots to choose from.
There’s one gift shop (can’t remember the name - I’ll have to look it up) at the airport (out by the ticket counters - not past security) that offers a free shuttle to/from their other shop at this local marina. At the marina is a really nice, modern shopping mall (not big) with the main store of this giftshop and a bunch of other shops. I didn’t see much else of Nadi, but this marina had some nice restaurants and lots of shops both for gifts and clothes. If you have the time, I’d recommend the trip over to the marina.
Fiji general:
lots of waterfalls, so if you can, I’d check one out
village tour. We did this on Taveuni, and it was really nice. Being more remote, it was something of a novelty for the villagers and we had this little parade of kids following us. We also paid our respects to the (acting) village chief, and that was cool to see. Our guide was really informative, and that made a big difference.
if there’s one think I love about Fiji, the people are some of the nicest, warmest, genuinely friendly people I’ve ever met. Again, not sure about the Sigatoka area, but I hope you get to experience this. (start practicing your “Bula !”
Tipping is not really a part of their culture. Instead at the resorts we’ve stayed at, they will have a donation box for a local charity (like school or church) that you can donate to.
Massages are big over there. And they know what they’re doing. Worth it if you like massages.
Seconding ginger pills. I have a touchy stomach and I swear by them (they’re also Mythbuster approved - Adam and Grant both get super seasick). Stay hydrated. Once you’re nauseous anything will make it worse. Stay cool, as much as possible.
Do you all think I can do a little combo attack of ginger pills + Dramamine or Bromine? Or will that lead to sudden and violent death? Or worse yet: me sleeping?
Btw: I’m going to run the above plan by a doctor before doing it (a friend- yay, free medical advice ;)), but I like to have some info and first hand experiences when deciding what I want to do.
Ginger and wristbands might work for some individuals but I have seen more than a few people get on boats with them and find out they didnt work so well for them after being told to try them. ‘Looking like they wanted to die’ was the result sometimes.
Take the drugs, there are non-drowsy options. Ive only seen them not work when it was a really really rough day on a liveaboard, when the entire boat including the captain got ill.
Ive been to Fiji half a dozen times, and they are very good boat people for obvious reasons, and very used to taking out tourists prone to seasickness so they generally do try to keep the ride as smooth as possible. Im sure you’ll have a great time.
now i’m curious after reading about ginger and seasickness in this thread. as a rule, which of the ways to consume ginger do you all think is the best for controlling seasickness?
My mother gets violently motion sick and has her whole life. Boats, planes, cars, amusement park rides, golf carts, trains, jumpy videos, everything. Her mom was the same way and I was pretty bad myself when I was younger. Family curse, I guess.
Anyway, I bought her this one year for her birthday and she loves the thing, says she can now even read on a plane.
The only weird thing about it is that if she turns it up too high, her thumb twitches.
Sure, you can do both ginger and Dramamine together, throw on a wristband too if you like, they all work differently.
I start taking long acting (slow release) Dramamine the night before I fly or sail, it works much better and your body will adapt to any side effects long before you actually get on that plane or boat. I’ve used the Scopolamine patches before, but those are only practical if you are going to be on board a boat for days, since they work for 72 hours at a time.
Stay on deck and watch the horizon, if you feel queasy ask the skipper if you can steer the boat for a few minutes, that usually helps. Do not go below, I don’t know why someone suggested that.
