Avoiding seasickness offshore comes down to managing your dose, your eyes, and your mind before sickness ever takes hold. For this How 2 Tuesday I revisited a conversation with my friend and expert photographer Jason Stemple, who looks through a viewfinder all day on the roughest offshore shoots and rarely goes down. Staring through a lens magnifies motion, so what works for Jason works for everyone. He covers taking Dramamine the night before, never staying in the camera box more than a second, staring at the horizon, keeping your mind engaged, and never, ever going below deck.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Jason Stemple's approach combines medication, eye discipline, and mindset. He takes Dramamine the night before and again in the morning when conditions warrant, never stares through a lens or into a camera box longer than a second or two, keeps everything he needs on his body so he never has to dig in a bag, stares at the horizon when he feels off, and stays busy so his mind stays engaged. He also never goes below deck, which is the fastest way to get sick.
The trick I learned and shared with Jason is to take it the night before rather than only on the morning of the trip. Dramamine lasts about twelve hours, so if it tends to knock you out, taking a dose at bedtime means it is already in your bloodstream by morning and you wake up rested rather than getting hit with grogginess on the boat. You can take another half or full dose on the water if you need it, instead of dosing first thing and being unconscious by 10 a.m.
Because it gives your eyes a stable reference that matches what your inner ear feels, which reduces the sensory conflict that causes motion sickness. Captains will tell you the same thing. Staring at the horizon is good, staring into a camera box is bad, and going below deck is worse. Jason avoids long looks through a telephoto lens for the same reason, since magnified motion through the viewfinder makes the conflict far worse.
For a lot of people, yes. Both Jason and I find that seasickness is largely in your head, and the moment you start wondering whether you feel sick is often the moment it begins. Keeping your mind active, rigging, helping, shooting, gives your brain something to do besides monitor your stomach. Jason notes he rarely feels sick on good fishing days when there is action, and that the slow, anchored, nothing-happening days are when it goes bad.
Going below deck removes your view of the horizon and surrounds you with close, fixed surfaces while the boat pitches, which spikes the sensory conflict that drives nausea. Jason and I agree it is the single worst thing you can do, even worse than staring into a camera box. If you need something, have it on your body already, because spending more than a second or two digging in a bag or a cabin is what flips the switch.
Jason Stemple is an expert photographer with about twenty years in the business who accompanies me on nearly every trip I take, including the demanding offshore Into the Blue shoots. He has made the transition from film and darkroom work to digital, and in my opinion he is one of the best photographers out there. You can follow his work and tag him on Instagram at Jason Stemple photo.
The biggest practical tip is how you time Dramamine. Taking it the night before keeps it in your system without leaving you unconscious on the boat, which matters for anyone who reacts strongly to it. Jason and I both lean on this, and I explain my own sensitivity in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Jason looks through a lens all day, so his eye discipline is hard-won. The rules are simple, stare at the horizon, never linger in the camera box, and never go below deck, but they make or break a rough day. He describes exactly when sickness flips the switch in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Both of us are convinced seasickness is largely mental, and that staying engaged keeps it away. Jason rarely feels sick when the fishing is good and there is something to shoot, and struggles on slow anchored days. We dig into that mind-stomach link in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Seasickness is one of the few offshore variables you can largely control. Dose smart, keep your eyes up, stay busy, and stay out of the cabin, and you give yourself the best chance of fishing and shooting all day.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
Jason Stemple · seasickness · Dramamine · Into the Blue · offshore fishing · photography · sailfish · tarpon · horizon · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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