On the water
How to calm down on a boat when the sea gets to you
Get up on deck or to a big window. Move to the middle of the boat, low down. Find the horizon and keep your eyes on it. Breathe out slowly for longer than you breathe in. Eat a plain cracker if you can, and drink some water. Tell someone. If you use Dizzout, headphones on and press play. The sea does what it does; this list is about what you do.
Seasick on the water? Drug-free sound therapy through any headphones: Prepare Me for the 10 to 30 minutes before, Motion Sickness Relief for once it starts.Starts in your browser · works with any headphones
Stop seasickness on the water. Get your personalized Dizzout plan. Paid subscription for full access.
On your phone? Scan to start there.
Key facts
- The horizon is the strongest free fix on a boat: it gives your eyes the motion your inner ear is feeling.
- The middle of a boat, low down, moves least. The bow and the top decks move most.
- A stopped boat often feels worse than a moving one, because it rolls with nothing moving past.
- Slow breathing with a long exhale helps the nausea and the fear for different reasons.
- Dizzout is for passengers, with any headphones, at a volume that lets you hear the crew.
On a cruise ship
Go to a low, central deck with a window or outside rail, and watch the horizon. Avoid the top decks and the ends of the ship, and avoid your cabin if it has no window, however much you want to lie down. Cool air, water, a plain snack. Slow breathing. If you use Dizzout, press play on Motion Sickness Relief wherever you are; Dizzout states relief in about 90 seconds. The ship's doctor is there for anyone who cannot keep fluids down. The mid-cruise rescue steps go into detail.
On a ferry
Midships, low, by a window or on the open deck in the middle. Face forward if you can. Do not read or scroll. Stand if sitting makes it worse; your legs absorb some of the motion. Eat a cracker and sip water. If the crossing is known to be rough, our sea-by-sea pages will have told you, and the sound session 10 to 30 minutes before leaving the harbour is the other half of the plan.
On a small boat
Centre of the boat, as low as you can, facing the bow, eyes on the horizon or the shore. If the boat stops to fish or watch whales, that is the moment most people go green: ask the skipper if you can keep the boat gently moving, or at least face into the swell. Cool air is everywhere; use it. Tell the skipper early; they have seen it on every trip. If you are the one driving the boat, Dizzout is for your passengers and not for you at the helm: ginger, the horizon and bands are the helm's options.
The fear part is the same on every vessel: breathe out slowly, press your feet into the deck, name what is happening. Seasickness is miserable and not dangerous, and the body adapts within a day or two at sea.
Press play wherever you are on board
Stop Motion Sickness Now
Dizzout is drug-free sound therapy through any headphones, for passengers. Run Prepare Me in the 10 to 30 minutes before you leave the harbour, and Motion Sickness Relief anywhere on board when the swell gets to you, with relief in about 90 seconds. Free to download.
Get your personalized Dizzout plan. Paid subscription for full access.
30,000+ travelers in 30+ countries · How we count
On your phone? Scan to start there.
Comparing apps first? See how the motion sickness apps compare
Questions people ask
How do I stop panicking on a boat?
Get into the open air, find the horizon, press your feet into the deck and breathe out slowly for longer than you breathe in. Name what is happening: seasickness, uncomfortable, not dangerous. Tell someone. If nausea is part of it, the same horizon and breathing help that side too, and a sound session can be started wherever you are.
Why do I feel worse when the boat stops?
A moving boat gives your eyes a horizon moving past and a predictable rhythm. A stopped boat rolls with the swell and nothing moves past to explain it, so the mismatch is at its worst. Ask the skipper to keep the boat gently moving, or face into the swell and hold the horizon.
Can I use Dizzout on a cruise ship?
Yes, as a passenger, anywhere on the ship, with any wired or Bluetooth headphones. Prepare Me is for the 10 to 30 minutes before the ship leaves the harbour, and Motion Sickness Relief is for once you feel it, with relief in about 90 seconds.
Related
Sources
None of these studies tested Dizzout. They are the general research on anxiety, expectation and breathing.
This content is for general information only and is not medical advice. Dizzout is a wellness app for motion sickness and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition, including anxiety. Speak to a doctor if symptoms are severe or persistent, and to a doctor or therapist if fear is stopping you from travelling.