helicopters and air sickness
 

i get a queasy stomach when an airplane lands, so i am bit concerned about taking a helicopter ride (vomitting in such a confined space would make the least popular gal on board).

for our trip to Kauai, we are seriously considering the 2-hour Inter-Island tour that takes you to a waterfall.

however i am thinking that 2 take-offs and 2 landings will make me miserable; and that dramamine will knock me out so that my $250 will be a waste.

any advice?

I only have experience with sea sickness and can attest to the effectiveness of dramamine, however I believe there is also a non drowsy form available. Other meds you might consider are Bonine, and some on this board have recommended a prescription for the scopalamine patch. On our last snorkel cruise on the Big Island, the edible form of ginger was indicated to be effective against sea sickness and I did not have a problem, but in fairness it was not that rough either. Hope this helps. :S-

Here is a link to an in-depth forum about meds motion sickness and diving:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread...328#post331328

I also get motion sickness, but not to the point where I have ever gotton so physically ill to make my co-passengers equally ill. I have been on a helicptor ride at Niagra Falls and was so miserable that I could barely walk when the trip was over. It took me ten years to try it again in Alaska, and although I did not get as sick, I did not feel great. I think for me it depends on how many dips and turns the pilot decides to take. I am going to Hawaii in three weeks, and have decided to see the waterfalls by foot, although I understand it is a very different experience. If you would like to chance it, perhaps take a shorter ride,rather than one that is two hours up and down and up again. Hope this is helpful.

SammyCat-
Don't want to scare you, but you should know. When I did a helicopter tour in Maui, it was much shorter than the 2-hr one you mentioned. I don't get airsick on planes unless it is especially turbulent, but on the helicopter I did - AND I had taken Dramamine. I guess it's all turns and swoops unlike in an airplane flying straight forward. With all that, it feels VERY smooth which makes it a surprise that you would feel sick. We were in the front seat which perhaps made it even better. A girl in the back seat got sick enough to have to use the air sick bag. It is a beautiful ride otherwise and well worth the $. There are other meds besides Dramamine you could use. Many swear by Emutrol if you can handle a liquid.

There is another thread regarding helicopter safety issues you might read to better help you make an informed decision. I would be more reluctant after having read that (assuming all the comments are legitimate) and after other more personal experiences.

My DH rode in a helicopter used to tranport reporters around town that crash landed due to mechanical failure the day after he had been in it. We have a friend who used to fly a Fox news helicopter in Houston. He didn't feel that the helicopter was being properly maintained and became afraid of it, therefore, he quit. Shortly after, it crashed and killed the pilot. I also flew in helicopters to points offshore of Alaska twice/week due to a job I had one summer. However, we had to wear big marshmellow-like coats that could be used as flotation devices.

Just get the facts, and make your own decision. If you do it, enjoy! It's beautiful.

Sammycat,
I,too,get motion sickness (terribly) and before we went to Hawaii, I asked my doctor for a 2 week prescription patch that you wear behind your ear (very small, not noticeable). It worked all through the Road to Hana and als on the interisland helicopter flight. If you're prone to motion sickness, I would recommend you look into it. Also, it won't make you sleepy like the dramamine will.

I'm a puker too but the 2 heli rides I've been on in Kauai were no problemo whatsoever. As long as you have a pilot that doesn't think he's TC in Magnum PI it shouldn't be a problem. =P~

Ditto what Kal said. I took the Interisland waterfall ride - downed a bonine first, and I was amazed at how fine I felt. The girl in the front seat was fine too - until the pilot noticed a pod of dolphins off the Napali coast and spiraled downward. When we landed at the waterfall, she practically jumped out of that copter! But her husband convinced her to swim in the waterfall, brisk! That totally refreshed her and she even ate lunch - and was fine on the way back. It's funny, the takeoffs and landings are nothing - it's the antics of the pilot that might make you woozy. The doorless feature also helped - nice and breezy the whole way! (Though my husband says my knuckles were blue hanging on so tight to the grab handles - gosh I loved it!!!) Perhaps you could mention this to the pilot beforehand?

I can tell you that my family of 3 was
miserable on our 50 min. tour. My husband did vomit and my son and I were
close. Never again !!

reading this thread is making me queasy!! we have a 45 minute Air Maui trip booked for our vacation in December. this was my friend's idea, not mine, but i ended up agreeing.
i recently asked my brother and his wife about the helicopter tour they took on Kauai once and their reply was quick and unanimous: "beautiful scenery. glad we did it. but never again". when i asked why never again, they exchanged a look and said "too damn scary". so i have decided "when in doubt, bring it out", the Dramamine, that is.....

My mother, who won't even ride most amusement park rides, spent the entire time on the Kauai helicopter tour with her eyes shut closed and scared to death. She DID take dramamine before it, too. The only thing she has to remember of the trip is the video!

Dad, however, loved it and would have gladly gone again!

My wife gets seasick in the bathtub, but she's never had much of a problem on planes. Even so, she took a few meds before the Kauai helicopter flight just to be safe. No problems (though you couldn't say the same for the woman getting off the flight before ours).

I have suffered motion sickness since childhood and to this day I can't read or sleep in a car in motion altho' air, trains etc are OK. Regarding helos, their motion can be aggravating because it can change so suddenly. However in many many hours of time in them (work) I have never felt nauseous. I suspect a lot of problems are due more to nervousness than "real" motion sickness (and I'm not minimising the misery). I would think the "doors off" approach (fresh air)would help in many cases IMHO. Having said all that, I've little interest in vacation helicopter trips, enough is enough ;)

I suppose nerves could be a factor for some, but not so in my case. I had no fear of the ride at the time and wasn't the least bit nervous. The comment about the rapid changes in altitude makes sense to me although it was so smooth. I think the ability to manuever sideways could be a factor similar to looking behind you while a car in which you are riding is moving forward. I got really carsick doing this riding in the front seat and turning around to talk to those in the back.