Curacao’s most popular excursion is undoubtedly a day trip to Klein Curacao. A delightful excursion to an uninhabited island with beautiful white beach and crystal clear sea. Only. for some, the boat trip is a little less enjoyable because they may suffer from seasickness. What do you do about it?

What is seasickness

Seasickness falls under the general heading of motion sickness. It is e.g., the same as auto-sickness. Your balance organ gets upset because you are standing still, but everything around you is moving. Your eyes register that all sorts of things are moving, but your balance organ receives different signals and gets upset as a result. What are the symptoms associated with seasickness?
– you feel lightheaded, you get a little dizzy. Sometimes headaches, too.
– your face turns pale
– sweat a lot
– you get nauseous and vomit

Chance of seasickness to Klein Curacao

How likely is it to get seasick if you go to Klein Curacao? Well, fortunately, that’s not so bad. Yes, it happens, but certainly not every day and on every boat. Anyway, the problem only plays out in the morning on the outward journey. To get from Curacao to Klein Curacao, the boat almost always has to sail straight against the current, and that causes the boat to rock just too much in a certain wind and wave action and it becomes unpleasant for some guests. The return trip from Klein Curacao to Curacao is 100% seasick-free. Then you sail delightfully with the current into the sun and there is virtually no noticeable rocking in the boat. But yes, indeed: on the way out, it can happen.

With which boat the least chance

If you have not yet booked and want to take into account the risk of seasickness when choosing a boat, here is a rough indication. Catamarans are the most likely to cause seasickness. But don’t be fooled by the term “most likely,” which might be an indication that the probability is high and it’s far from that. But if you are prone to seasickness, you may be better off not taking the large catamaran. Want an almost certain 100% seasickness-free trip to Klein Curacao? Then you should join the Powerboat. Because of the size of the boat and especially the speed, the Powerboat sails fairly stable and you really just have no chance of getting seasick. If a trip with the Powerboat is not for you, then you should join Miss Ann’s motor yacht.

Powerboat Klein Curacao — Without seasickness to Klein Curacao with the Powerboat

Preventing seasickness

Fortunately, there are some tips to significantly reduce the chance of seasickness and thus prevent seasickness for most tourists.

Drink plenty and make sure your stomach is full

Be sure to drink well before and during the boat ride. And especially no alcohol (but then again, you probably don’t plan on doing that in the morning around 8:00 a.m. anyway….), but if at all possible no coffee or carbonated beverages either. In doing so, it is good to get on the boat with a full stomach. Some boat trips also offer breakfast, but that may not be enough or only on Klein Curacao. Breakfast adequate but not too heavy, not too fatty and no sour fruit. Also bring something to nibble on the way.

Get the right spot on the boat

Find the most stable spot on the boat; where you feel the least swell. The most ideal spot is at the back of the boat, in the middle (between left and right). Anyway, make sure you can see well straight ahead in the direction of travel. Look at a stable point in the distance (during this trip, the horizon). Avoid “star” vision so don’t read anything or look at your phone.

Take a pill

At botica (the pharmacy/drugstore on Curacao) you can get pills against seasickness (motion sickness) for a few guilders. Look here for an overview of all botanicals on Curacao. Just be careful if you are pregnant, you may not take just any pill for motion sickness. Also check the directions for use well in advance, which may be different for each brand of pill. Usually you should take a pill at least an hour beforehand, sometimes even the night before. We are often asked if these pills are available on the boat, but they are not. The idea behind this is simple: because you have to take the pill at least an hour in advance, there is no point in taking a pill against seasickness on the boat, you will only notice it by the time you have already arrived on Klein Curacao.

Put on a wristband

It may sound a little strange, but it really helps: put on a Sea Band wristband. It’s obviously not just your average wristband, it contains a pressure point and if you put that on the right spot on your wrist, you can think of it as a form of acupressure that prevents nausea and motion sickness.

Ginger

If you want some help from Mother Nature, take some powdered ginger about 12 to 14 hours before departure.

What else may help

The above tips and tools will prevent seasickness for 98% of people. Furthermore, as a general rule anyway: make sure you are well rested, a tired body will be more prone to seasickness. What also really helps is “positive thinking”: convince yourself that you won’t get seasick. And what many people also benefit from is a cotton ball in your ear. If you are right-handed, put the cotton ball in your left ear and vice versa.

And if you do get seasick

Tcha…. and even if you have taken all the precautions (or not) it can still happen that you get seasick. What then? Some tips for this as well:
1- Report it to the crew as soon as you notice you are getting seasick. They can give you some more tips and they will keep a close eye on you.
2- Should you vomit, you can get a container or bag from the crew for this. If you are at the railing, then of course it can be overboard. But then pay attention to the wind, that not everything blows back onto the boat.
3- Eat a salty snack, e.g. Tuc cookies are ideal
4- Chew on a piece of ginger
5- Know that you will soon feel a lot better once you have arrived at Klein Curacao and are on the beach. Within just a few minutes, the queasy feeling will disappear and you can start enjoying the day.
6- Don’t worry, on the way back you really won’t suffer from seasickness. Go enjoy this beautiful day on Klein Curacao!