Offsetting Blue Ocean Vertigo--Suggestions?

hi donna, i have never heard of this. i know of many swimmers who lose their cookies periodically during open water swims; i always assumed it was motion sickness or from swallowing water. personally, i find deep water easier to swim in than shallow clear water as i am easily distracted by visual stimuli. (i nearly stopped swimming to follow a turtle during the st croix 5 mile). i think i would try to keep my focus on the guide boat/kayak. good luck

Donna, Most of my long swims have been in waters were I could not see the bottom; most often due to visibility issues. I have never experienced deep water vertigo during any of these races; I have noticed it a bit during snorkeling. It may be because I’m focused on the swim or because I’ve got an escort boat just a few feet to starboard to provide perspective. Have you had problems with vertigo while swimming? And if so how was your escort boat positioned? Maybe getting the boat into a position that provides a point of reference will help.

You could check out www.vertigo-guidebook.com You mentioned the dizziness sets in after about 3 miles; does fluctuating your feeding schedule make any difference? Maybe a quick feed every 10 minutes instead of your normal schedule would help. How about 3-4 minutes of backstroke every mile or so?

I stumbled upon a condition called menieres disease (an inner ear condition that can cause episodes of vertigo among other things) but what i found most interesting was the definition of vertigo... a sense of motion when no motion exists. clearly, during a swim, motion does exist, so perhaps attempting to treat this as a case of motion sickness is a good place to start. (any excuse to eat some ginger candy is welcome in my book)

Yes. Try ginger. I have always had a terrible time with motion sickness/dizziness and ginger works wonders. I take 3 capsules (get at a health food store) about 40 minutes before a race, washed down with lots of water. A word about scopolamine: For me, it doesn't work as well as ginger and it gives me terminal dry mouth as well as makes me tired. Your mileage may vary. -LBJ

Donna - for some people ginger helps offset the effects of motion sickness (e.g. ginger candies). In more extreme situations, you may want to try a prescription drug called scopolamine - it's an adhesive / dermal anti-seasickness patch worn behind your ear. I've worn them on relay swims across the English Channel, the Strait of Gibraltar and Catalina Channel and have never had a problem even when fellow team mates were tossing their cookies.

Again, gosh, thanks for all the tips and experiences!!! I never get nauseous, just dizzy!! But there is no harm in trying ginger or anything else that you experienced people can offer in the way of a remedy!! Looking into the blue abyss does affect me like standing on a tall building; weakness, dizziness. I have done one very long swim back in the 90's, a 23 miler, and I suffered greatly during it. But as I train for my upcoming 18 mile swim, I will try other things like periodically back floating or backstroke to get a different point of reference. Gee, I wonder if I can find ginger here on the island!! I haven't seen it yet. I live on a very remote island and I can't get normal things like all of you!!! Keep on swimming!!! Donna

Thanks fellows for your input. I never get this while swimming in water that I can see the bottom, nor do I get it snorkeling. And, I find this problem is more predominant than not. The escort boat is to my right about 10 to 15 feet at all times (because I breathe on the right). The swim I am planning on doing in June of 2008 will be an average depth of 4,000 feet but when I pass over the Cayman Trench, it will be 25,000 feet. Maybe this is just a mind over matter fear thing, but I am having problems working it out. After about 3 miles, the dizziness sets in, kinda similar to standing on the top of a tall building and looking down. If anyone knows of any websites addressing this issue, I'd sure appreciate knowing about them. Maybe I just need to focus more on the people on the escort boat for a point of reference. Gosh, I sure appreciate your responses!!! Donna

I have had some pretty scary situations in open water when I had any problems when in deep water I had something I would think about. I would close my eyes and think about my six children and would actually visualise. I would also think of a cash register and every stroke was pushing the cash key.