Whale-watching - rough seas?

I plan to take a whale-watching trip off the coast of Massachusetts next month. I've had two people now ask if I get seasick and one even advised me to take seasickness medication even though I don't typically get ill. Is it really that bad??

It can be very rough, yes. Small boat, open ocean---I've done it and seen some people sick as dogs while others just find it exhilarating. The roughest whale-watching trip I've ever experienced was in Samana Bay in the Dominican Republic, but it was spectacular and worth the ride.

Agreed about Samana Bay - unbelievable and worth every minute!! Whale watches of the coast of MA are good though - lots of opportunities to see whales. The worst part of a whale watch isn't necessarily how rough the ocean is, it's the time spent just drifting waiting on a whale to surface - the small boats just bob in the water accompanied by the smell of diesel fuel. I have seen people get sick who ordinarily wouldn't. If I were you I would be prepared.

^What everyone else is saying. It's not just the relatively small boat size, it's the stench of diesel - which can mean that a small gas-powered Zodiac RHIB is actually the best option to avoid seasickness, since they rock less and don't have the diesel stank.

Not sure exactly where you're going out from - many whalewatches out of Boston area are on pretty big catamarans, which might lack a bit of intimacy but do help with the perceived stability - my wife gets pretty nauseated on small boats, to the extent she will actually medicate rather than just rely on Seabands, but our Boston trip on one of the cats she was totally fine.

It was our least awesome whalewatch ever in terms of the vibe - there's just something more special about being in a boat smaller than the whales! - but it was still totally worth doing (and if you are prone to seasickness, better to be on a big boat not feeling like crap than a tiny boat you can't concentrate on anything but trying not to feed the fish...)

I'll be going with Cape Ann Whale Watch out of Gloucester. It looks like a pretty big boat... How does that compare?

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It will depend upon the weather. I've done a whale-watch trip on that boat, and it's a pretty good size, but if it's rough, you will feel it. The motion of even a fairly large boat is very different from a cruise ship; I've seen people who have no trouble on small vessels get deathly ill on large ships, and vice-versa. I think you're asking for an assurance that really doesn't exist. Take medication with you and be prepared for anything. It may be like glass on the water when you go, and you won't need it, but better to have it just in case. They probably won't go out if it's going to be really unpleasant, but people react differently to sea conditions. I once crossed the English Channel on a hovercraft from Calais to Dover and what I thought was just a mild chop caused the passenger sitting next to me to vomit into a bag during the entire journey.

It will depend upon the weather. I've done a whale-watch trip on that boat, and it's a pretty good size, but if it's rough, you will feel it. The motion of even a fairly large boat is very different from a cruise ship; I've seen people who have no trouble on small vessels get deathly ill on large ships, and vice-versa. I think you're asking for an assurance that really doesn't exist. Take medication with you and be prepared for anything. It may be like glass on the water when you go, and you won't need it, but better to have it just in case. They probably won't go out if it's going to be really unpleasant, but people react differently to sea conditions. I once crossed the English Channel on a hovercraft from Calais to Dover and what I thought was just a mild chop caused the passenger sitting next to me to vomit into a bag during the entire journey.

I'm not too concerned. The only time I've ever gotten really seasick was on a glass-bottom boat in calm Bahamian waters. Twas something about looking down, I suppose, because I've handled all other small boats on up to cruise ships just fine. I just wanted to know what to expect. Thank you :-).

A friend recommended Bonine every twelve hours starting 24 hours before the trip. What do others with seasickness experience suggest?

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Cape Ann Whale Watch out of Gloucester is a great trip. That said, the water is getting colder and waters can be rough. It's a good size boat but yes, the boat will rock and the smell of the diesel may make you sick. It takes a couple hours to get out to the whales but worth the ride. ENjoy!