Guide · 4 minute read
Most people never feel seasick in Dubai because the water inside the Palm crescent and the Creek is close to flat. If you are prone to it, take a tablet an hour before boarding rather than when you start feeling it — after the fact, nothing works well.
Published
Not all boat trips in Dubai are equal for motion. The Creek and the Water Canal are fully sheltered and effectively flat in any conditions. Inside the Palm crescent is nearly as calm. The Marina channel is sheltered until you clear the breakwater.
The open sea beyond the breakwater, and anywhere out towards the World Islands, is where movement starts — usually a gentle roll rather than anything violent, but enough to matter if you are susceptible.
Antihistamine-based tablets — cinnarizine and dimenhydrinate are the two commonly sold in UAE pharmacies — work well if taken sixty to ninety minutes before you board. Taken once you feel unwell, they are close to useless, because the stomach has stopped absorbing anything.
The usual trade-off is drowsiness. If that matters, the wristbands and ginger sold alongside them do help some people, though the evidence is thinner. Scopolamine patches work best of all and need a prescription.
This is general information rather than medical advice. Ask a pharmacist, particularly if you are pregnant, taking other medication or buying for a child.
Position matters more than most people expect. The middle of the boat moves least; the bow moves most. Stay outside where you can see the horizon rather than in the saloon, and keep your eyes on land rather than on a phone.
Eat something plain before you board — an empty stomach is worse than a full one. Drink water rather than nothing. And tell the crew early; a captain who knows can slow down, change heading or move you into calmer water, and that fixes it more often than any tablet.
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