No-see-ums? Sand fleas?  Nope, not much you can do besides spray on
the DEET, unless you want to walk around in the Caribbean fully
dressed from head to toe.  You can always stay away from the sand to
avoid a lot of the sand pests.

Roatan is the island best known for biting pests.  I don't recall
Belize being too bad, but then I've only gone in spring months.  Bug
conditions are always worse in the summer/fall rainy seasons.  Certain
times of the day, particular dawn and dusk, can be particular nasty,
so if you're really prone to getting bitten, you might want to stay
indoors at these hours (and miss happy hour at the pool bar!).

You can get stuff to stop the itching and scratching.  Old fashioned
calamine lotion still works, but leaves you with pink/white dots all
over your legs (not any less attractive than nasty red welts), but I
think there are topical antihistamines that can provide better and
more transparent relief.

Seasickness is all in your head, especially your ears.  Those who have
known the misery don't like to repeat it.  It can be as bad as being
bedridden with a nasty flu or food poisoning.  But some people just
don't get seasick at all, and there is a large spectrum of
tolerances.  I personally fall somewhere in the middle, sometimes able
to get by in high seas with medication, or on small boats in medium
seas without medication, but occasionally something "bites" me and I
unexpectedly start feeling like I'd rather jump ship and drown.

Seasickness isn't limited to Belize, nor are bugs.  I've seen some
people bitten up pretty bad, but they still seemed to enjoy their
holidays even though they looked like a bad case of chickenpox.
Seasickness only affects you while you're on the water and it's
somewhat preventable in most people with various drugs, wrist bands,
or transdermal patches.  You won't know until you try.  I'd advise
making your first boat trips short in length and see how you do.  If
you find out you do get seasick within the first half-hour, you
probably don't want to be out for 6 hours.

It really does vary for everyone.  For instance, I do much better on
motorcraft than sailboats.  Something about how the boat moves in
response to the wind really gets my stomach in a lurch.  Take a good
selection of pills, patches, and bands, or borrow your girlfriend's.
It's best to start taking the pills hours before you get on the water,
some of us even start the night before an early morning boat ride.
The wrist torture device that zaps you into feeling better supposedly
works even after you've started feeling sick, but pills rarely do
since you just puke them up.

We're experts on everything here.  Send us detailed pictures of her
and we'll help you examine the situation and make the right choice.
(Might as well say that before Grumman beats me to it)

Trade some bugs for a minor level of sea sickness.

Matthias

What time of year are you going?  Are you going in land for part of the
time?  Will you be staying on the beachside on windward side of the island?

She's talking about noseeum's (sandflies).  Little nasty buggars that you
don't particularly notice are biting you until the next morning when you
awake with a bunch of pin needle bullseye dots all over you.  Even at that
point, it is not too bad unless and until you have a reaction to the
bite(s).  When you do, they swell up with puss something like a chickenpox.
They can be itchy as all hell.  But do not scratch them!!  If you scratch
them, you will scar.  Take liquid benedryl and cortizone cream.

Try to avoid being out during sunrise and dusk.  Wear oily based repellent,
like skinsosoft and slather it liberally around your feet, ankles and
calves.  Use deet product elsewhere.  The noseeum's will drown in the oil.
At any time of day, don't stand around in seagrass that has been raked up
(or not raked up).  Watch yourself on wooden deck floors over sand.

One time last year, there was a woman standing next to me at the airport in
Houston.  She was an absolute mess.   Covered almost head to toe in bites,
scabs, blisters and her legs were practically raw.  She said it didn't stop
her from enjoying her holiday.  I was very nervous at that point since I was
just on my way down to Belize and she just on her way back.

However, I only got about 5 bites on that trip.  A record for me, I think.
I made sure I had my deet on at the right times.

Roatan, now that's a place that the bugs can get really bad.

I don't get seasick.  OK, on very, very rare occasion, I may feel mild
nausea.  I'm sorry for your girlfriend, but if you don't have it, you don't
have it.  Get her some ginger, get her some wrist straps and get her some
dramamine, behind the ear patches and/or some gravol.  Whatever it takes.

Once she starts to feel sick, it is too late.

You are going to love it!  Don't let the possibility of a bug bite or two
stop you.

Not everybody gets seasick. I've never been seasick in my life.  I find
it absolutely exhilerating pounding along in a small boat on a rough
day, with the wind in my hair (what little remains of it) watching
everyone else puke over the rail!

Remember there is a divine trade off. Either it will be windy, which
takes care of the bugs onshore but means the boat will be rolling and
pitching. Or it will be calm, which means flat seas but a feast for the
bugs.

And remember: when your're underwater there will be neither bugs nor waves!

OK you know to check out the CDC web site for where in Belize you're
going.  Some places have an issue with malaria, others don't.  There are
good meds to prevent that.  If you're at 8000 feet, your doctor may not
be familiar with all the issues.  Consider DAN.

Are you doing a land based trip or a live aboard?

I get sick looking at the ocean...sometimes.  Transdermal scopalmine
patch.  Put it behind my ear and I'm good for three days.  But if you're
on a caye and diving from shore, that might be overkill.  On my last
trip off Maryland I used it and only woke up from my post dive nap in
midair as we bounced along.  An alternative is a pill called scopace,
but a lot of doctors don't know anything about it.  Google it and ask
your girlfriend what she thinks would work better.

The diving off Ambergris Caye in Belize is wonderful.  It takes about a
10 minute ride on an outboard to get to the dive site.  Back to the dock
for a surface interval and out for the second dive.

See if Glover's Reef is still in operation.  If so, book it.  Nice little
island right off the Belize coast.  Constant breeze means no bugs.  Last
time I was there visibility was unlimited, and the diving was awesome.