INTRODUCTION: Individual motion sickness susceptibility can be rapidly estimated by the motion sickness susceptibility questionnaire (MSSQ), but its stability is affected by various factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the involved predictive factors of motion sickness screened with uniform samples of Chinese college students and to verify the individual susceptibility difference in marine navigation.METHODS: A total of 1051 college students (719 men, 332 women; mean age: 18.32 ± 0.65 yr) completed the MSSQ. Another 42 men (mean age: 21.12 ± 1.10 yr) took part in 2 separate voyages. MSSQ data were collected before sailing and Graybiel motion sickness questionnaire (GMSQ) data were collected within 24 h after sailing and 24 h before landing.RESULTS: The internal consistency of the MSSQ was 0.685. The mean subscore of the MSSQ-A (18.47 ± 19.49) was significantly higher than that of the MSSQ-B (12.69 ± 14.97). Women had significantly higher MSSQ scores (38.29 ± 33.49) than men (27.87 ± 30.27). The mean MSSQ score of the inland subjects (33.97 ± 33.35) was significantly higher than that of the coastal subjects (27.81 ± 29.24). Nearly 93% of new seafarers experienced seasickness during their first navigation. The MSSQ score was positively correlated with seasickness symptoms (r = 0.706).CONCLUSION: Gender, age, and birthplace appear to be important predictors of motion sickness for Chinese college students. Specifically, women, younger people, and people who were born in inland China seem more prone to the syndrome. A high MSSQ score is a risk factor for seasickness. However, long-term voyages can lead to habituation, which reduces the occurrence of seasickness.Zhang X, Sun Y. Motion sickness predictors in college students and their first experience sailing at sea. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(2):71–78.