Houston's Premier Scuba and Dive Shop Oceanic Ventures Inc.

(713) 523-3483 (dive)
5808 Newcastle Drive
Houston, TX 77401

Eric Keibler

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Holiday Hours

We really appreciate all of

The Hanukkah celebrations have ended and Christmas is almost here! We really appreciate all of your support during this past year and we hope you and your family have a very special holiday season. My one wish for you this Christmas is

May you never be too grown up to search the skies on Christmas Eve.


Ann, Eric and the entire Oceanic Ventures Staff hope you have a wonderful Christmas.


And, as a reminder, since we know you want this to be a SCUBA Christmas, be sure to come by early since we are closed on Christmas Eve! Our holiday housrs seem a little complicated so our reformed accountant, Eric, put them on a spreadsheet. You can find it below.

Nollaig Shona agus Athbliain Faoi Mhaise Duit,

Here are our holiday hours:

DayDateHolidayHours
 
December 23, 2021Thursday 12:00 – 6:00
December 24, 2021FridayChristmas EveClosed
December 25, 2021SaturdayChristmasClosed
December 26, 2021SundaySt. Stephens DayClosed
December 27, 2021Monday Closed
December 28, 2021Tuesday Closed
December 29, 2021Wednesday 12:00 – 6:00
December 30, 2021Thursday 12:00 – 6:00
December 31, 2021FridayNew Years EveClosed
    
January 1, 2022SaturdayNew Years DayClosed
January 2, 2022Sunday Closed
January 3, 2022Monday Closed
January 4, 2022Tuesday 12:00 – 6:00

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Using Lights to Capture Best Color

It’s very important when underwater to compensate for the missing illumination from the sun. Using high-performance underwater lighting like the Sea Dragon lights, the powerful and color-friendly lights will illuminate the missing red and orange colors from the beautiful reefs for your eyes and your camera. The closer you are to the corals, the better the colors will come out. [Tobias Friedrich]

Equipment: SeaLife Micro 3.0, Sea Dragon 3000F

Settings: Deep Water White Balance

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Cozumel – Returning Home

As I sit here listening to the waves lapping on the iron shore and here the occasional “ding” of a cylinder, it is hard to believe that we have not been to Cozumel for a year.  I have no excuse; it is only 2 hours away and the weather is purely tropical here.  We arrived on Friday and could just watch everyone’s tensions melt away as they eased into their retreat.  I love coming here, it feels like returning home.

Returning to the Presidenté Intercontinental is like visiting friends.  Many of the staff members have been welcoming me here for more than ten years.  But even if this is your first trip, they work hard to make you feel at home.      

I have been coming to Cozumel since the 1978 and while it has changed and grown, the people are still warm, welcoming and happy that you are here.  The diving is both beautiful and easy.  You just jump in and drift along unitl it is time to return to the surface and then a boat picks you up.  No navigation, no pink fin of shame for not finding the moored boat without surfacing.  It is just “easy-as-squeezy” as they say in Trinidad.

It is day three of our stay here and the second day of diving.  And, the dives have been beautiful complete with turtles, spotted eagle rays, sharks and eels.  There have been schools of yellow tail snapper and large Nassau Groupers.

A trip to Cozumel would not be complete without a visit to Buchanos at Night. And, we made this our first night stop. This is a foodie restaurant at the north end of the island.   Imagine, lobster, snapper and shrimp all redefined by their world-class chef.  Couple this with specialty cocktails and a nice bottle of wine and you have a unique dining experience and one that we love to share with our guests.

The sun is setting now and the afternoon dive boat is due in shortly.  It is time to get ready for dinner and cocktails.  So, this Armchairsailor will be signing off for the day but there is more to come.

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Photography Tips – Underwater Composition Tips

If you have not looked on the SeaLife website lately, you may have missed this video from Brent Durand.

Brent has five tips for improving your underwater composition. Specifically his five tips are:

  1. Fill the frame with your subject
  2. Face your subject
  3. Eye Contact
  4. Swim Space
  5. Review your images

Now it is your turn to try this with your photographs. Remember, you don’t have to wait to go on your next big dive trip, you can practice around your house or at one of our local lakes. We have a group diving most weekends.

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Local Diving It is Not the Caribbean but It Can Still Be Fun

On the east coast they say boating and watersports season runs from Memorial Day to Labor day. After that you put your boats and equipment away and get ready for your winter activities. There may be some practical reason for this up north becasue traditionally in September the cold winds start to blow and the temperatures begin to drop. But, we live in the South! Here the temperatures merely moderate and in fact it is just pleasent outside. Sailors all know that this is one of the better times for sailing becasue the winds blow steadier and it is not as hot on the water.

Divers too find that the weather makes being at the lake more enjoyable. The temperatures mean the barbq grills can come out again and sitting and talking during the surface intervals are more relaxing. The water temperatures remain warm so diving in lighter suits is still possible. Of course with cooler nights, the water temperature will drop but until November, you can add some layers to your wetsuit and keep diving. (I am a little bit of a wimp these days and when the temperature drops below 76-78 degrees I switch to a drysuit).

This past Sunday, Joe Henry, Zac Gay and Naomi decided it was time to get wet and go diving. I haven’t been in a rebreather for a while so it was a good opportunity to test the new cells and jump back into silent diving. Zac brought his rebreather as well and we both made Joe jealous (he is going to put his together and get some new cells now.) Diving in a Texas lake is definitely not the Caribbean, but it is wet and there are fish. We had about 8-10 feet of visibility which was not too bad considering we had some rain recently.

The thing about diving locally is you have the opportunity to work on your buoyancy and trim instead of fighting with it on your vacation. You can also try out different equipment configurations or even different equipment! Budding photographers can practice with their cameras and try new of different techniques. It is a good opportunity to practice gunning lines or running navigation courses. Remember, what you work on locally makes your next trip more enjoyable and your diving better.

So, I would encourage you to head out and go diving! Join us for a local dive or just pick a lake that is close and go for a day or choose one a little further away and make a weekend out if it. Your diving will improve and your attitude will also improve.