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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Announcing a New Line of Sunscreens, Haircare and more

Oceanic Ventures is proud to be a dealer for Tropical Seas Products.

Tropical Seas is a family owned company based in Florida producing a line of reef safe sunscreens for children and adults, tanning lotions skin and hair care products and soaps. They also produce a line of defogs and mask scrubs.

They take pride in always being on the leading edge of technology by offering innovative formulations resulting in unique out of the box products like their Itzazu® Color Changing Hand Soap, which teaches kids and adults how to wash their hands properly per the CDC 15-20 second guidelines.

They also believe that quality counts in the creation of all their products. Beginning at the foundation by researching and selecting only the finest raw materials based on the integrity of the ingredient, as well as the reliability and quality of the manufacturer.

They strive for excellence; therefore, all products are manufactured in a state-of-the-art FDA Licensed facility in Daytona Beach, Florida. To meet their high-quality standards, each batch of product undergoes strict testing in their laboratory. These tests ensure that every batch of product meets the same quality and specifications of the original batch produced.

Dive mom loves the new hand soaps and the sunscreens and she knows you will too.

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Special Sale – July 3 2021

During the COVID shutdown, it seems a lot of our divers cleaned out their closets, garages, storage facilities, card and where ever else they kept their old diving equipment and they brought it over to us to find it a new home. We just kept putting it with the other things we had been given in the past. Well, it is time to move it from storage to a new home!

Edouard and the staff have been working hard and have pulled out all of the bins of used and traded-in equipment as well as some equipment from around the store. Edouard would love for you to come by Saturday morning (ok, all of the staff would love for you to come over) and find a hidden diving treasure! Here are some of the things you might find…

  • $5.00 Bin – used full foot fins & boots
  • $10.00 Wetsuits – may not be the best for lots of diving but you can use them for boating, training, abrasion protection, etc.
  • $10.00 boots
  • $2500 fins
  • $150 BCD’s
  • $150+ Air Delivery Systems
  • lots of diving accessories
  • $50.00 SMB’s
  • $25.00 safety sausages
  • $10-25 Lights (most are Halogen)
  • $0.50 Spare halogen bulbs
  • Almost free wetsuits and snorkeling vests
  • Older camera equipment and housings
  • $1-10 – SSI DVD’s
  • $1 – 10 SSI Text books
  • $15 – Travel guides

We are still finding more so you will just have to come and see what you can find for a special deal! And remember, Dive Mom is known to deal so the more you find the bigger your savings!

Much of this equipment was donated to the Oceanic Ventures Foundation to sell so we can support the Foundations gifts around the world. Other items were donated to us to help support our Club Social events. So, the proceeds of this sale will benefit both causes.

Remember it is only on Saturday July 3 from 10:00 – 3:00 so come early for the best selection!

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Is It Time for an Upgrade?

Sometimes it is hard to remember a time when I was not a diver. I learned to Scuba dive in 1982 when I took Scuba as a PE course in college. As a college student, I started diving like a lot of our clients do with my own personal equipment and using “rental” equipment for the rest of my total diving system. It was pretty awesome in those days since there were no dive shops in Lubbock so the University owned the rental equipment and students could use the equipment for free! Later, when I came to work in Houston, I bought my own diving equipment.

Recently, I was reminded of my original diving equipment when a client brought his in for service. It was just like my original set of equipment with the cool upgrade that I added a few years after that purchase — a dive computer! Like this one, it was a Suunto SME-ML computer. It was not the first dive computer on the market but it was the smallest and most capable for its time. I remember how cool it was to use the computer instead of the dive tables and how much more bottom time I got using it. It even gave me an extra dive in Belize when the boat broke down and we went to make a dive while the table divers and crew waited on the surface for the other boat to bring out parts!

Eric in Cozumel 1987

We had a lot of fun diving in those early days of my diving hobby (it hadn’t gotten out of control yet). There were trips to Cozumel, Belize, Honduras and the Dominican Republic as well as dives off the Texas coast. That original diving equipment served me well. But I also upgraded things along the way. My old rubber purge mask gave way to a string of silicone masks and my buoyancy jacket got lighter and more capable. My air delivery systems changed a few time but more than that, my old SME-ML, which I kept for a long time, eventually gave way to better units with ever increasing capabilities.

Air delivery systems are utilizing plastics to make them lighter and more durable and pneumatics are incorporated in the designs to make them easier to breath. Engineers strived to improve airflow and to refine the machining to keep the costs down at the same time. Stainless steel and titanium are now in some models and little pieces of technology are integrated to help them perform better and last longer between servicing.

Ann in Cozumel 1992 (With a Penform Console)

But why the changes? Every time I made the change, things were still working. My BCD still kept me afloat, my air delivery system provided gas; my computer still told me my no-decompression-limit. So why would I change? Thinking about it, I know that the next generation of computers that came out after that SME-ML, were faster, more capable and had more refined algorithms based on newer diving research. Along the way, nitrox became a thing and computers adapted their programming to accommodate it. Underwater radio signals became an affordable thing and once again, computers were adapted to utilize the technology.

If you think about it, how many cars have you owned since you bought your original set of diving equipment? If you are like me, it has been more than one. Why did you get a new car? Didn’t your old one still get you from one place to another? Maybe it needed more attention and drew more attention than you wanted but ultimately you bought a new car. Have you changed your personal computer or mobile phone since you bought your diving equipment? Like me, I would say that you have probably traded things up during that period. So if you change these other things in your life, because of changing needs, serviceability issues or “it is time,” then why wouldn’t this same logic apply to your diving equipment?

Eric in Bikini Atoll 2018

Over the years, I went from a basic open water diver to a cave diver, a wreck diver and a Trimix diver all before my diving really got out of control and I married the boss and started working in the diving business full time. So as my diving changed, so to did my equipment needs. My old trusty SME-ML was not up to the task. I had to upgrade it and I upgraded all of my equipment as my diving changed. My equipment needs keep evolving as do the equipment choices. Things get better and more comfortable all the time. The key is to find the thing that will carry me through this phase of my diving sport until I need the next upgrade.

Maybe it is time you looked at your diving equipment and asked yourself…”Is it time for an upgrade?

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THROUGH MAY 31, SAVE ON A NEW VYPER NOVO LITE!

Perfect for helping you take your diving to the next level, the nitrox-ready Vyper Novo dive computer includes enhanced features like wireless air integration, a digital compass, and gas switching, all primed and ready, right out of the box. And through May 31 only, you can get a deep deal on all Vyper Novo Lite computers. But why stop there? Go big and bundle with a Transmitter to save even more!

All told, you save $50 off the Vyper Novo Lite, and $100 off when you splurge on the package. This spring, go big or go home and Vyper your dive.

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Oceanic Ventures’ First Employee, Mary Ann Henke (now Volmer), center, in the Latest Scuba Equipment 1992

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Vyper Novo Lite Special

THROUGH MAY 31, SAVE ON A NEWVYPER NOVO LITE!


Perfect for helping you take your diving to the next level, the nitrox-ready Vyper Novo dive computer includes enhanced features like wireless air integration, a digital compass, and gas switching, all primed and ready, right out of the box. And through May 31 only, you can get a deep deal on all Vyper Novo Lite computers.

But why stop there? Go big and bundle with a Transmitter to save even more!


All told, you save $50 off the Vyper Novo Lite, and $100 off when you splurge on the package.

This spring, go big or go home and Vyper your dive.

Dive Mom – I want One!

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Chef Recommended – Orzo Risotto with Shrimp

I was looking for something different to make this weekend while Ann is out of town visiting her Mother; and would you believe, a fun email arrived with a suggestions for me — Risotto with Shrimp. Ann doesn’t eat shrimp so it was perfect! This recipe comes from Jenn Segal a reformed Chef. Her website and her similarly named cookbook is “Once Upon a Chef.” I love risotto but I don’t make it very often. This recipe uses orzo which is easier to make than using true risotto. This one also ready in under an hour! Jenn provides step-by-step instructions on her website.

Let me know what you think. I will let you know how it turned out in the comments. Here is her recipe:

Orzo Risotto with Shrimp, Peas & Bacon

By Jennifer Segal

Adapted from The Ultimate Meal Prep Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen

Rice-shaped orzo is cooked like risotto in this easy, one-pot pasta dish.

  • Servings: 4
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 Minutes
  • Total Time: 45 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 5 slices (5 oz) bacon, diced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-1/2 cups orzo
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • Heaping 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1-1/4 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning, such as Emeril’s Essence
  • 2 pounds extra-large (21/25) shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 cup frozen green peas (no need to thaw)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Instructions

  • Melt one tablespoon of the butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Do not brown. Stir in the orzo and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the broth, salt, pepper, and Cajun/Creole seasoning and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring once midway through, until the orzo is nearly tender, about 10 minutes.
  • Stir the shrimp and peas into the orzo (it will be quite creamy/brothy at this point; that’s normal). Cover and cook over low heat until the shrimp are opaque throughout and the orzo is tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Off the heat, stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter, the lemon juice, and chives. Right before serving, stir in the crispy bacon. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, then spoon into bowls and serve.

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Chef Recommended – Easy Vegetables

Dive Mom has been asking for more vegetables and fewer desserts in our Chef Recommended posts so being the cooperative person that I am I am posting two very easy vegetable treats.

Steamed Green Beans

This can’t be any easier. Bring home a bag of fresh green beans and trim the ends off (I prefer to do it on a bias with a pair of kitchen scissors). Set up your steamer and boil the water. When you are ready to put them on, add about half a cup of white wine or brandy to the water and then steam your beans. Don’t overcook them, you want them to be crispy. Now put them in a dish and add a little olive oil and salt to taste. This is a great time to try that herbed salt you have up in the cabinet. Cover and let the salt finish its work for about fifteen minutes and then serve.

Spaghetti Squash

Split the lengthwise and remove the seeds (save those for Dive Mom). Lightly apply some Olive oil and salt to the inside of the squash and lay face down on a roasting pan or cookie sheet. Cook for about thirty minutes until the fibers are easy to separate and look like angel hair pasta. Scrape out these fibers into a large serving dish and add butter and freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste. In our house, we like lots of butter and cheese so we tend to layer the butter and cheese to make sure everything gets a good coating. As a hint, use your microplane for the cheese and it will coat better with less cheese (or it will allow you to add more.) Cover for about fifteen minutes and then serve.