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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A New Facility is Coming – More Happening!

One Project, One Tool
One Project, One Tool
Just a quick update…
Abel Dominguezand his crew of painters arrived on Saturday and set about updating and transforming the interior.  Of course I did not help matters much by ordering the wrong size doors.  Luckily, Caesar knows everyone and fixed my problem post-haste.  The Carpenters are due in to install the doors tomorrow and the wall crews start tomorrow as well.  The exterior shutters are being painted as we speak.
There was a fence between the two buildings but after a discussion with the landlord, we removed the fence from the front and are going to bring it back to the back o f the building.  Aesthetically , it makes the building look larger while retaining the separate spaces.  Of course this meant that we had to remove some poles, grind down the little bit remaining in the concrete and fill the holes with concrete — all in the Texas sun!
More transformations tomorrow…
 

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A New Facility is Coming – Progress

After Ann and Joe ran around the new facility, replacing smoke detectors, adding fire extinguishers and replacing the battery operated “Exit” sign, we passed our occupancy inspection for the City of Bellaire which allows us to start working on the space to prep it.  We have also transferred the power and while transferring the utilities, Ann has now met the permitting staff at City Hall.  They helped her to figure out what we can and can’t do for signage and window treatments in the new space.  So, some plans have changed and others have developed further.

 

Helping with Sanding During His Visit.
Helping with Sanding During His Visit.

Progress – Small Things Count

Now that we have the occupancy permit, we are making progress on the new facility renovations!.  One of our friends stopped by while he was in town and volunteered to help.  Little did he know that he was about to be covered in plaster dust as we sanded down a plaster wall that was too rough for the paint that we had selected.

When he was done, the wall looked much better and the paint will hide the rest of the sins.  He also helped by removing all of the doors we no longer needed as well as all of the hardware to make the painting go faster (and reducing our cost).  The new interior doors we selected were not available until September 17 so back to the design team and well — we have new doors on-site ready to install!  The carpenters are scheduled to come in this weekend to install the doors and the painters are shooting the upstairs ceilings.

Christian Helps Install the New Microwave

After reading Dive Mom’s Wish list, Joe donated a microwave oven to the cause.  On Friday, Christian came by and helped me install it in the “kitchen/Repair Area.”  Yes, install it — it is a large under the counter microwave.  Christian and I looked at it, internalized Joe’s hints and then dreamed up the way to install it.  NO there weren’t instructions with it!  With a little ingenuity, we got it installed!

We have done a lot of other things this week too:

  • Removed most of the light fixtures,
  • Removed the non-working refrigerator,
  • Purchased new hardware,
  • Ordered track lighting (who would have thought that track lighting was our of vogue for homeowners so it has been discontinued locally),
  • Removed old mail boxes, ready for a new one we purchased, and
  • Installed some light fixtures.

The transformation continues…

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A New Facility is Coming!

5808 Newcastle in Bellaire, Texas 15 Minutes from the current location!
5808 Newcastle in Bellaire, Texas 15 Minutes from the current location!

Our current location is being torn down, not for an intergalactic superhighway, but for another shopping center.  We have been looking for a new home since we found out about the plans for this property last year.  Well, with the help of a lot of people including, Joe Henry, we found a new location and we have signed a lease.  Now we have to renovate it and get it ready for our diving friends and family.  Keep watching here for the progress toward the Grand Opening and the party we are planning to showcase the new facility!

The Plan

The floor plan
The floor plan

As you know, Oceanic Ventures is a Boutique Dive Facility so we operate best in a little different type of facility.  The new facility is no different.  The retail showrooms are divided up into three different spaces and there is now a separate room for orientations or small classes.   The classroom will be upstairs and Eric has been put up there as well to aid in his workout program.  Ann will still be near the front to greet people as they come in.

The compressor and trimix blending station will be on-site along with an expanded repair area.  We also plan for an outdoor patio and BBQ grill and entertainment area(so fajita Fridays will be coming back).  Maybe we can even find a Guinness Tap to put in!
There will also be a small apartment on the second floor which Ann plans on renting to some medical Fellows or Residents.  This will allow for future expansion.
The near/long-term plan is to bring the compressor to the facility in a weatherproof container in the back along with a new repair workstation.

Progress Towards Opening

We have a number of things to do before we are able to move from the current facility to the new facility.  Zaide Scheib helped us with line drawing for the facility and the containers and Holland Geibel has been working with Ann on wall colours for the facility.
We are also working on the interior to prepare it for the for the carpenters and painters.  Along with finishing plans for the containers.
Dive Mom has also put together a “wish list” for things we need for the facility that someone might want to re-purpose to us.  You can see it here.

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Scuba Red Hat Day

In case you missed it, June 25 is “Red Hat Day.” If this is news to you and you are wondering what Red Hat Day is all about, it is a tradition started by the National Marine Sanctuaries.  Specifically, “on June 25, 1997, the ocean lost a great advocate—Jacques Yves Cousteau. Rather than mourn the loss, the National Marine Sanctuaries choose to celebrate the inspiration he provided to many of us in the field of ocean conservation today.
Red Hat Day is now a National Marine Sanctuaries tradition. It’s a day to remember the wonderful films that gave us our first glimpses beneath the waves; the hypnotic, French-accented narrations that described the beauty of the underwater world; the new technology that made the ocean that much more accessible to future generations.”
In late 2017, Fourth Element introduced a special edition red hat in honour of Jacques Cousteau.  We were among the first to purchase them and gave them to our staff at the holiday party.  Since then, the demand was so great, that Fourth Element added them to their line as a regularly offered product (although they are sometimes in short supply).
Now you may be asking yourself why did he wear that red cap?  According to the Historical Diving Society, “During the days of the standard-dress diver, enclosed in canvas suit and copper helmet, the diver was obliged to wear something on his head to keep him warm, because the breathing air that continuously blows into the helmet is very cold. It was even colder than the surrounding water, because by the time it arrived down the long air hose through the water, it had not only attained the low water temperature, but as it enters the helmet it expands slightly, thus chilling it a little more. Further, the air is deliberately blown around the helmet to ensure effective ventilation and to prevent any build-up of expired air, as well as prevent condensation build-up on the viewing ports. This adds a ‘wind-chill’ factor to the cooling effect.
The early divers would have used whatever was the common form of thermal head protection around at the time helmet apparatus was introduced, viz the 1840s. This tended to be a red woolly cap that was commonly used by sailors of the time and especially the oyster fishermen from Whitstable in Kent, England, the ‘home’ of helmet diving. A quotation referring to these hats came about in 1851 when someone described the oyster fishermen tied up at London’s Billingsgate fish market, selling their loads of oysters:
“Who’s for Baker’s?” “Who’s for Archer’s” Who’ll have Alston’s” shout the oyster merchants and the red cap of the man in the hold bobs up and down as he rattles the shells about with a spade”
Contemporary paintings of sailors and boatmen also illustrate the common use of the red woolly cap. Even men in diving-bells needed to keep their heads warm and so used the red woolly cap.
The caps themselves were of the ‘sleeve’ pattern, in that they were knitted as a sleeve. The two ends were stitched up and then the sleeve was half-pulled inside-out, making it a doubled layered sleeve, now open at one end. The open end was pulled over the head and the lower edge was turned up to provide a four layered band around the forehead. The red diver’s cap tradition was therefore established at the same time as diving helmets were introduced at the oyster fishing port of Whitstable, UK.
It is interesting to also note that the famous British diving equipment manufacturers, C. E Heinke & Co and Siebe Gorman & Co of the 19th century, included the red woolly cap in full sets of their diving apparatus sold. (Ref: “Another Whitstable Trade” by Dr. John Bevan)
Like those early divers, current divers find warmth with “watch caps,” whether they are the traditional red or the newer polar fleece versions also available at your favorite Dive Facility – Oceanic Ventures (yes, Fourth Element makes these too).  At the end of the dive day, if you put on your cap you will get warm in record time — ok maybe a little hot tea or hot chocolate will help too.
So grab your hat, some good wine (Cousteau was French after all) and sit back and watch an episode of the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau…

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Member Special on Big Green Eggs

This month, one of our Club Aquarius sponsors, Sweetwater Pool & Patio,  has a fun special for the summer — Big Green Eggs!
This is your chance to own one of these fabulous ceramic cookers and prepare the juiciest ribs your family has ever tasted (ask Eric & Wade both owners of ceramic grills).  The smaller units are perfect for your Dive Around Texas Scuba Diving cookout or a cookout at the lake.  Remember, as Eric says, “Texas diving is a barbecue interrupted by diving.”  And as a special offer, if you go in and ask Shelia or Kim to ring your egg up, they will even throw in a free bag of smoking chips to get you started.  They also offer a full line of BGE accessories as well as other pool and spa accessories.  Go by and visit and see what you have been missing!
Here are some of the specials (while supplies last):

 

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Diving the Philippines – A Teaser

philippinesThe Philippines is a country with over 186,000 square miles and over 7600 islands.  There are over fifteen primary areas for diving, stretching from La Union in the north to Davao in the south.  All but Apo Reef and Tabathaha are just off island communities; these reefs must be reached by boat.
In her presentation at Club Aquarius on 22 March 2018, Ann Keibler will be   talking about diving in the Philippines and the differences between the various regions of the Country and where she thinks the most diverse diving areas are located.
Come find our more by attending the meeting at 7:00 PM at the Black Labrador Pub.