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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Santa Is Coming to the West University Pool For Underwater Photographs

Photo with Santa 2013 wu smallThe Christmas holidays still a little ways off but if you ever wanted a personalized Christmas or Holiday card, you should gather up the children and head over to the West University Recreation Center Pool on  2 November 2013 from 10:00 to 1:00 to have your photograph made with Santa underwater.  This is our seventh year to take photos at the pool and it is a lot of fun!  You can come with your scuba equipment or just your swimsuit.  The cost is $10.00 in advance or $35.00 the day of the event.  to find out more, please contact us at divesafe at oceanicventures.net or via phone.

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Eric with Santa
Santa in 2007
Santa and the Elves in 2008
Santa and the Elves in 2008
Photograph of santa and elph
Santa in 2010 with Elf Tamara
Santa & the Mittendorfs
Santa with John, Sean and Paige Mittendorf, along with a large Elf in 2011
Santa with Elf Zaide in 2012
Santa with Elf Zaide in 2012

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Experiencing the Solomon Islands a Scuba Diving Trip Aboard the Bilikiki

Diving in the Solomon Islands – Guadalcanal

Dive Manager - Csaba
Dive Manager – Csaba

 The morning finds is on our first diving location.  Diving off the Bilikiki is done primarily off the “tinies,” aluminum boats with cylinder holes and a small ladder. Csaba (pronounced Chaba) was in charge of the first dive and after the briefing it was – this way to the South Pacific and Tinie 1, Tinie 1 as the crew moved the diving equipment from the deck to the tinie.  The order was the same each day, diving equipment, cameras then divers.  All you as a diver needed to do was to let the crew members know that you were ready, move your name tag from “on-board” to “diving” and then step aboard your waiting diving chariot.

 The adventure continues…

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Experiencing the Solomon Islands a Scuba Diving Trip Aboard the Bilikiki

Beginning in the Solomon’s

 

Bikikiki
Photo by James Burton
Let’s just get this over with at the beginning.  The Bilikiki is an old vessel that is not as well appointed as many other modern live aboard diving and touring vessels.  The dining area has plastic lawn chairs and the tables are simple.  The main salon is not air conditioned and there is no wet head on the dive deck.  But, the crew on this vessel is second to none.  The newest member of the crew has only been on the vessel for two years but spent seven years on the Spirit of the Solomon’s, the sister ship to the Bilikiki.  Most of the remaining crew members have been with the vessel for more than seven to twenty-years.  The on-board diving managers have been here a year and come from extensive ship management in the Red Sea.  Needless to say, they all know how to make your life aboard special!

 Bilikiki CrewEvan, the shore based manager met us at the airport and like the crew on board the boat, Evan has been a part of the operation for a long time (I can attest that he was here in 2006 when we last visited the Bilikki.)  Amazingly, all of our luggage arrived with us and we were promptly taken to the Kitana Medano Hotel to wait for our time to board.  To capitalize on our available time, Ann had arranged for a tour of Honiara and some of the sights that made Guadalcanal such a memorable location in World War II.  There is a beautiful tribute to the men who died in the Pacific defending our freedom and bringing it to others.  This war memorial sits atop a hill above Henderson field and has multiple marble carvings highlighting the battles in this region of the Pacific.  So many men died here that the locals are still finding mess kits and other personal items scattered throughout the jungle.

20130906-_MG_0838The ships scattered on the bottom of Iron Bottom Sound even now contain the remains of American, Australian, British and Japanese sailors.  The majority of these wrecks lie well beyond the range of recreational scuba divers in over 240 feet of water.

Our tour also encompassed Henderson field (we landed here), the river near Red Beach, and a stop at the statue of  Sir Jacob Vouza, the Solomon Islander who alerted the allies to the advancing Japanese troops despite being tortured, stabbed and left for dead.  He survived, was Knighted by the Queen of England and even renamed his village to California so he could tell his friends in America that he was in California.

As our tour ended, our diving adventure was about to begin.  Csaba, on of the on-board boat managers met us at the hotel and transported us to the Honiara Yacht Club – a stuffy name for a simple location with small boats and a nice bar.  Here we joined our luggage which had already been loaded by the crew.  We were met by Daniela, the lively Venezuelan on-board manager.  She is also married to Csaba and no, he is not from Venezuela but rather hails from Hungry and Eastern Europe.

Equipment
Photo by James Burton

The first day on a live aboard is always busy with everyone scurrying around trying to assemble their dive equipment which is scattered around various bags necessitated by the airline luggage rules.  Only after everything is reassembled, tested and stored is there time to relax.

It was soon after dinner that the boat set sail for the beginning of our ten-day cruise through the Solomon Islands.

 

The adventure continues…

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Rebreather Scuba Diving – Not Just for Technical Divers


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Parrot Fish in Cleaning Station by Robert Hew
Photograph (c) Robert Hew

Imagine just floating and watching a parrot fish or a grouper in a cleaning station. While you are there, you see the little fish swimming in and out of the gills while small shrimp crawl around on the fish; their claws snapping at unseen items and yet content to continue their work. At the same time, there are other fish swimming next to you apparently unaware of your presence or more like unconcerned – except of course for the Damsel fish that keeps swimming around eyeing you like an unwanted visitor to his neighborhood. This entire time, the grouper just sits there waiting for the cleaning process to be complete, never very concerned about your presence. As the grouper swims away you slide your hand into the cleaning station and the shrimp crawl onto your hand for a quick cleaning…

This is a scene experienced by rebreather divers on a regular basis. The fish are less concerned by your presence when the bubbles are eliminated. For underwater photographers, this means that you have new opportunities for exceptional photographs simply because there are more photographic opportunities available to you. Recently, I was talking with Chris Parsons from Nauticam and he was relating a story about one of his favorite local dive sites. He said he gets a lot of strange looks when he jumps in the water with his rebreather… the water depth is only about 20 fsw to 25 fsw. But he said “I just love my rebreather – I can get much closer to the subject.”

One of the things I love to do is swim with a school of fish. Tarpon or snappers will often let me join the school and swim in circles with them. It simply amazes new rebreather divers when I am able to do this. On another dive in Grand Cayman, Dave and I watched mating squid up close and personal. It was a really fun experience (of course I didn’t have the camera then).

A rebreather offers photographers a number of advantages including:

  • ability to get closer to the subject matter,
  • Longer bottom times (i.e. more photographs),
  • Neutral buoyancy even while breathing, and
  • The Marine life behavior is not modified because of the bubbles.
  • And let’s not forget, you look cool in a rebreather!

So, what if you are not a photographer? Can a recreational diver benefit from a rebreather? Remember a rebreather is the great equalizer. A student of mine once commented that the reason he started rebreather diving was so he could stay in the water as long as the better divers. He was a big guy with large lungs. Instead of being the first one back on the boat, he wanted to be the last one on the boat. So, a rebreather enabled him to achieve his goal.

Rebreathers have allowed technical divers to make some incredible dives and participate in some awesome adventures. However, they have also allowed for some not-so-technical divers to achieve their goals and open up new worlds. Some of the photographs taken by rebreather divers rival those made by seasoned professionals and new fish behaviors have been watched and documented.

Rebreathers are here to stay and units like the Pathfinder from Inner Space Systems are making it easier and more affordable for all divers. So what are you waiting for? Come join the revolution before you are left behind!

Eric Keibler
Eric’s Father used to say that Odessa (where Eric grew up) was the hub of water in the state. You can drive 500 miles in any direction and hit water but there was nothing in-between. So it is not surprising that Eric moved to the coast to be nearer to water and trees. An avid diver and sailor, Eric loves being on the water. He serves as the Managing Director for Oceanic Ventures, Houston’s premier Scuba Diving facility where he teaches both recreational and technical diving. He is also an accomplished author, photographer and sailor.

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Traveling – Talking to Strangers

Ann with Hopi Artist Darrell at His Home
Ann with Hopi Artist Darrell at His Home

This morning I was reading a blog post by Richard Branson entitled “Do Talk to Strangers.” It seems his son went to Hawaii to go surfing but returned home when no-one would talk to him. I found that to be a sad commentary on life. I am basically a shy person, so initiating conversations with strangers can be difficult. If people are not open to the conversation then it makes it even harder.

One of the wonderful things about traveling is the interactions with people, especially the people who live and work in the places we are visiting. These conversations open a window into a whole new world and the daily life of the people in those places we visit. On a recent trip to Arizona, we met some very talented artists who invited us into their homes and work areas. Not only did we learn about their art, we caught a glimpse into their life on the reservation, their religious beliefs and their families.

Ann with Hopi Artist Davis at his home
Ann and Eric with Hopi Carver, Davis Cook at His Home

I love traveling with Ann, because she loves to interact with people and she is not shy about it. Children seem to come out of the woodwork to say hello to her and their parents tend to follow. She meets people everywhere and at times these complete strangers become lifelong friends. Her ability to talk to anyone makes travel fun and different. You just never know who she will meet. For instance, she met group of nuns in Ecuador who knew some of her elementary school teachers in Scottsdale. On another trip to Fiji, she was invited to go down to the river with a group of local village ladies to cool off and gossip. I am envious of her ability to always say hello and start a conversation with a stranger.

As many of you know, her conversations can lead to wonderful opportunities. Our school project where we carry school supplies to the places we visit started with a conversation with some of the local staff at one of the dive resorts. There is no reason we cannot emulate her openness to a conversation. Of course we have to be careful, but for an adult, rarely is a simple conversation a risk. It is sad that we ask our children to “not talk to strangers” because some “strangers” have a lot of information and stories that are interesting and fun. But, this warning should not apply to adults.

Ann With Children in Moscow
Ann with Children in Moscow

Don’t miss out on the stories and adventurers that people have to tell. Say hello to people you meet. Practice talking to people at home so you will feel more comfortable in foreign countries. At least be open to a conversation with a stranger; your life will be enriched.

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First Dive Cache In Texas Established by Scuba Divers at Oceanic Ventures, Inc. in Houston, Texas

Steve Soulen With Dive CacheThis past weekend, our new Cache Master, Steven Soulen, Installed the first Dive Cache in Texas.  The Cache was placed in 288 Lake in a secret location.  In order to find the cache, you can follow this link for the clues.

Like geocaching, the Dive Cache program is a way for individuals and groups to use their navigation skills to locate a secret “cache.”  These containers have some token items and a list of people who have discovered the cache.  The list of searchers is periodically posted to the main geocaching website, OpenCaching.com.

Looking for dive caches is a way for divers to practice their navigation skills and have fun doing it. According to Ann Keibler, President of Oceanic Ventures, “we saw that there were DiveCaches in a lot of other places in the United States but there were none in Texas.  Steve Soulen volunteered to establish and maintain the first in a series of Dive Caches that we hope to place in our local training lakes.  DEMA, the Diving Equipment & Manufacturing Association, the trade organization for the diving industry, has been promoting this program throughout the country but there were no Dive Caches established in Texas so we decided to step up and start the program ourselves.

This event even made the Dive Newswire!

Next time you are at the lake, try your navigation skills and find the cache.  But remember, if you take something out of it, you have to put something back in it that still represents a prize to the next searcher.