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

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

Scuba Diving Activities

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New Technical Divers

David & Steve
David & Steve Getting Ready for a Dive

Recently, I had the opportunity to teach a new group of Technical Divers.  They were excited to expand their diving knowledge and learn some new skills at the same time.  We spent the summer Side Mount diving, and learning the Principles of Technical Diving.  Needless to say, I spent a lot of time at the lake.

When it was time to go on the deeper dives required for their Advanced Recreational Trimix Class we were scheduled to go to Lake Travis.  However, they decided that it would be more fun and a better experience if we went diving in clear water.  Now, for people who know me, I don’t particularly like teaching technical diving in Lake Travis because the reduced visibility limits the swim distances and the entire diving experience is shackled.  So, when they decided that they would like a better experience, I immediately began putting something together for Cozumel.

Cozumel is an ideal choice because you can get there easily with almost daily flights direct to the island from Houston and because the diving there is spectacular.  Additionally, the infrastructure for technical diving is there with mixed gas, bottles and sorb readily available.  Additionally, the food and lodging costs are reasonable.
We arrived on Friday afternoon and were boat-diving that afternoon – a 130’ tune-up dive.  Over the next two days, we ended up doing five decompression dives to depths in excess of 145 feet and still had time to enjoy the sun and Pepe’s world famous guacamole.  Our dives were joined by turtles, large groupers, moray eels, schools of snapper, huge lobster, crabs and plenty of crystal clear blue water.
 

David, Eric & Steve
Finished & Celebrating!
David and Steve found out that technical diving is more than minimal visibility, slow swims and brown objects.  Here they had sunlight penetrating all the way down, enough room to swim while keeping track of the team and decompression in clear water, with a reef sliding by underneath.  They also got to experience how nice it is to have the boat pick you up at the end and deal with the equipment after the dive.  This was a whirlwind trip – arrive on Friday, Leave on Monday but it was a better experience than the dives in Lake Travis they had originally planned.
I feel they are now better equipped to deal with the diving environments most technical divers will face.  They have a lot of experience in low visibility locations but clear water is also important and these divers have experience in both environments.

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Travel Log – The Scuba Diving is Finished, the Journey Home Begins

20120506-173112.jpgTravel seems to contain large periods of waiting surrounded by periods of fun and adventure. We are once agin in a holding pattern here at the Blue Lagoon Resort in Chuuk Micronesia having left the boat early this morning in order to allow the crew to prepare the boat for the new group of passangers to embark later this evening.
During these waiting periods, one has time to reflect on the adventurers of the week and the fun everyone had diving here in Micronesia. There were chance encounters with sharks, swimming with turtles, and there were moments of awe watching eagle rays and marble rays swim past the submerged toe-rails.
I was fortunate to dive with the Chief Engineer, Mike, who the last time we visited, had never dove before Ann introduced him to the water. We spent hours laughing and sharing stories with old and new friends along with diving to create new memories and stories.
Diving is about moments, moments of exhileration, wonder, joy and discovery. On a trip here you can experience a wide range of emotions and thrills as you dive among the wrecks slowly being reclaimed by the sea. Once carrying instruments of war these giant steel hulls now prneude entertainment and a home to millions of organisisms and animals.
Of course, I was especially touched when I boarded the Odyssey and almost every crew member asked where Ann was and wondered why she was not here diving with us. While some may feel a little jealous about the comments, I find it a wonderful tribute to her that even after two years, the crew remember her and have such warm feelings for her.
We were fortunate to have had good weather most days and a lot of time underwater. Alex Witschey and Jim Burton completed their Advanced Wreck classes and with the extra days here, Alex was able to complete the dives for his Normoxic Trimix certification. John Rydman was able to complete his SSI Wreck Diving Specialty and Chuck Gerlneuch completed his 1,900th dive on the Nippo Maru
– a truly impressive feat.
Those of us who had been here before all noticed the deterioration that has occurred since our last trip.Some ships have faied better than others, a testament to the quality and care of her shipwrights. Some, built during the years just before the war are after the conquest of Imperial Japan began, were not so fortunate and they are showing a faster reclamation by the sea.
During our week on the Odyssey, we visited the following wreck sites:

  • Kiyosumi Maru,
  • Yamiguri Maru,
  • Fumizuki,
  • Shinkoku Maru,
  • Unkai Maru,
  • Goesai Maru,
  • Hoki Maru,
  • Fujikawa Maru,
  • Nippo Maru,
  • San Francisco Maru, and
  • Kenso Maru

Each site offered a mix of traditional wreck diving and reef diving Of course, depth played a hand in determining if one thing or another dominated the site. And of course, there are the engine rooms — tempting holes beckoning divers to explore. Be sure to ask Alex about them, I do not think he missed one of them!
Of course all of our rebreather divers wish to send a special thanks to the California Trial Lawyers Association and to the judiciary system in California. With the loss of the Teledyne cells due to frivolous lawsuits in the “great” state of California, we experienced more cell failures and issues than on any trip I have ever run. The new AP Diving cells were not very reliable with at least three failures of brand new cells requiring me to ask other divers to bring more cells with them from the states. The Max Tech R22D cells did not like moisture and the AI cells did not like doing more than 2 dives a day. Fortunately, the new Vandegraph cells performed well throughout the two weeks. The lesson learned is that until the cell manufacturers learn to make a reliable cell similar to the old teledyne cells, rebreather divers must invest in a lot of spare cells; especially when they are diving in remote locations.
Also, for the rebreather divers, I am also happy to announce that the Odyssey is now a complete rebreather friendly location with the addition of rebreather cylinders left by our divers. They now have both 2L and 3L bottles! Diving a rebreather in Chuuk is an ideal way to see and explore the wrecks. Thank you for letting us help complete the circle!
Today you will find our happy crew scouting out old Japanese military sites, catching up on email, connecting with friends or family or just trying to entertain themselves. Ann’s favorite four year old, Jess, is probably causing trouble somewhere, while others are trying to figure out how to get their luggage repacked to conform to the United Airlines baggage restrictions. Lest we forget those civilized pursuits some of the group have elected to have a massage or a pedicure and manicure. Both prneuded on site for a reasonable fee.
Drinking is also an option but with a 50% tax on liquor and beer it is an expensive one.
Of course there is breakfast, lunch and dinner. Pam and I already spent the breakfast and lunch hours together – straight with no break, in the dining room. Of course Ann and were texting via Skype and Pam was doing her best to delete all of her work emails!
Our journey home begins when we gather in front of the hotel at 11:00 for our 2:30 am flight to Guam then it is on to Honolulu continuing to various points in the US. Where is Scotty when you need him? Beam me up Scotty!
Our Journey home begins…

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Travel Log – Scuba Diving in Truk Lagoon Finally

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The weather system we avoided in Kosrae seems to have followed us to Chuuk. The basic schedule is It rain overnight, clearing slightly in the morning until just the point where we are loading the boats to go diving and then a small squall runs through kicking up the seas and making for a wet ride out to the dive site. The skies and seas remain a little disturbed while we are underwater and then just after we re-board the boat after our decompression stops, the seas lay down making the ride back to the resort a smooth affair.
We have had some great dives during the shore based portion of our trip. We started with the Fujikawa Maru, which is a spectacular wreck with lots of sea life and coral growth. The engine room and forward holds were a little murkey, probably as a result of divers who were there before us. While the zeros are still there, they show signs of deteriation. It really demostrates that things built for a terestrial environment are not as well suited to life iunderwater.
Because we were here earlier than we had origionally planned, the group decided to dive the deeper wrecks in Truk Lagoon, especially since we will not be visiting them next week. We also decided to do some of the dives using Helium. Using Helium out here is a mixed blessing. It makes for a clearer head and safer diving but there is a price to pay. First, Trimix diving generally requires longer decompression times when compared to air diving which means that we all have to get used to hanging around in shallow water and looking at one another,
Of course the biggest price to pay will come on Sunday when the Blue Lagoon Dive Shop presents us with our diving and gas bill. Helium is $4.50 per cubic foot! The rebreather divers are each using about 7 cubic feet per day while the open circuit divers are using about 38 cubic feet per day. Lest we forget, there are also the oxygen and the bottle rentals. Deep diving in the tropics can be expensive!
I have also come to realize that in order to successfully dive in remote locations, you not only have to be a compotent diver, but you also have to be part mechanic and part dreamer, with a good dose of MacGuiver tossed in. We have already had our share of equipment glitches and malfunctions. Some we have had the spare parts for and others we have not. Parts are not readily available in this remote part of the world but Pam is arriving on Sunday with some parts to make our repairs easier and more permanent. I am already compiling a list of things I need to add to my expedition kit.
So far we have dove the following wrecks:
The Fujikawa Maru,
The Hein Maru,
The Shotan Maru, twice,
The Nippo Maru, and
The Fujisan Maru.
And for all of those fish lovers we have seen a large school of Baracuda, Tuna hunting, Eagle Rays and lots of small reef fish. Alex was so popular with three little yellow stripped fish that they followed him all the way around the wreck and up to his 10 foot stop. It was like having a bunch of high school girls following him around; the only thing missing was the fish trying to flirt with him.
Great diving and good friends, what more can you want. Ok, it would be far better if Ann were here instead of manning the store at home but the world is not a perfect place.
The diving continues…

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Need a reason to take that Trimix Course?

Underwater Object Discovered300ft down.. perfect reason for me to get hypoxic & expedition trimix certified.  Such were the words of one of our clients, John Mittendorf.  What was John talking about you ask?  Well it seems a group of Swedish treasure hunters discovered a perfectly round object at the bottom of the Sea of Bethena off the coast of Sweden.  According to the team, it is unusual because it is perfectly round and appears to have a “drag” clearing leading up to it.

Of course there are other reasons to take a Trimix course.  Imagine being able to swim with huge sponges reaching out and up from the depths along the walls in Grand Cayman.  Visit a turn of the century sailing ship in the Dry Tortugas or a WW II submarine from the United States and another from Germany; these await deep divers in the Dry Tortugas.  There are some incredible sites waiting for Trimix divers around the world including, caves, wrecks and walls.  Dave and I have been fortunate to have visited a number of them over the past few years and we are always looking for some other adventurous souls to join us.

John, may be right.  This might just be the reason to continue his rebreather training to include Hypoxic and Expedition Trimix.  Of course you will also need some practice in a dry suit.

Here is what CNN reported about the find:

 

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Open Water Side Mount Scuba Diving

Diver Hovering
Photograph by Pete Nawrocky

If you look through the various diving publications or look at current diving trends on the internet, you will find references to side mount diving. Have you ever wondered why? In order to help answer that question we should first talk about what side mount diving is.

Like the name implies, in side mount diving, you mount the cylinders on your side instead of on your back. This is accomplished using some clips on the bottles and the d-rings on your buoyancy control device, BCD. You can see a diver in side mount gear in the photo above.

So now that you have a basic understanding of what it is, you may still be wondering why? Side mount divers have a variety of resons fro switching to this method of diving. Of course technical divers have been doing this style of diviing for a long time in order to squeeze into tighter spaces; but recreational divers are discovering new reasons to try it.

One reason given by these divers is the fact that you can carry the bottles to the water or better yet to the boat’s dive platform one at a time and then enter the water with no cylinder. This allows you to reduce the strain on your back especially when you get to hand the bottles back up to the crew and climb out of the water with no cylinders on at all.

Another reason is simply a gas supply issue. This is especially desirable if you are a heavy breather. By carrying two bottles, you have a larger gas supply and can remain underwater longer. Yes, guys, this means you can stay down as long as your wife. An additional benefit is that by changing the placement of the cylinders, side mount divers trim out better or obtain a better, horizontal posture underwater.

You may be asking that if it is simply a matter of mneung the bottles, why should I take a course to learn how to do it? That is a good question to ask. One of the things you will learn in class is how to configure your equipment to best carry the bottles. Another thing is the scheme of changing second stages as you swim underwater. In another lesson, you will learn how to deal with the bottles and the beginning and end of your dive so you don’t drop them to the bottom (a really bad thing especially when you are over a wall).

So, to put it simply, there is a lot of interest in lightinig the equipment load exiting or entering the boats for all of us. Side Mount divers also love the extra gas available! If you have not tried it, you should take a course and get started…it is a lot of fun.

To find out more about Open Water Side Mount diving, send Eric an email or leave a comment.

 The next Open Water Side Mount Course is scheduled to begin 28 February 2012. Other classes are available. Email us for more information.

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Eric Keibler is in the News

cayman newspaperEric Keibler and Oceanic Ventures made the newspaper in Grand Cayman this morning!
The Cayman Compass publised Eric’s photograph and a note about the upcoming Rebreather Scuba Diving Event in Houston on March 29-April 1, 2012.
See the post here.
We hope everyone in the Houston area will join us for a unique evnt which featuers rebreather trials in the pool, presentations by Leon Scamahorn, CEO of Inner Space Systems and dinner with Leon on Saturday evening.
Form more information, please email Eric.