Social Activities

March 23, 2023 by Eric Keibler

The Master Liveaboard BBQ Nothing but Fun!

If you watched the email or checked the calendar we has a really fun event. Mark and Alex, from Master Liveaboards, came into Houston for a visit and we all thought it would be fun to have a BBQ party in the backyard! And, that is exactly what we did.

The Menu for the evening included:

Indonesian Sambal Chicken,
Philippine BBQ Pork,
Sambal Tempe
fragrant rice,
grilled vegetables,
Green Beans steamed with with Thai chilies and lemon grass, and
Treebeard’s Butter Cake

Steve Jurbala, our own distiller, provided us with dome Boquerón Rum cocktails to go with the dinner menu.

Mark and Alex got the opportunity to tell some stories, talk about diving and invite people to go diving on one of their awesome dive vessels.

Want to see how the party went? Click on the video below…

April 5, 2022 by Eric Keibler

The Oceanic Ventures Backyard

A Place to Relax

If you haven’t been to your favorite diving location lately, may we suggest stopping by your favorite dive store, Oceanic Ventures amd take a moment or two to relax and swap some diving storied with your fellow divers? Ann has been working hard to make our backyard a relaxing space meet your friends and enjoy some time outside.

We have had a number of impromptu cocktail hours in the backyard and an occasional cigar night too. It is amazing how relaxing it can be to talk about your next dive over a glass of wine, rum or a Topo Chico. You might even get Eric to pull out a homemade Setzer if you are lucky.

Just recently, a client donated another table and some chairs along with some lounge chairs. This latest gift along with the other table and chairs as well as a collection of umbrellas and a new fire pit make the backyard a really cool meeting place. We can comfortably seat 20-30 people and still have room for the kids to run around a play games.

Speaking of games, one of our staff donated an old fashioned corn hole game and a large jenga game. Ann found some lawn darts and we have about 6 hula-hoops and some soccer balls to boot. As you probably already know, children are always welcome at the store.

When a meeting calls for food, we are fully prepared with two gas grills, 2 charcoal grills, a column smoker and a pig roasting box. Couple that with the gas camp burners and a warmer and we are prepared for a big event.

Almost everything in the backyard has been donated by our clients. They have been instrumental in helping us create a special place in the middle of Houston and Bellaire. We really appreciate their generosity!

Gardens

Ann and a few of the staff have been working on enhancing the garden and planting in the back yard. The freeze killed the bannana trees but they are beginning to come back as is the star jasmine. This past weekend we rehabilitated the sugar kettle garden adding a beautiful new lily, some other plantings and a few goldfish. The fish are still getting used to their new home so they hide a lot but they are getting used to people being around.

During the COVID shut-down, Ann was jealous of everyone working in their gardens so she started one at the store. Now, it is time to replant the vegetable gardens. Last year we had fresh tomatoes for months as well as onions and peppers. I found some pepper seeds for some colorful exotic peppers so I am looking forward to those fruiting this season. She is also looking at planting some basil and rosemary. If you have some suggestions, please send her a note. She likes to hear what people have had success with here in the area.

Never Finished…

We still have some plans for the future. We are looking for a rolling cooler and a stock tank to make a pool/fountain to add to the ambiance. We are also looking at adding more fans for the summer months as well as some outdoor speakers. Do you have some things you need to find a home for?

March 15, 2021 by Eric Keibler

St Patrick’s Day 2021

The last twelve months have been a little unusual to say the least. Many people cleaned out their spare rooms, garage and attic while working from home while others reinvented themselves. We endured a polar “Ice-apocalypse” and now have the opportunity to replant our yards and paint the walls and ceilings of our homes. Yes, it has been an interesting twelve plus months! The warmer weather is here and the lakes will start their long warming trend so those who have avoided the drysuit course can finally get back into the water.

We will probably wait until next year to head out to the annual St Patrick’s day celebration at the Mucky Duck but that doesn’t mean we wont be celebrating our Irish heritage here are Oceanic Ventures. Like in previous years, Eric will be continuing his Sean Ahair’s (Grandfather in Irish) practice of sharing Irish Whisky with his friends throughout the day! So, come by for a wee bit of the Uische Beatha either in a glass or disguised in an Irish Coffee (Ann’s favorite way to experience it).

A Special Green Sale in the Facility

And while you are here, look for some green shamrocks in the store which signify special pricing on those items (it took too much ink to color things green). We have some of them located on wetsuits, divers tools, camera equipment and may other items! While you are here you can also look at the new Bare Exo-Wear, and plan for your warm weather diving.

The History of St. Patrick’s Day

According to Wikipedia, The story of St. Patrick’s Day begins with the legend of the man himself—an actual person who lived more than 1,000 years ago. In the fifth century, a British man named Patrick had a vision of himself visiting Ireland and bringing Christianity to the people there.

The story goes that he traveled throughout Ireland, using a shamrock (or a three-leaf clover) to explain the Holy Trinity: Each of the clover’s leaves represented the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (This is why shamrocks are the national flower of Ireland, and why they’re used in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to this day.)

When St. Patrick died on March 17, 461, his death date became a national religious holiday in Ireland. Families would go to church in the morning and then celebrate for the rest of the day. The holiday typically falls during Lent, but the restrictions would be lifted for the day, so the Irish people celebrated by eating corned beef and drinking beer—a tradition that’s now used to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all over the world.

More than 1,000 years later, the tradition of St. Patrick’s Day parades began, although interestingly, they began in America and not in Ireland. Irish soldiers serving in the army held a march on St. Patrick’s Day in New York City in 1772, and since then most major cities in America have adopted the tradition of hosting a St. Patrick’s Day parade. The largest celebrations outside Ireland are the parades held in New York City and Boston.

But David and Jamie Morris and Ashton Arsement will argue that if you take into account the population, the largest St Patrick’s day celebration is in St Croix, USVI! The Island has almost 100% participation (over 100% when you count the visitors) in the parade and other festivities.

Invitation

Please come join Eric for some Uische Beatha, socially-distanced in the backyard (or tucked inside if it is raining). We may even have a few other treats…

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