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

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

Social Activities

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The Holidays are Coming for Scuba Divers

Wow, it has been a busy month here at Oceanic Ventures this month and it is not even half-way over.

OVIF-119Our charity event, A Night in Old Havana, was a great success.  We grossed over $8,000 for the Oceanic Ventures Foundation which was set-up to donate money and products to the places we visit as scuba divers.  The event itself was based around an old McNamara family photograph (yes, I really am Irish).  Sheridan, the professional Mixologist from Don Q Rums, served up very special cocktails  while Ashton kept the trays of food rolling from the kitchen.  Zaide and Alex helped serve the treats as did Ann and Eric.  There is no way we can ever thank all of the people who helped up pull this event off, but we will try.  We would like to especially thank Bob and Joyce Hoover, Ashton Arsement, Zaide Scheib, Jeremy Eich, Rosemary Keibler, Steve Soulen, Steve Jurbala and Joel Hershey.  We also want to thank our sponsors Don Q Rums, Cobalt Coast Resort, Dive Tech Grand Cayman and Tusa.  We also received some extra special gifts from  Jim Turley and Lee Emerson.  You should check-out all of the photographs from the party.  We have posted them on our Facebook page.

Santa UnderwaterSanta also dropped by for some underwater photographs.  We had both scuba divers, free divers (snorklers) and just swimmers jump in to have their photos made with Santa Claus.  Our favorite elf, Zaide, had a great time posing with Santa.  And, we almost made it onto Fox News — the talent, Ruben Dominguez, canceled on us at the last minute and the camera man did not want to film without him.  The loss was even harder since Eric, Ann, Alex and Heather, the Activity Coordinator for West University, all had to be at the pool at 6:30 in the morning!  But oh well, we still got a few fun photos of Heather with Santa Clause.  We want to thank everyone who came out and helpped as well as those who helped us with the event including Travis Hershey, Zaide Scheib, Joel Hershey, Keegan Madden, Alex Witschey and Eric Keibler.

Of course, the specials do not end with these events.  The Holidays continue with some other special events including:

There are special pricing and give-a-ways each of these days.  You really must read more about them; they will be loads of fun!

Santa and HEather

 

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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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Puffy Clouds in a Blue Sky, Hydrilla Fairy Forests and Fresh Water Sponges – Scuba Diving in Texas

Texas Blue Sky and Puffy Clouds
Texas Blue Sky and Puffy Clouds (c) Ann Keibler
Madison and I decided that a Sunday afternoon at 288 Lake was just what was needed for the holiday weekend. It was a beautiful, picture perfect Texas blue sky day with just the right amount of white puffy clouds. We met on the back side of the lake at Ted’d favorite spot, where he also met us, continuing his work on the mapping project . The water was warm at the surface , 79 or 80 degrees f , and cool but nice 76 at depth. Visibility was awesome, at least two body lengths of Madison, so 12+ feet of clear !! The Hydrilla looked like a “Fairy Forest” dusted with soft powder on each of its star like leaf patterns. And as if each was placed at differing heights to make a perfect arrangement. It reminded me of the opening scene of the recent Oz mneue.
ANN HydrillaWe visited the boat that lives under the big red ball. The very curious blue gill “damsel” fish alternated between farming their algae and staring at us. The eyes are surrounded by a very thin iridescent coral pink colored ring. And they love to come stare at you if are holding still or the also like a nibble or two at your glove. They are occasionally chased away by the perch “barracuda”. It was too warm for the “penguins”. Madison said they had left when the viz was so bad this winter and it was starting to warm. But we did see what we think are the start of several patches of an encrusting light pinkish sponges. It had started to encrust around the wood support on the roof, around the broken out window near the port side cleat, and in one of the exposed cable bands on the aft port  roof. We had never seen a fresh water sponge but are fairly certain that is what is growing there.  The pattern is similar to encrusting sponges, they have the tell-tale mouth holes, and skeletal structure, texture, indicative of a sponge.
All and all it was a good day. We both got two 60 minute dives on one cylinder, swam the lake underwater, found new critters, and enjoyed Madison special lettuce and cheese sandwiches and dark chocolate.
How was your Sunday?
Come visit 288 Lake in June with me and Madison and meet the barracuda and damsel fish.

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Scuba Divers Enjoy Wade's Crawfish

Crawfish Chef Wade Sparks
Chef Wade finally gets to sit down and enjoy some crawfish.

The secret is the garlic and the butter at least that is what Wade was overheard saying this weekend at Wade’s Cajun Crawfish Boil down at 288 Lake.  Whatever the secret mix of ingrediants were, everyone on hand said that his crawfish were the best they haever eaten!  And this was from some “professional crawfish eaters.” Wade kept the pots going with sack after sack of crawfish and with a seperate pot of Gumbo cooking away.

The group sat down to cold tea (& a few beers), warm crawfish, corn, muchrooms, garlic and hot gumbo over rice.

In addition to the crawfish boil, Alex had a group of Advanced Open Water students and Vernon had some Dry Suit Students.  The divers had a great time with a lunch break in between.  Steve Soulen wven had time to set the First Dive Cache in Texas. A really fun weekend — Thank’s Wade!

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Houston's First Dive Cach Ready for Scuba Crawfish Boil Weekend

David & Steve in Mexico
David Dobrowski and Steve Soulen, OVI Cache Master, in Cozumel
Oceanic Ventures, own Cache Master, Steve Soulen, announced that he will have Houston’s first Dive Cache ready for divers to discover during Wade’s Crawfish Boil and dive at 288 Lake on March 24, 2013.  If you are unfamiliar with DiveCaching it is the underwater version of GeoCaching, a sort of treasure hunt using GPS coordinates and a little detective work.  These caches are placed for others to find and discover the locations.  Inside each cache is a log for the finder to sign as well as a treat which was placed there by the last group to visit the cache.  The idea is to sign the log and then you can take something from the cache but you must leave something in it as well.
Steve will be placing the cache somewhere in 288 Lake and then posting the instructions on how to find it on the GeoCache website.  He will also monitor the cache and post the logs periodically to the website.  He has plans for placing other DiveCaches in area lakes to make the search even more fun.  Keep watching for hints to this location as well as others around Texas.
Watch this  short video clip to learn more…

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The 12 Days to a Scuba Christmas

As you may know, I just returned from a short visit to the Cayman Islands. Diving in December could not have been better and I did not have to wear a drysuit!  Today, while I was cleaning out my email inbox I stumbled upon a note from the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism – are you sensing a theme here?  It seems that they are having a Christmas contest for crafty and culinary divers. The prize is roundtrip airfare for two on Cayman Airways and they are giving away three sets of prizes.  The contest, “12 Days to a Cayman Christmas” seems like a fun way to get your entire family involved in diving without leaving home!  Of course, that is not the idea behind diving but the water is a little cold here right now even if the air temperature is not (I love living in the South!)
There are twelve different projects and you post your entry in a photograph to facebook by the 21st.  Then, from the 17th to the 24th t everyone votes for their favorite entry.  So you are asking what do I have to do?  Well, there are twelve challenges to complete.  You only have to do one to enter the contest but the more you do, the greater your chances of winning.  Here are the challenges (remember, you only have to do one to enter):

  • Challenge #1: Bake a Gingerbread House in the form of an old time Caymanian House
  • Challenge #2: Make a Cayman Catboat out of any craft items from your local craft store.
  • Challenge #3: Make a Christmas Ornament pertaining to anything in the Cayman Islands
  • Challenge #4: Make a Christmas Card representing the Cayman Islands
  • Challenge #5: Create a Christmas logo for Sir Turtle
  • Challenge #6: Create a Cayman Islands Christmas T-Shirt
  • Challenge #7: Bake a cake inspired by the Cayman Islands
  • Challenge #8: Use shells from your local craft store and design them to represent the Cayman Islands
  • Challenge #9: Make a Caymanian dish for dinner.
  • Challenge #10: Decorate a Christmas Tree inspired by the Cayman Islands
  • Challenge #11: Design a Cayman Islands Christmas Post Card
  • Challenge #12: Design a Stocking stuffer in a Cayman Islands Theme

So, if you can’t get wet right now, why not think about the islands and have some fun with your family?  You can enter the contest by visiting www.facebook.com/visitcaymanislands.  And, be sure to let us know you are entering so we can go out and vote for you.
And of course Dive Mom can help you set up the rest of your adventure in the Cayman Islands…
See you in the Islands!