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

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

Local Diving

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Come On In…the Water Is Fine in October

September and October have been a blast up at the lakes! The outdoor West Bellaire pool was colder than the lake last weekend. This mean you shoudl take the time and join us for some fun local diving!

We spent the first weekend in October down at Mammoth Lake. The visability was great and the water was still warm — no drysuits yet! I had my newest group od Open Water Side Mount students join me for three tours of the lake while performing some fun skills for Joe Thompson and me. Thir perfomances were good and they looked like they were actually enjoying themselves on the third dive.

We also had a group of “just for fun” divers up there as well as two of our newest DPV divers .

Be sure to congratulations to all of the Open Water Side Mount divers!

This past weekend, Ryan completed his Open Water Class with Joel! and Rich rejoined the underwater world after a small 10+ year hiatus. Cora even took his wife snorkeling to find the elusive turtles hiding in the grass up at Blue Lagoon.

Be sure to congratulate Ryan and welcome Rich back to diving!

  • New Open Water Diver

There are still a few weekends left in October which means that there is still time for you to join us for some fun local diving. See our Events Calendar or call Dive Mom!

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Florida Gulf Diving – Pensacola July 2022

Florida Gulf Diving – Shore Based Diving in Pensacola

Trip 1: July 16-18, 2022

Trip 2: July 20-22, 2022

Overview

Join us for a Pensacola Summer Spearfishing Adventure with Charles Alvarez as your trip leader. This is a perfect chance to demonstrate your spearfishing and lionfishing skills! Two dives each day onto shipwrecks, artificial reefs or other structures known to hold a variety of fish species. This trip occurs during Red Snapper season!

Once the daily dives are done and the fish is prepared (or delegated to your trip leader to prepare), explore Pensacola and/or Perdido beach! Everyone will love playing or relaxing on the sugar sand beaches and Pensacola beach has a variety of activities including parasailing, jet skis and more for our non-diver family members. Dine oceanside at a variety of restaurants and, after the last days dive,
perhaps venture out to the famous Flori-Bama bar. Charles will be happy to help combine the underwater experience with topside recommendations from start to finish.

What is included?

  • * 3 days of diving – 2 tank dives each day
  • , Cylinders and fills (Nitrox Recommended)
  • * Rental Equipment (if needed – deposit or credit card on file, required) (pole spear, zookeeper, speargun, stringer)
  • * Fishing licenses and tags while on boat

Are there any Upgrades?

  • Ask about adding a dive to see the “Mighty O,” the Oriskany, an aircraft carrier sunk as an artificial reef! The flight deck is at 150′ and the views from the flight operations tower are stunning!
  • Cook your catch for dinner! Several restaurants will prepare your fresh catch.
  • Fish Cleaning – yes your trip leaser will fillet, vacume seal, label and freeze your catch for easy transport.

Are there any specially classes being offered?

Spearfishing & Safety, Deep Diving, Nitrox Diving, Boat Diving

May I use my rebreather?

Florida does not allow spearfishing on a rebreather. However, if you are just diving, you may use your rebreather. You will need to bring all of your own gasses and consumables.

May I sidemount dive?

This is a sidemount diver friendly vessel! You will need to bring your own hardware.

Special Oceanic Ventures Connoisseur Club Benefit

  • * trip brochure and packet,
  • * trip shirt, and travel leader.

Other activities that can be arranged… 

Shopping in town, City and cultural tours

What is not included?

Airfare, airport tax, other travel, room & board (we have some recommendations), trip insurance, equipment not listed, tips for the local crew.

Where are we diving?

You Will be diving some of the best that Indonesia has to offer!

How do I get there?

Most of the divers are driving their own vehicles. Ask Dive Mom about carpooling. There are some flights available as well.

Dive Mom – “Tell Me More!”

COVID Information

The traveler must be free from COVID before departure. These requirements are subject to change

The Fine Print…

Please see the Terms & Conditions page for a listing of our travel policies. Additionally, please see the Master Liveaboard terms and conditions. By depositing on the trip, you agree to both sets of terms and conditions. All prices are subject to change until booked and ticketed. All moneys are due in full on deposit even if not paid in full and some penalties may ably for cancellations based on the operators policies and group penalties.  As with most small island properties and vessels, cancellations are more of an issue so they have limited ability to fill unused spaces.  We highly recommend trip insurance to help avoid any unnecessary problems and should be purchased within 14 das of the initial deposit to receive the most benefit.  No refunds for missed flights or changes in plans. Trip insurance and diving insurance can be found at http://oceanicventures.net/travel-insurance/.  Both Dive Assure/DAN and Travel Guard have a family plan.  Diving Accident and Medical Insurance is required. Vessel and OVI travel releases are required.  Please plan to bring a copy of your logbook, c-card, and diving insurance.  

Passport must have a minimum of 6 months validity prior to passport expiration.  No refunds for missed flights or boats.

Note: All guests spaces are reserved upon deposit.  But unless a minimum number of guest sign up for the trip by the deadline dates, an Oceanic Ventures trip leader will not be attending.

Adventure Date

Trip 1: July 16-18, 2022

Trip 2: July 20-22, 2022

Travel

Travel or Airfare is not included in this trip. Your destination is Pensacola, Florida

Transit Arrangements

Dive Mom may be able to help with carpooling

Fare

All per person double and Club membership. First booked, first choice. Only 15 guest spaces available

  • * $900 pp
  • * Maximum trip size is 6 so don’t wait!

Deposit & Final Payment

Tell me More!

Travel Notes

  • * An Oceanic Ventures Application/Travel Release is required at time of booking
  • * A boat Release is required
  • *All pricing are subject to change until booked and ticked
  • * As with most small loperations, cancellations are more of an issue so they have limited ability to fill unused spaces. We always recommend trip insurance to help avoid any unnecessary problems. There are no refunds for missed flights or changes in plans. Travel Insurance (ie: comprehensive accident, medical, baggage and trip cancellation and interruption insurance) purchased at the time their reservation is made, may help protect guests from financial disappointment if they are prevented from making their scheduled trip due to illness or family illness, or in the event that unforeseen circumstances prevent the airline or yacht from making its scheduled trip.
  • * We require diving accident insurance. For your convenience below are links to Dive Assure . Both organizations offer Travel Insurance and Dive Accident Insurance and be purchased via our web site at https://oceanicventures.net/travel-insurance/.  Both Dive Assure and Travel Guard have a family plan. Dive Assure is diving insurance and also has a travel insurance option.

Travel Insurance

We highly recommend travel insurance to help cover you for unknown events that may occur. You should purchase it within 14 days of your deposit to receive the most benefit from the policy. We also recommend that you have coverage to help you in the event you need to leave for weather or other emergencies.

Thank you for letting us assist you with your family’s diving adventures!

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Happy Valentines Day! Tell Us About Your Favorite Dive Buddies…

On Valentine’s Day How About Remembering Your Dive Buddy?

One of the cool things about diving is meeting new people and sharing a common passion with them. I a sure you have had some memorible dive buddies over the years. How about taking a moment and sharing some stories about your favorite dive buddies. Tell us about where you met them and where you have been diving. Maybe you have a special Dive Buddy or two that you submerge with on a regular basis or maybe you like finding new ones on every trip.

Let us know in the comments or on Facebook. You will see this video on our page there too.

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Local Diving It is Not the Caribbean but It Can Still Be Fun

On the east coast they say boating and watersports season runs from Memorial Day to Labor day. After that you put your boats and equipment away and get ready for your winter activities. There may be some practical reason for this up north becasue traditionally in September the cold winds start to blow and the temperatures begin to drop. But, we live in the South! Here the temperatures merely moderate and in fact it is just pleasent outside. Sailors all know that this is one of the better times for sailing becasue the winds blow steadier and it is not as hot on the water.

Divers too find that the weather makes being at the lake more enjoyable. The temperatures mean the barbq grills can come out again and sitting and talking during the surface intervals are more relaxing. The water temperatures remain warm so diving in lighter suits is still possible. Of course with cooler nights, the water temperature will drop but until November, you can add some layers to your wetsuit and keep diving. (I am a little bit of a wimp these days and when the temperature drops below 76-78 degrees I switch to a drysuit).

This past Sunday, Joe Henry, Zac Gay and Naomi decided it was time to get wet and go diving. I haven’t been in a rebreather for a while so it was a good opportunity to test the new cells and jump back into silent diving. Zac brought his rebreather as well and we both made Joe jealous (he is going to put his together and get some new cells now.) Diving in a Texas lake is definitely not the Caribbean, but it is wet and there are fish. We had about 8-10 feet of visibility which was not too bad considering we had some rain recently.

The thing about diving locally is you have the opportunity to work on your buoyancy and trim instead of fighting with it on your vacation. You can also try out different equipment configurations or even different equipment! Budding photographers can practice with their cameras and try new of different techniques. It is a good opportunity to practice gunning lines or running navigation courses. Remember, what you work on locally makes your next trip more enjoyable and your diving better.

So, I would encourage you to head out and go diving! Join us for a local dive or just pick a lake that is close and go for a day or choose one a little further away and make a weekend out if it. Your diving will improve and your attitude will also improve.

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Baylor College of Medicine Try Scuba Event

It was a beautiful Saturday and an ideal day to go diving, even in a pool. We were joined by a group of Baylor College of Medicine students joined us for a TryScuba and Diving Rescue Medicine seminar. The event was coordinated by one of our clients, Nick Peoples, who is a medical student at Baylor.

After a brief introduction and welcome from our Medical Advisor, Dr. Michael Coburn, the students learned about what it was like to become a diver and go diving around the world, a little bit about the possible complications divers can suffer from and then to actually try scuba. For the few Club members already certified, we offered a Megalodon Rebreather demonstration. Dr. Melvin Harrington, from the Orthopedics Department at Baylor, jumped in on this opportunity as well.

During the day, Instructors Joseph Buren, Zac Gay, and Joel Hershey discussed SCUBA and took the students diving in the pool. They showed them a few skills and then they were off, working on becoming neutral and playing some underwater games. Zaide Scheib and Nick Peoples swam around capturing the moments and interacting with the students. David Snyder, one of our Technical Rebreather Instructors acted as the certified diver ring master with a Megalodon 15 rebreather. These divers thought it was “pretty cool!”

The one thing the physicians stressed to the students was “do it now. We know you are busy but you have more time to complete the training now than you will when you finish school and start your residency.” By doing it now, they open the doors to some fun recreation during their time as students and later as physicians.

Some have taken this advice to heart and are exploring diving and becoming a diver.

To see more of the days adventures, follow this link.

Dr. Michael Coburn Welcomes the Students and Talks About Why He Started Diving
Joseph Thompson Discusses Diving Physiology and Its Effects on Divers
Eric Keibler Discusses What it is Like to be a Diver, Where We Dive and the Steps to Become a Diver
  • David Snyder Introducing Rebreathers
  • Joel Hershey Discussing Diving
  • Zac Gay Getting Potential Divers Started
  • Joseph Buren Introducing Diving

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Dive In Saturday – October 5, 2020

The location has changed but the fun remains! Join us up at the Beautiful Blue Lagoon, Lagoon II, on Saturday October 5 for our monthly Scuba Dive-In! This is your opportunity to grab your dive buddy and come scuba dive and explore Lagoon II. This is the perfect time for you to work on your navigation skills or your buoyancy.

Eric has some instructor candidates but there is plenty of room to set-up your tarp with your buddy and enjoy the day! So, come diving and have some fun!!!!!

If your are interested and need more information contact Eric or Dive Mom!