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

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

Christmas

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Mom needs your list!

It is hard to believe that 2023 is coming to a close and 2024 is right around the corner. The good thing is that the holidays are coming and it is a perfect time to outfit the divers in your family with some new equipment or some training. Or, better yet, give them an adventure as a gift so the fun continues far past the holiday.

You can think of the staff at Oceanic Ventures as your own personal Christmas or Holiday Elves. Tell us what you are thinking about and we’ll help you put together the perfect gift for the divers in you life. And we’ll even help your family come up with the perfect gift for you.

Remember, we have gifts in all price ranges and for divers and non-divers alike. If you are not sure, we also have gift cards to make mailing easy!

Oceanic Ventures Elves

Dive Mom and the staff at Oceanic Ventures is here to help you make this year a special year. So send us your list or call and we will help you find the perfect gifts. And, we’ll pull everything together for you, wrap it and even deliver it right to your door!

Free Gift Wrapping Available!

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The Houstonian Hosts Santa for Underwater Photographs

The Houstonian Hotel, Resort and Spa hosted Santa Claus for an underwater photography session.  The Houstonian staff were on hand with Hot Chocolate complete with marshmallows and the Oceanic Ventures staff were in the water taking the photographs and entertaining Santa!  People of all ages joined us and even a little rain did not stop the festivities.  To see what you missed…
 

 

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No Jingling But Some Scuba Stocking "Stuffers"

Stocking Stuffing Ideas


It is the Christmas shopping season and if you are like me, you started noticing holiday decorations being put up in early October.  I have a hard time getting into the season before Halloween, Thanksgiving, and my Birthday.  But going into any store now, even HEB, you hear Christmas music and the trees are blinking.

One of our clients hurried over the day before Thanksgiving to do some shopping  and said “I wanted to come here to take a breath of quietness before all the rush begins.”  With that, Ann and I started thinking that maybe we all need a break from all of the constant holiday hype.  So this weekend we are offering you a break from all of this.  This is not to say that Oceanic Ventures has been taken over by Ebeneezer Scrooge but we want you to enjoy the holidays!

So, get a break from the ring-a-ling-ing, jingling, blinking, winking, and holiday singing.   There will be no bay-berry, cinnamon spice, evergreen,  nutmeg, or cookies;  ok, maybe we will have cookies or brownies.  Everyone needs a snack.   So we won’t have lights, greenery, blinking or endless Glenn Miller and Bing Crosby singing.  But we will have treats to eat and drink starting this week.  We will wrap your presents and even can arrange for delivery.  We will try our very best to have friendly and warm faces.  But the only decoration will be a very large red stocking, and maybe a wreath!

Why the stocking?

Why!  Because everyone needs a few little things to add to their diving system!  Even if your diving friend who  “has everything” there are still some little things they need.  Come by and let us help you fill up your stocking and have an adult beverage and a cookie too!

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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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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!

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Christmas, Lights and Moisturizer

With the passing of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Christmas & holiday season swings into high gear.  Holidayparties start occupying weekends and many weeknights, there are office luncheons, and times to overdose on holiday treats all coming up over the next three weeks.  

 At the store, we bowed to pressure and Alex put up the Christmas decorations two weeks ago and even found Al’s Santa Hat.  Dive Mom has already been wrapping packages (remember we have free gift wrapping) and Alex has been shipping gifts out to divers not in town.  People have been shopping (but there is still a number of you who have not been by or called to complete your Holiday Wish list).  The gift card and specials drawing box is beginning to fill with names but the odds of winning the $500.00 gift certificate are still favorable.

 As the weather gets colder and you turn on your heaters, you may find your lips and skin drying out more.  Since we are used to the humidity here inHouston, we notice this drying action more.  So, it is important to sooth your skin and lips to put back moisture and protect your skin.  If you are at a loss about what to use, we have some wonderful products fromFijithat put back essential moisture as well as reminding you about those wonderful days in the sun.

 In between your shopping trips and wrapping (for those items you did not get from the dive store), this is the time to finish putting up your Christmas lights.  To give you a little inspiration, I found a video to help you plan your lighting.  Let me know what you think!