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

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

Travel

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Local Texas Scuba Diving – Reveille Peak Ranch

Quarry at Reveille Peak Ranch
The Quarry
Off the beaten path is a little known dive site in Texas.  It is just four hours from Houston, in the Texas Hill Country.  This site, the former home to the Dixon/Southwestern Mining Company is an open seam graphite mine.  Once the site of large draglines and steam shovels, it is now a water filled oasis in the heart of the Llano geological uplift.  This crack in the earth is filled with rising ground water, a natural spring and rain water and prneudes a natural habitat for a small number of fish and turtles.  You will find most of the fish in the shallows among the hydrilla plants that occupy the first ten to fifteen feet of water.  Below that, there are relatively shear walls or granite, marble, limestone, sandstone infused with graphite.  It is this graphite which makes the deeper depths. Interesting.  The bottom is covered with black sand and sparkling graphite.  But, this dark bottom and the orientation of the body of water make the deep parts of the seam as dark as a cave dive – little to no natural light can be seen at the bottom.   And the bottom is relatively deep with depths ranging from seventy to one-hundred feet.

Aside from the opportunity to try out your new diving lights, the quarry prneudes you the opportunity to use your hoods, gloves, heavy wetsuits or a dry suit.  The water temperature in the quarry was a brisk 71 degrees at the surface to a much colder 56 degrees at the bottom.  But, with all of these variances, there comes a treat in Texas – visibility!  While the first twenty feet had a slight green algae induced hue, the visibility was a respectable fifteen to twenty feet but drop into the cold, dark part of the quarry and the visibility grows to 40 to 50 feet.  Of course, at this part of the quarry, your light is the limiting factor.

Pavilian at Reveille Peak Ranch
The Pavilian at Reveille Peak Ranch

This quarry sits in the middle of a outdoor enthusiasts dream location, the Reveille Peak Ranch.  Designed by owner Vol Montgomery, as a place where you can enjoy activities away from the hustle and bustle of the city but not give up all of the conveniences.  The central feature is a large pavilion with ponds, pools, a commercial kitchen and a bar, perfect for any company sponsored function.  It overlooks a manmade lake stocked with bass and pearch so the fishing is active and the fish are large.  The fact that the Ranch operates a hook and release program and also feeds the fish makes them larger than you might find in a natural lake – of course this is Texas and we only have one natural lake so who cares.  This is a mecca for mountain bikers with miles of trails with different skill level challenges.  There are walking and hiking trails with a new nature center under construction.  Kayakers and paddle boarders will also enjoy the small lake which has trees sticking up from the depths to add to the paddling practice.

Tent Campsite
Tent Campsite

The Ranch also has camp sites scattered around the pavilion area that prneude for tent camping or RV camping with electrical hook-ups for both 30 amp and 15 amp hook-ups.  There are warm and cold water showers for both and toilet facilities near the Pavilion so you don’t have to go too native.  The staff at the Ranch are on hand to help you find your way or to make suggestions.  Andrea is the diving coordinator for the Ranch with John, a former mountain biking circuit rider, is on hand to help coordinate things.  Vol is also on the property to make sure things run smoothly.

The Ranch staff can also host other activities for groups including skeet shooting, children’s activities and obstacle course events. 

While there are some motels and guest cabins nearby, our group of explorers, which dwindled from twelve to six, all stayed and camped at the Ranch.  Ann loves camping so this was just up her alley.  Of course I am not really a tent camper anymore so my solution was to rent a small teardrop camper from a local dealer here in Houston.  It turned out to be the perfect match for the weekend with a comfortable bed and a nice place to prepare food.  Remember our motto here at Oceanic Ventures – local diving is a Barbeque interrupted by diving and as David likes to say, it is all about the food.  Wade brought steaks, potatoes and fresh cord for Saturday’s post dive dinner and I brought two nice bottles of wine to go with it.  I also had a surprise – homemade ice cream, made on site.  Of course it was not the most appropriate dessert because the temperatures dropped to a brisk 48 degrees.  But in my mind, ice cream is perfect any time.  We built a nice fire and shared dive stories and adult beverages until one-by-one we began to fade and drift off to sleep.

The scenery of the Ranch make this a perfect escape for divers and non-divers alike.  The diving, while cold, was interesting and fun.  The geology underwater is interesting with the graphite seams in the formations sparkling in the light.  Navigation is easy since the quarry runs north to south and there are no known caves or major overhangs.  Surface intervals are relaxing with a deck near the campsite or on the floating dock.  There are also hiking trails around the quarry if you feel you need more exercise.

One note for divers – the quarry is not open to the public.  To dive here you must go with a dive store, like your friends at Oceanic Ventures. 

Dive Mom's Birthday BashHow did we enjoy the weekend?  Well, Oceanic Ventures has decided to throw Dive Mom and birthday bash up at Reveille Peak Ranch on 26-28 April 2013 (i.e. this coming April).  Everyone is invited to the party and if you are interested in renting a teardrop trailer contact Charlie at hitchandgoadventures.com ahead of time and let him know you what one just like ours (we have already put in a reservation).  But don’t worry; Steve Soulen will be coordinating the tent campers and the ever present campfire! 

So, mark your calendars for April 26-28 and plan on joining us for a VERY fun weekend!

See More Photos from the weekend on our Facebook Fan Page or by clicking here.

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Scuba Divers Win Prizes at the Annual Dive Around Texas Competition

Dive Around TexasIt was unusually cold on Sunday morning, but that didn’t stop more than 100 Texas divers from coming out to the Annual Dive Around Texas barbecue and prize give away in San Marcos. Many local divers and dive shops we’re represented, including Oceanic Ventures, Inc. Also, representatives from some of the certification agencies and manufacturers were there as well; some of the atendees were  Eric Peterson with SSI, Tom Kurras with Cressi, Greg Gephart with Tusa, SEA&SEA, and Light and Motion.
We had a fun time, won some prizes—two of Oceanic Ventures’ own Steve Soulen won two Ikelite LED flashlights, and John Davis won a wetsuit.  The barbecue lunch was great and it allowed us to swap dive stories with people from all over Texas, folks from Austin, Grapevine, San Marcos, and even Corpus Christi we’re all represented at the Dive Around Texas event.
I’m glad I got enough dives in, because the prizes we’re really great! And, I can’t wait to get even more local dives in for 2013, hope you can join me underwater in Texas!

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Explore the Ocean with Google Maps!

Google Map from APO IslandSome of the newest technology related to diving has come in a form strictly for surface use, as Google Maps has recently expanded their Google Street View to the ocean and gone underwater to capture panoramas and videos of reefs around the world! Google Street View is an interactive program that allows users to virtually navigate streets, museums, and famous sites world-wide but has previously stayed on land. Google has teamed up with the Caitlin Seaview Survey to create images of 360o views of reefs, which will make phenomenal images of reefs and virtual tours of popular dive sites available to billions of people who have never experienced the underwater world.  

Google hopes to make these dive sites accessible to users to promote interest and conservation of the ocean and the images will be added to an archive for marine scientists to use for studies of these marine environments. From September to December the project will travel down the coast of Australia taking thousands of images that will be continually uploaded new sites to Google Maps. Currently there are six sites available to view on Google Maps, including three sites at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, two sites in Hawaii, and one of Apo Island in the Philippines.  

This is especially exciting for me because I have been lucky enough to dive Apo Island on an Oceanic Ventures trip and it is so cool navigate those sites via the internet! Although these images are amazing, they pale in comparison to the true underwater world of Apo Island. So, although Google cannot quite compare to really experiencing Apo Island, they’re making great strides forward and making dive sites more accessible to non-divers and divers interested in previewing sites in a sustainable way! 

You can see what I mean by going here.

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Trip Report – Live Aboard Scuba Diving in Belize

Belize Adventurers Photo
The group aboard the Belize Sun Dancer

The Belize Sundancer Adventurers are on their way back to Houston, they are all sad to see their week of fun and adventures being replaced by emails and text messages.  (@#$%& Internet).  But despite the return of reality.  the trip was awesome with 26 dives, and over 35 hours of bottom time for all!!!

Looking back on the week there were some fun things and some memorable notes.  Karen loved her new second strobe, Steve loved his new strobe and tey both have the photos tp [rpve it.  Mike promised to have an awesome YouTube video for us of fish and divers including a feeding octopus on one of the night dives. ( You will have to wait for a future post to see this one — video takes a little time to assemble.)

 Zaide once again ran out of socks to lend everyone…thanks Z!!! (Alex will be stocking up on socks so everyone can have a pair.)  Gordon helped the new divers find their way back to the boat so they could lose track of boat “bus” stop and just enjoy the fish while Kris helped refresh Ann’s memory by looking in her logbook to see if they were correct that they had met the Cpatain, Eddy, on a past trip when he was the dive master of the Bay Island Aggressor when it was moved to Belize especially for our group.

Thinking about Half Moon Wall I found it even more beautiful than I remembered it from my last dive here in 2003.  Sofie arrived with only 6 dives and became an Advanced Open Water Diver on the trip!! Congratulations Sofie!!!  Steve completed his 100th  dive and Bill his 300th dive.  And speaking of Bill, he & Debbie learned to really like their new full face masks.  Bill was even hear to comment that Debbie did not talk as much as he thought she would but he was happy for the communications device when the shark went by; Bill didn’t miss it while he was taking photos of blennies.

Barbara and Barney were first in the water on all of the  dives save for one and met their goal of photographing spotted eagle rays.  Rich was awarded the best buddy for a photographer and he and Steve prompted Ann to offer a Marine Life Id course while on board.

Two cylinder man, John, and Sharkbait Karen were able to finish Ann’s fish-id check list on one dive, at 30 feet under the boat without mneung more than two feet.  Great Lion Fish Hunter Jess assisted by Mike suggessfully removed 35 lionfish from the reefs.  Steve commented that there were more little fish this year and less lion fish.  An autompsy of the lionfish showed why….their favorite meals were sergeant majors, juvineele runners, and gobies.

Chef Jerry feed us wonderful local Belzian dishes, fresh fish or stuffed pork chops, peanut butter chocolate chips bars, fluffy rich cheese cake, and even turkey dinner.  Karim, John Eddie and Jerry lead the dives, photographed the fish and the guests, and waited at the ladder for up to an hour for each guest to get out of the water after leading dives just to help take off our fins and hand up equipment.  Waiting at the “bus stop” for the hang bar to swing was almost as much fun the ride the bar for the safety stop.

The comment after tubing sums up the week: “Where are we going next year?”   This says it all…great time, good friends, aweomse crew, memorable vacation.

My only comment is why wait until next year?

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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 – The Waiting Game

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Waiting seems to be a part of international travel. The time between check-out and leaving for e next phase of the trip do not seem to mesh. So here we sit, relaxing at the resort in anticipation of being picked up by the crew of the Odyssey for our next adventure here in Chuuk.
We have had some awesome technical scuba dives during our short stay here. Today we did one of my favorite dives here in the lagoon, the Aikoku Maru. Descending down the line the first thing you notice are the massive king posts, covered I coral growth and teaming with life. There is only half of e original ship the remainder having been blown off by a massive explosion ink the forward munition hold. But what remains is impressive. The stern gun still points to the sky as does the one remaining anti-aircraft gun on the top of the bridge structure.
The fly bridges and hallways are collapsing and some of the interior spaces are also sinking toward the bottom. There is a lot of growth all over the wreck but not so much as to obscure the features like the shallower wrecks.
Our visit to the wreck was short, 25 minutes on the bottom and 35 more minutes in the water column; and, no sharks today to entertain us.
We were also treated to a bar BQ by our dive master, Daniel, and the boat crew. A wonderful way to end our shore visit and to begin our live-aboard experience.
The diving continues…