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What Is Coral?

January 5, 2013 by Eric Keibler Leave a Comment

Coral Structures
Copyright Eric V. Keibler

This morning I was reading the NOAA Educational Newsletter and Kelly Drinnen, the coordinator for the Flower Gardens National Marine Sactuary and she had an interesting article on just what is coral. In it she writes “Steve Palumbi of Stanford University gives it his best shot with this great 3-minute Microdoc in which he explains that corals are, among other things, tiny animals that make skeletons big enough to be seen from outer space. We love this; it makes the underwater world a bit easier to understand, which we think is essential for conservation.” In the video, Dr. Palumbi explains coral and a coral reef using a coffee cup, a glass and a plumaria flower. He also cuts back to underwater scenes to demonstrate his points. I have to admit is is a very effective way to explain the nature of this small animal. You should watch it…it is only about 3 minutes long.

Filed Under: Conservation, Pacific, Scuba Diving Activities, Video Tagged With: conservation, Coral, marine life, pacific, underwater photography

At the Office – Diving the Pathfinder Rebreather

December 10, 2012 by Eric Keibler Leave a Comment

Eric Keibler on a Pathfinder Rebreather in Grand Cayman

Just another day at the office. at least that is what I tried to convince Ann was happening the past five days in Grand Cayman. One of our friends, Pam, even said that maybe they needed to “meet in our conference room.”

But really, I was in Grand Cayman to complete a training program on the Megalodon and Pathfinder rebreathers. You can ask Emma or Nancy, I was in class each morning and diving in the afternoon…you know skills, drills and well ok, some fish, corals and steel; one dive was on the Kittywake.

While I have a lot of experience diving the Megalodon rebreather, the real treat of this trip was to dive the Pathfinder in something other than the pool. Not that I mind the pool, but there is something more interesting about a vertical wall with fish, colourful corals and vibrant sponges. Remember, part of my training was swimming in the unit.

Eric Keibler and Leon Scamahorn diving Pathfinder Rebreathers in Grand Cayman

The Pathfinder is designed with a more recreational diver in mind. Underwater photographers will love this unit because it is small, easy to use and provides the advantage of not scaring the fish away with every breath. One of the things that appeals to me is its size and weight. The complete unit will fit in a carry on suitcase and will not require help from three of your diving buddies to put it in the overhead. For divers with camera, the unit is robust enough to go as checked luggage as well.

The unit can be configured with a standard over the shoulder set of counterlungs or with the new top of the shoulder counter lungs. One of the other configuration options is the diliuent bottle. You can configure it like a standard rebreather with the diliuent and oxygen supplies mounted to the canister or, alternatively, you can utilize the bailout cylinder as the diliuent thereby reducing the weight and simplifying the rig for the diver.

Unlike some of the other rebreather designs for more recreational divers which try to minimize any diver thought or input into the system, the Pathfinder is designed for a thinking diver. Since you can never fully factor out the human interface, Leon Scamahorn, designer of the system, believes that the diver should be included and involved in the system. This does not mean that the system is complicated but rather it needs some input from the diver during the set-up and initialization phases of the dive. Further, it offers the diver more options in dive parameters and uses.

While a purely “recreational” diver will love this unit, the Pathfinder is capable of moving beyond what we normally consider to be recreational diving. Leon designed the unit to have enough scrubber media and system capabilities for a diver to do a typical normoxic trimix dive (using helium in the breathing mix.)

So you are probably asking what did I think about it? It was a real treat to dive a lightweight but capable rebreather. The work-of-breathing, a performance measurement, is similar to that found in the Megalodon rebreather. What this means is that it is easy to breath in the horizontal position as well as upside down and while facing up at the surface. The electronics are straight forward and easy to understand both on the surface and underwater and they do a good job of controlling the oxygen set-point or level. I found the unit trimmed well so it was easy to swim with in the water and because of its size and weight it was easy to exit the water. The scrubber packs easily and the assembly is easy and straight forward. It flushes easily and takes minimal amount of time to correct the oxygen levels.

Eric Keibler and Leon Scamahorn after Eric’ s Final Check-Out Dive for his Instructor Certification

If you are interested in rebreahers, I think this unit is a good alternative for more capable and expensive rebreathers. It provides a lot punch and is ideal for a photographer or any typical “recreational” diver as well a diver wanting to venture beyond the recreational limits sometime in the future. The Pathfinder is a very capable unit and may be the only unit you will need for the style of diving you have in mind.

Filed Under: Caribbean, Photography, Rebreather, Rebreathers, Scuba Dive Training, Scuba Diving Activities, Travel Tagged With: diving, Grand Cayman, Leon Scamahorn, Pathfinder, Rebreather, Training

First Ever Sighting of the World’s Rarest Whale!

November 19, 2012 by marinawatowich Leave a Comment

One of the world’s rarest animals, the spade-toothed whale, has now been seen for the first time in recorded history. A mother and calf beached and died in New Zealand earlier this week. Previously the only evidence that this species exists has been three bones pieces that have been found from the 1800s through the present. The bones were difficult to identify because although they were similar to other beaked whales, they did not fit any bone structures of known species. Originally many of the bones were tentatively identified as Gray’s beaked whale, which is within the same family as the spade-toothed whale. Now, after using mitochondrial DNA sequencing to compare the spade-toothed whale bones to Gray’s beaked whales showed that the bones were from a separate, unknown species, then termed the spade-toothed whale.

Whales of the beaked whale family (Ziphiidae) are amongst the most rarely seen whales and are one of the least known families. This is due to beaked whale’s ability to dive to extreme depths to find deep-sea fish and squid to eat. Beaked whales can dive over 800 meters deep and stay submerged for nearly an hour and half. Many beaked whales are rarely seen and many species are difficult to differentiate without close examination. Therefore, it is very exciting for scientists to finally be able to look closely at a spade-toothed whale to be able to fully differentiate them from other species. It is really incredible that for the first time ever-recorded humans are laying eyes upon a new species of whale. This is the final evidence to prove the current existence of this whale species, and even though we know much about the ocean, it is obvious we still have so much to learn.

Filed Under: Conservation, Wild Life Tagged With: marine life, whales

Local Texas Scuba Diving – Reveille Peak Ranch

October 31, 2012 by Eric Keibler 4 Comments

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 provides 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 provides 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.

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

The Ranch also has camp sites scattered around the pavilion area that provide 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.

How 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.

Filed Under: Camping, Dry Suit Diving, Local Diving, Photography, Scuba Diving Activities, Social Activities Tagged With: DiveAroundTexas.com, diving, local diving, Reveille Peak Ranch, Travel

Study Indicates Some Sharks Are Color Blind

October 17, 2012 by marinawatowich 1 Comment

Spotted Wobblegong Shark.
Copyright (c) 2005 Richard Ling

A recent study by a group of Australian scientists has suggested that wobbegong sharks are color blind! Past studies that have tested color-sensing abilities in elasmobranchs (rays, skates, and sharks) have shown that some rays have color-vision, but it was believed that sharks were probably colorblind. This has now been proved in two species of wobbegong sharks and indicates the possibility of colorblindness in all sharks. But more species will have to be tested before conclusions can be drawn for more sharks.

The study looked at light-sensitive proteins in the light-sensing cells in the retina of wobbegong shark eyes. Different types of these light-sensing proteins, opsins, are used to detect various types of light and convert them into photoelectric signals. Animals usually need two types of opsins in order to have any color-vision. It was found that the two species of wobbegongs studied had only one cone opsin, concluding that their vision is colorblind. Many fish and other marine animals have color vision but this trait seems to be lost for certain types of whales, seals and dolphins, and it is unknown why large marine predators lost multiple opsins in their retina, and thus color vision. This new knowledge about wobbegong color sensitivity could have broader indications that many sharks are colorblind. This has important implications for the scuba, surfing and fishing industries, which can use this research to make their products less visible to sharks to promote diver, swimmer and surfer safety and make fishing lures that are more difficult for sharks to see in order to reduce shark by-catch!

Filed Under: Marine Life, Photography Tagged With: diving, marine life, shark

Explore the Ocean with Google Maps!

October 11, 2012 by marinawatowich 1 Comment

Some 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 360^oviews 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.

Filed Under: Marine Life, Photography, Scuba Diving Activities, Travel Tagged With: diving, Google, Travel, underwater photography

Trip Report – Live Aboard Scuba Diving in Belize

October 1, 2012 by annkeibler 3 Comments

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 moving 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?

Filed Under: Caribbean, Photography, Scuba Diving Activities, Travel Tagged With: photography, Travel

Eric Keibler is in the News

January 25, 2012 by Eric Keibler Leave a Comment

Eric Keibler and Oceanic Ventures made the newspaper in Grand Cayman this morning!

The Cayman Compass publised Eric’s photograph and a note about the upcoming Rebreather Scuba Diving Event in Houston on March 29-April 1, 2012.

See the post here.

We hope everyone in the Houston area will join us for a unique evnt which featuers rebreather trials in the pool, presentations by Leon Scamahorn, CEO of Inner Space Systems and dinner with Leon on Saturday evening.

Form more information, please email Eric.

Filed Under: Caribbean, Charity, Photography, Presentations, Rebreather, Scuba Diving Activities, Social Activities Tagged With: charity, Dive Travel, Megalodon, Pathfinder, photography, Rebreather

Thanksgiving, Jazz and Antiques

November 28, 2011 by Eric Keibler Leave a Comment

: Cat & Jessica, bartenders at the Phoenix Jazz Club in Kansas City

“It was a champion day today when I got up and I’m carrying it with me all day!” I heard this comment from a gentleman while we were touring the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. Yes, Ann and I took a non diving vacation, all be it a short one for the Thanksgiving holiday. We spent the Holiday visiting my brother, Jason Keibler, inKansas City and exploring some of the sites around town. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is fascinating with photographs, films and stories from league players and promoters. In the center is a baseball diamond with large bronze statues of some of the greats in the game at their positions on the field, much like an all-star team.

Another stop was the American Jazz Museum (which happens to be next to theBaseballMuseum). Here you find recordings, instruments and costumes from great players including one of my favorites, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. While many of the listening stations did not work, the museum was interesting and tracked the changes in American Jazz.

Jason then continued on the Jazz theme by recommending drinks and live entertainment at the Phoenix Jazz Club on 8^thstreet. While we listened to Lonnie McFadden and later to Dave Stephens, the Makers Mark Manhattans, gin and vodka martinis were served expertly prepared by Jessica and Cat who constantly mixed libations for a bar full of Jazz enthusiasts. Jessica also manages the club so she was often called by name to the stage for comments and banter with the musicians, especially Dave Stevens.

We had only intended to stay for a few drinks and then move on to another dinner location, however, we were having such a good time listening to the music and talking to others in the bar and among ourselves that we decided to stay. Of course Cat told us we really had to stay to listen to Dave because he put on “a really fun show;” so bowing to pressure we had dinner there and finished the evening at the bar. If you are ever inKansas City, you really have to drop in for some cold beverages and some cool Jazz. Be sure to tell Jessica that Ann and Eric, the scuba people fromHouston, sent you. You will not be disappointed.

A trip toKansas Citywould not be complete without a visit to Kincaid Antiques. Cindy always has some unique items in her store and some sale squirreled away in her basement. It is a treat to visit with her and look at some wonderful pieces of history. Of course, no one left empty handed.

Ann and I are back are inHoustonnow; and, I have to return to my diet. Luckily, we left all of the extra stuffing, mashed potatoes, pecan pie, etc. at Jason’s house. So, even if I was tempted, the food is not here. Instead or craving more food, it is time to help people complete their Christmas and Chanukah wish lists (hint, hint). So, if you need help with your holiday shopping – Dive Mom is back!

Filed Under: Art, Photography, Travel Tagged With: Adult Beverages, Antiques, Entertainment, Jazz, Kansas City

HO HO HO Merry Christmas – Scuba Santa Undwerwater

November 15, 2011 by Eric Keibler Leave a Comment

: Santa with John, Sean and Paige Mittendorf, along with a large Elf

You may not have known it, but Santa Claus is a scuba diver. He spends his vacations in such tropical locations as Fiji, Palau, Grand Cayman and Honduras. Since he spends so much time in the north, he sunburns easily so he took up scuba diving as a way to enjoy the islands but not get too burned. He loves the water and really enjoys swimming with the fish. In 2012, his goal is to begin rebreather diving.

On Saturday, he visited the West University Recreation Center pool and posed for pictures with swimmers, snorkelers and divers alike. Santa really like receiving those wish lists underwater!

Eric Keibler served as the photographer for the event and Joel Hershey, Travis Hershey and Christiaan Khurana all helped make Santa’s visit fun and eventful. Hopefully, they will receive a special gift from Santa on Christmas. We would also like to thank Brittany Bakes, Julie Bickham, Rob Cantu and the rest of the West University Aquatic Staff for all of their help in making this event a success.

If you missed this year’s photo shoot, Santa has promised to return next year for another photo session. And remember, look for Santa while you are visiting your favorite scuba diving and tropical locations. He will be the one in the red wetsuit.

Filed Under: New Students, Photography, Sales and Fun, Social Activities Tagged With: Santa, Santa Claus, underwater photography

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