Our July presenter was graciously available after our original talent, Steve Wolborsky, had to shelter in place because a Category 5 Typhoon with 165 mph winds was bearing down on Guam this week.
Dr. Randall Spangler is a very interesting guy. After earning his BS in Physics from Harvey Mudd College and his PhD in what passed for AI back in 1999 from Caltech (yes, the same Caltech from “Big Bang Theory”), he worked as a firmware engineer for 20 years at Foveon (digital cameras) and Google (on Chromebooks and Pixel phones).
He married his dive buddy, though they had been together a long time before they discovered scuba in 2012. They have two kids; both are certified, though neither one will dive in cold water, plus five cats, none of whom dive.
Since scuba diving became his “mid-life crisis career,” he’s accumulated more than 1,800 dives. He gets wet almost every weekend, mostly in Monterey, whether he’s teaching a class, leading a guided dive, or just having fun. He also takes several trips a year to warmer water destinations such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Hawaii, Roatan, and Fiji.
Randall became a PADI Open Water Instructor to share his love of diving with family and friends, then added over a dozen specialty certifications, as well as first aid and safety courses.
For our July meeting, he showcased his photos of the Monterey area, plus a few more areas around the world.
A few humorous things he said, “Diving in a red tide at four in the afternoon gives you the possibility of a night dive” and “If you want to grow a third eye, dive in or after the first rain of the season with bacteria flushed from storm drains.”
