Who is Randy?

I live a little south of Houston, Texas, and spend as much of my spare time as possible in the water. Like most divers, my original goal was just to "get certified". Once that was accomplished through one of the lesser known agencies, I didn't feel very experienced (because I wasn't), so I set about getting more experience. I didn't know many divers, and couldn't get experience safely by diving alone, so I signed up for a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver class for the extra supervision that I thought I needed. I had a great time, and learned a lot. I made a lot of new friends among the divemasters and other students. I still dive with many of them. Still, I noticed that some of my buddies seemed to know a lot of useful techniques and facts that I didn't know. I took the PADI Rescue Diver course and, you guessed it, had a great time then too. The time spent hanging around other divers is always rewarding. Well, after that, I was told that I could become a PADI divemaster with a fair amount of work and study. A side benefit was free admission to the dive sites that I was paying to enter. I figured that would be a way to gain that last bit of knowledge that others had, and a little math suggested there was a financial advantage with the free admission to the dive sites. Well, a few months later, I knew a lot more, including the fact that there was an infinite pool (no pun intended) of knowledge that one person could never totally absorb. I also discovered that working with classes was the most rewarding part of diving. Well, I enjoyed helping people learn to dive safely, and the dive shop where I hang out, Sport Divers of Houston, has one of a few PADI Course Directors in the Houston area (Mike Stanley), and a very good one I might add. Naturally, it seemed to be the next logical step, so my buddy, Lloyd, from DM school and I signed up and became PADI instructors. The education never ends, and I continue to learn from everyone I meet. Fortunately, I get to pass it along from time to time. Thanks to a lot of conservative divers, a significant amount of research, and careful application of our knowledge, our sport enjoys a very good safety record. I hope we continue to work toward that goal. Dive safely...