Our passion for the water shines in our team members, like Joey Lankford
“I lived with my grandfather in Key Largo as a kid and we were always around the ocean. He was a diver, and his love for the water was shared with me. So now I want to share that with others.”
Joey Lankford is our newest Scuba Experience Manager in Springfield, MO. He is one example of many in our team of employees who are passionate about the water. Joey is charged up to get more people into scuba and live their best lives through adventures in the water!
Joey continues, “I was interested in diving from a young age because my grandfather was a diver, and after living in Key Largo with him as a kid, I fell in love with the ocean. After that, I swam in high school competitively and then enlisted in the Navy shortly after graduation. In the Navy, I did a Discovery Scuba at the Great Barrier Reef in 2014 and spent a lot of time in and around the water during my years in the military doing maritime operations.
“After leaving the Navy, I moved to Springfield to be closer to my daughter. After that, I started down the path of getting my degree in business at Missouri State University. I worked numerous part-time jobs in school, from bartender to lube technician at a car dealership, landscaper, construction worker, and eventually a swim teacher.
“A funny story that very few know is that I was in between jobs at the end of the fall semester in November 2019. I was using the G.I. Bill, so I didn’t necessarily need a job outside of being a full-time student. I was out with my roommate in downtown Springfield at noon on a Thursday. He leans over to me and shows me his phone, which was an Indeed post from Diventures looking for swim teachers. His exact words were, “Hey Navy boy; you might be able to do this.” I guess you could say the rest is history!”
“I came in for an interview and started working shortly thereafter. I knew when I started that I wanted to get scuba certified in the summer, but when COVID hit, I went back to Florida to work for a few months until we opened back up. After getting certified, I told Ryan I wanted to work in retail too because my experience as a diver would help our customers.
Very simply, I want to reset the standards in scuba sales, service, training, and travel. I want everyone who walks through the doors of Diventures to have a fantastic experience. I believe in Diventures and have a passion for sharing this incredible sport.
My goal for the local diving community is to provide every diver with as many opportunities as possible. When I say opportunities, I don’t just mean chances to dive. I mean the gear they want, the camaraderie, the best skills and training possible, and access to our knowledgeable staff. I am so excited to be the Scuba Experience Manager for our Springfield Community and can’t wait to see all the great things here unfold!”
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