Meet Our Team
Hi! We are Danny & Jimmi Yarbrough, owners of Diver's Oasis.
Danny has been diving since he was 15 years old. For those of you that know him: that is 44 years of diving experience! He feels very fortunate that his wife Jimmi enjoys diving as much as he does, as she has been diving for 18 years herself. We loved the sport so much, we both became dive instructors so we would be able to share the experience with others. We are the parents to 5 children, 4 of whom enjoy diving. We also have 11 grandchildren who are starting to love the water too! Once again we are very blessed and fortunate! You can find us most weekends from April to November on Bull Shoals Lake where the water is beautiful and clear. If we aren't teaching classes we are spearfishing or just enjoying the lake.
In 2011 we purchased Steve's Scuba from Steve and Millie Walls (hence the original name, Steve's Scuba) who started the business 26 years earlier. This business is now 34 years old and growing! It was time for us to rename Steve's Scuba and start our own chapter as Diver's Oasis.
Our goal is to be the BEST PADI Dive Center in Springfield Missouri. In order to do this we have staffed our store with a courteous, knowledgeable, helpful and professionally trained crew. We have stocked our store with the best dive equipment available and priced ourselves to compete with internet sellers.
Come in and see the difference that over 110 years of combined dive experience will make!
Kodie Poyneer
Kodie grown up diving. She started diving when she was around 10 years old and just fell in love with the underwater world.
Kodie has been working her way up the diving ladder. She became a Dive Master in 2018 and as of 2020 she became an instructor for Diver's Oasis! In 2022 she received her IDC Staff Instructor. You will also see her at the front desk or talk to her on the phone as well.
She started working here when the store was called Steve's Scuba. Starting this new chapter with Diver's Oasis has been very exciting.
Bryan Bodnar
My first experience scuba diving was a resort course (discover scuba) in Jamaica. While I didn’t get certified right away because of the age of my daughter at the time and the thought that I wouldn’t be able to use it, I was hooked and certainly wanted to. In 2009, we moved to Houston, Texas, and took our boat with us. We didn’t care for the lakes there, or the commute, so we eventually sold it. My love for the water, and now with no boat, led me to get certified. I obtained my advanced open water not long after open water. After moving back to Springfield and when my oldest daughter was old enough for junior diver, I decided to take rescue diver. Dive master and instructor each came shortly thereafter. I have dove all over the Caribbean (ask me about my rental house in Bonaire!) but also enjoy the local lakes. When I am not at the lake, you may find me on a mountain biking trail or the golf course, or in my recliner during football season.
Jerry Vanarsdall
Jerry Vanarsdall is a Training and Implementation Specialist for a software company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, but he was born and raised in the Ozarks and is deeply embedded in the Springfield Community. In addition to his work, Jerry is passionate about his family, church, volunteering, and exploring warm tropical destinations like Grand Cayman, St Croix, St Thomas, St John, Aruba, Turks and Caicos, and Hawaii.
Jerry is a Certified Divemaster, Certified Firefighter, and Emergency First Responder, and he holds several endorsements as a certified ASE Class 8 diesel mechanic. His love for diving began when he took his Discover Scuba Diving Experience in St Croix. During the open water dive, he saw a coral farm, a small stingray, and a shark, and he was hooked. Jerry has since earned Open Water, Advanced Open Water, and Rescue Diver certifications, and he is currently working on his instructor certification.
With his extensive training and certifications, Jerry has the skillset to teach diving and is committed to sharing his passion for the sport with others. He believes that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the beauty and excitement that can be found beneath the surface of the water, and he is dedicated to making that happen.
Carl Schober
I took my first breath underwater in Cozumel Mexico in 2004. I went to Chankanaab Park, and I was walking by the palapas where guys were renting snorkel and scuba gear, and a young man (Gilmer) raised his arm and said, “Try Scuba”. I told him that’s why I’m here! He gave me a quick rundown of the gear and how to do a few skills and off we went to the ocean. We walked across the beach and down a wide staircase into the water and put just our faces in to look around and try a few practice breaths. I was immediately hooked! He led me around for about 40 minutes in 20-25 feet of water. I was amazed at the vibrant colors, beautiful fish, and how clear it was. As soon as we surfaced, I couldn’t stop talking about how awesome that dive was.
Upon returning to the US, I searched and found Steve’s Scuba and took an Open Water course. I spent every weekend at different lakes diving as much as I could. In 2005 I went back to see Gilmer in Cozumel for my Advanced Open Water course. In 2006 I returned to Cozumel and Gilmer did my Rescue Diver training. I continued to spend as much time as I could underwater, mainly in Cozumel, and eventually got into spearfishing and night diving.
I dove off and on over the following years and in 2023 after a trip to Cozumel to see my friend Gilmer, I decided to become a PADI professional and learn to teach scuba. I just kept thinking of that feeling I had when I took my first breath underwater and wanted to share that experience with as many people as I can. The choice of who to go through for instructor training was obvious since Divers Oasis originated from Steve’s Scuba, where I was open water certified. I now have 20 years of experience in diving and helping other divers. I enjoy teaching and watching students develop their skills to become good divers. My favorite comment so far was by a 10-year-old on his Bubblemaker birthday party. I asked him how he liked scuba and he said, “This was the most EPIC Birthday ever!”
When I’m not in the water, I like to camp, kayak, hike, golf, and spend time travelling with my wife. Future plans are to build a house in Cozumel and continue teaching there.
Sherri Mills
Sherri became a Divemaster in 2016. She is a Licensed Practical Nurse and an Emergency First Response Instructor. She also is one of our event planners, one of the Dive Club coordinators and is shore support at most of the Open Water weekends. "I love to put the fun into learning scuba, CPR or first aid! But look out, I'm super competitive about Spearfishing for Walleye!"
Zach Copeland
Zach Copeland grew up in the Ozarks and has always had a love for the outdoors. His love and passion came from swimming and was fascinated with the underwater world at a young age. His parents introduced him to Scuba Diving when he was allowed to watch the movie Abyss at the age of 11. He immediately knew that he wanted to become a diver.
Zach moved to California in 2001 after high school to serve in the United States Marine Corps. While serving in the Marines he obtained his Open Water Certification in 2003. He logged many wonderful dives in the Pacific Ocean. His favorite was diving was with Sea Lions and wall diving in La Jolla Shores.
After serving four years in the Marines, he came back to Missouri to raise his family and focus on other things. He really got back into diving in 2021 and got his Advanced and Divemaster certification with Divers Oasis.
In October of 2022, he started to volunteer with Wonders of Wildlife with dive operations to help clean and maintain the aquarium tanks.
His is a father of four. On the weekends, if he is not working with students at the lake or diving recreationally you can always find him outside. His other passions include hiking, backpacking, caving, and kayaking.
Jeff Rook
Jeff Rook has been working at Diver's Oasis since 2014. He's our in-house scuba gear servicing master, so when you need your gear serviced, Jeff will be the one to help you out! He also teaches some of our dive classes. He became a Master Scuba Diver Trainer in 2018.
Kathy Glaser
Like many of you, scuba diving is something "I always wanted to do." I love clear blue water and white sandy beaches, so why not combine the two with scuba?
I learned to dive in 1996 and continued on to become an instructor in 2000. There is nothing better than to see the joy on a person's face when they breathe underwater for the first time! I joined Steve's Scuba in 2014 and became a PADI instructor that August. I am exited to be now a part of the new chapter Diver's Oasis. I love to travel and take underwater photos and to share the adventure of diving with others.