50dives — 50 states in 50 days
One diver. Fifty states. Fifty days. A big love letter to local diving.
Imagine discovering that the best dive of your year wasn’t on a far‑flung tropical vacation—it was in your own backyard. That’s the spirit behind 50dives: a single diver attempting to dive every U.S. state in 50 days, shining a light on the places we too often overlook and the communities that make diving possible everywhere.
This project is part personal challenge, part road trip, part underwater scavenger hunt—and mostly a mission to make diving feel accessible, local, and worth getting excited about, whether you’re brand new to scuba or already planning your next weekend splash.
Explore
How it works: participating, hosting, and connecting with dive shops
Join a stop, help us bring one to your area, and get connected with the dive pros who can take you from curious to confident.
Support or sponsor 50dives
Help us tell better dive stories—and put more divers in the water.
What “50 states in 50 days” really means
This is exactly what it sounds like: we’re chasing a dive in all 50 states within a tight 50‑day window.
Some states will mean classic ocean dives. Others will mean lakes, quarries, springs, rivers, and unexpected underwater surprises. And that’s the point: diving isn’t one thing, in one kind of place, for one kind of person.
Along the way, we’re documenting the journey—what the dives are like, what makes each location special, what you need to know if you want to dive there yourself, and why local dive communities matter. If you’ve ever wondered:
- “Is there good diving near me?”
- “How do I even get started?”
- “Do I need to travel to have real adventure?”
…this project is built for you.
Why we’re doing it: local diving is the gateway drug (in the best way)
Learning to dive can feel like a big leap—cost, gear, training, confidence, logistics. But what keeps divers diving isn’t the once‑a‑year bucket‑list trip. It’s having places you can actually go, with people who will go with you, and a shop or community that helps you keep progressing.
That’s why 50dives is focused on promoting local diving opportunities across the country. We want to make it normal to think:
- “Let’s dive this weekend.”
- “There’s a spot two hours away.”
- “My local shop runs meetups and trips.”
- “I can learn here and build skills here.”
Local diving builds confidence fast. It turns training into practice, and practice into comfort. It also makes the sport more inclusive—because you don’t need a plane ticket to start living the diver life.
How you can be part of 50dives
This is a solo challenge, but it’s not a solo community. If you want to follow along, join in, or help make a state dive happen, there are a bunch of ways to participate.
Follow the journey
We’ll be sharing updates and stories as we go—dives, conditions, highlights, lessons learned, and the occasional curveball that only a 50‑state sprint can deliver.
For the latest on where we are and what’s next, head to the Events page for updates.
Dive with us (or point us in the right direction)
Know a can’t‑miss local site? Have a favorite shore entry, a spring run, a quarry with surprising viz, or a “you’d never believe this is here” dive? We want to hear it.
If you’re a diver who wants to meet up for a dive, or you’re curious and want to see what a real‑world dive day looks like, reach out. Even if the timing doesn’t line up, your recommendations can shape the route and help other divers discover a new home spot.
Thinking about learning to dive?
Perfect. This project exists to make the first step feel easier.
If watching someone chase 50 states makes you think, “Okay, maybe I could do this,” that’s the win. Ask questions. Get connected to a local shop. Start with a class. The whole point is momentum—turning curiosity into your first breath underwater.
The role of local dive shops (and why we talk about them so much)
Every great dive scene has people behind it: instructors, shop owners, boat captains, gear techs, and the regulars who show up even when the water’s cold.
Local dive shops are the backbone of diving in the U.S. They train new divers, keep gear safe, organize dives, and create community. They’re also the best source of real, current intel—what’s actually diving well, what conditions are doing, what access rules changed, and what you should not do at a site.
As we move state to state, we’re looking to connect with shops and local leaders—not just to make dives happen, but to highlight what they’re building in their regions. If you’ve ever felt like diving was only for “vacation people,” local shops are proof it’s not.
Interested in sponsoring or partnering?
If you’re a dive shop, brand, tourism organization, training agency, or local group that wants to support the project, we’re open to partnerships that align with the mission: get more people diving, and keep them diving locally.
Sponsorship can look like a lot of things—helping connect us with sites, supporting logistics, collaborating on content, or simply amplifying local diving opportunities as we pass through. If you’re interested, the next step is simple: send us a note and tell us what you have in mind.
What to do next
If you want the most up‑to‑date route and progress, check Events. If you want to recommend a dive, coordinate a meetup, ask a question, or explore sponsorship, head to Contact.
This is 50dives. Fifty states. Fifty days. And a reminder that adventure isn’t far away—it’s often right under the surface.