Conquest Diving

DAY OF HEROES 2026 — 🇺🇸
(Long post)

What. A. Weekend.

As we close out the 2nd Annual Day of Heroes, we want to take a moment to recognize just how incredible this event became — and more importantly, recognize every single person who helped make it happen.

When we held our first Day of Heroes in 2024, 10 people showed up.

This year?

80 PEOPLE came through over the weekend.

That is a 700% increase in attendance.

What started as an idea and a small gathering has grown into something much bigger.

Day of Heroes was created to bring together first responders, law enforcement, military members, healthcare professionals, divers, families, friends, and supporters around something that matters deeply to us:

PTSD awareness. Community. Connection. And reminding people that they do not have to carry the weight alone.

This weekend wasn’t just about scuba diving. It was about: getting people together. Laughter. Conversations. Meeting new people, reconnecting with old friends, getting underwater, stepping away from everyday stress for a while, and creating an environment where people from all walks of life could simply enjoy being together.

And none of it happens without an incredible team.

23 STAFF MEMBERS gave their time and energy to help us pull this event together.

From instructors and dive professionals to check-in, equipment, safety, logistics, setup, breakdown, and everything happening behind the scenes — THANK YOU.

You weren’t just working an event.

You helped build something.

And to our sponsors:

🤿 Freediving Medicine LLC
🤿 Mountain to Seas Scuba
🤿 Redbeard Scuba
🤿 Ocala Dive
🤿 Elite Scuba
🤿MCSO DIVE TEAM
🇺🇸Marion County Benevolence Fund
🍕 Archie’s Pizza
THANK YOU.

Thank you for believing in the mission, putting your names behind what we’re trying to accomplish and for supporting the diving community, our heroes, our families, and the people who needed a weekend like this.

And finally — THANK YOU TO EVERY PERSON WHO SHOWED UP.

Whether you dove, volunteered, brought your family, supported a friend, donated, talked with someone, laughed with us, ate with us, or simply came out to see what Day of Heroes was about…

You were part of this.

The numbers tell an incredible story:

2024
👥 10 attendees
💰 $374 raised in profit

2026
👥 80 attendees
💰 $3,987 in profit
🤝 23 staff members
❤️ 6 sponsors

📈 700% growth in attendance

📈 966% growth in profit

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO MARION COUNTY FIREFIGHTERS BENEVOLENCE FUND!

But the most important part cannot be measured with a percentage.

It’s the relationships built, the conversations that happened, someone realizing there are people standing beside them and a community showing our first responders, military members, healthcare workers, law enforcement officers, and everyone carrying difficult experiences that we haven’t forgotten about them.

To everyone who helped turn an idea into what we experienced this weekend

THANK YOU:

for trusting us, supporting us & believing in Day of Heroes.

And thank you for helping us prove what can happen when a community decides to show up for one another.

From all of us at CONQUEST ADVENTURES —

We’ll see you at the next Day of Heroes. 🇺🇸🤿

Faith. Community. Diving.

ATTENTION DAY OF HEROES PARTICIPANTS!!!

We are TWO days away from our Day of Heroes Event! Saturday schedule
PLEASE read and understand:
8AM: Gates Open
9AM: Opening Ceremony
10AM: Stop the Bleed Course
11AM: CPR Course
12PM: Lunch/ Guest talks
2PM: Corn Hole Event
4:30PM: Closing Ceremony

Please look at these photos and see where and what the area will present.

If you have any questions, call Event Coordinator Zane (352) 525-5995 or Assistant Event Coordinator James Flores @ (352) 575-8708

Four Days

We are officially ONE WEEK AWAY from Day Of Heroes!

As we get closer to the event, we want to share an important reminder regarding admission and our mission.

As part of Day Of Heroes, Conquest Adventures will be making a donation to the Marion County Benevolence Fund to help support those who serve our community.

Admission:

🇺🇸 First Responders, Military & Veterans: $100
Supporting Guests: $120

Your admission includes access to Devil’s Den and John’s Oasis, Discover Scuba experiences in both the pool and the Den, as well as our event giveaways and activities.

We are incredibly grateful for everyone who is coming out to support our first responders, military members, and veterans. We can’t wait to see you all and make this year’s Day Of Heroes an unforgettable event!

Only one week to go! We’ll see you there!

— The Team at Conquest Adventures

Five Days!

We are officially ONE WEEK AWAY from Day Of Heroes!

As we get closer to the event, we want to share an important reminder regarding admission and our mission.

As part of Day Of Heroes, Conquest Adventures will be making a donation to the Marion County Benevolence Fund to help support those who serve our community.

Admission:

🇺🇸 First Responders, Military & Veterans: $100
Supporting Guests: $120

Your admission includes access to Devil’s Den and John’s Oasis, Discover Scuba experiences in both the pool and the Den, as well as our event giveaways and activities.

We are incredibly grateful for everyone who is coming out to support our first responders, military members, and veterans. We can’t wait to see you all and make this year’s Day Of Heroes an unforgettable event!

Only one week to go! We’ll see you there!

— The Team at Conquest Adventures

We are officially ONE WEEK AWAY from Day Of Heroes!

As we get closer to the event, we want to share an important reminder regarding admission and our mission.

As part of Day Of Heroes, Conquest Adventures will be making a donation to the Marion County Benevolence Fund to help support those who serve our community.

Admission:

🇺🇸 First Responders, Military & Veterans: $100
Supporting Guests: $120

Your admission includes access to Devil’s Den and John’s Oasis, Discover Scuba experiences in both the pool and the Den, as well as our event giveaways and activities.

We are incredibly grateful for everyone who is coming out to support our first responders, military members, and veterans. We can’t wait to see you all and make this year’s Day Of Heroes an unforgettable event!

Only one week to go! We’ll see you there!

— The Team at Conquest Adventures

We are 10 days away from Day of Heroes!