DIVEOPOLY Mixes Fun And Philanthropy At Owensboro Dive Center

"We played for an hour!"- Connie Morgan

Over the weekend, a very unique version of the board game Monopoly took place here in Owensboro. It was so different it took place underwater. Though 2025 marked the first time in over a decade that players suited up for it, the game's a tradition that has been in place at the Blue Meridian Dive Center for years.

Susie Oliver, who owns Blue Meridian, created this 'gaming' event to pay tribute to her dad, Carl. Carl was a dive for the Corp of Engineers and introduced Susie to diving at a very early age. Obviously, his passion trickled down to her. Carl was a very charitable man. Among his favorite nonprofits was St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. To honor his legacy of giving, Susie created the Carl H. Oliver SCUBA for Charity Foundation and has come up with some fun ways to raise money.

This underwater game of Monopoly- called DIVE-OPOLY- is one of her most popular events. On Saturday, about two dozen divers showed up to play.

Here's a fun fact. Years ago when Susan developed the game, she was able to obtain the game board from HASBRO. Since that time, her friends built her her very own board.

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The game board is a giant magnet that sticks to a table that is submerged in the water and anchored to the bottom of a swimming pool. Another friend made her some metal dice. The game pieces are taken from the game Monopoly. As you know, they're metal so they work great.  All of the money and cards have been laminated and are waterproof.

Each participant paid a $25 entry fee and received an event t-shirt. They each got a shirt with a SCUBA guy (inspired by the Monopoly mascot) on the front of it. After it was all said and done and the last hotel was built, the divers raised nearly $1,000.

If you'd like to learn more about Blue Meridian Dive Center and see the long history of charitable giving from our Tristate community of divers, you can visit the official website.

And, be on the lookout for another popular fundraiser coming in September. Blue Meridian's annual 'scavenger hunt'-themed dive that takes place in Mermet Springs, a huge quarry in Metropolis, Illinois.

About these events, Susan says, "We're doing something for somebody else. We're the ones in the SCUBA gear and having fun, but the events and raising money are the true cause."