A new beach volleyball and entertainment venue is coming soon to east Manhattan, and the woman behind the project is hoping to fill a void she says the region has been without for too long.
Construction is underway on 785 Dive, at 8234 South Port Drive, a dive bar and outdoor beach volleyball complex planned next to Wildcat Creek Fitness. Owner Skylar German said the concept came about through her experience coaching young athletes and a lack of available space to play.
“There’s really nothing like this within two hours of Manhattan,” she said. “That’s why it was really important to me to offer it to the juniors because they didn’t have anywhere to get into sand volleyball, and neither did I growing up.”
Sand volleyball has been a large part of German’s life. The Manhattan native played collegiately at both the University of Central Missouri and Post University in Connecticut before playing professionally for five years in Europe. Upon returning to Kansas, she opened a junior beach volleyball training club.
“I always knew I wanted to make the juniors training club affordable and accessible to everyone,” she said. “But I always knew that someday I wanted to build a commercial beach volleyball facility and have a bar and run adult leagues and tournaments as well and make money that way.”
That dream became a reality earlier this month, when ground was officially broken on 785 Dive, near Wildcat Fitness and Fun. Once completed, the facility will feature eight outdoor sand courts, a year-round dive bar and space for leagues, tournaments and casual play.
“We’re also going to have — we’re calling it courtside commons –basically a rec yard area,” German said. “We’re going to have cornhole, yard games, cornhole tournaments. Eventually, we’ll have a little playground so that parents can play volleyball while their kid is playing on the playground.”
German said the goal is to have a place for volleyball enthusiasts of every skill level.
“Beach volleyball is a very low impact sport,” she said. “It’s easier on your joints. So you’ll you’ll go to these places in other cities, and there will be 65-year-olds playing no problem. It kind of builds core strength and joint strength. So it’s a very well rounded workout.”
The bar itself will operate year-round, while volleyball play will typically run from March through November.
785 Dive is targeting a spring 2026 opening and will have leagues running March through November, weather permitting.
785 Dive is targeting a spring 2026 opening and will have leagues running March through November, weather permitting.