In four days, seven veterans from every branch arrive in Jacksonville for The Calm Seas Project's Veteran Wellness Retreat, November 6 to 8, 2026. Plenty of people have asked me why the weekend is built around fishing. My honest first answer is that The Calm Seas Project started as an idea among friends on a fishing trip, so it's where we know how to begin. My second answer is that researchers have studied this, and what they found lines up with what I've seen on the water.
What the studies actually found
I want to be careful here. These are mostly small studies, and fishing isn't a cure or a replacement for care. But the results point in the same direction.
- A 2013 pilot in Military Medicine followed 74 veterans with PTSD through a two-day, three-night outdoor recreation program that included fly-fishing. The researchers saw improved attentiveness and mood during the trip, plus sustained reductions in anxiety, depression and physical symptoms of stress. At a six-week follow-up, participants also reported better sleep and lower perceived stress and PTSD symptoms.
- A VA Research story covered a study of 73 veterans who joined group wilderness programs lasting four to seven days, with fly-fishing among the activities. About a week later, the 54 who completed the follow-up survey reported more than a 10 percent improvement in psychological well-being, a 9 percent increase in social functioning and a nearly 8 percent gain in positive outlook on life. There was little, if any, structured therapy. The experience itself was the point.
- A study of a four-day therapeutic fly-fishing program followed 40 veterans with combat-related disabilities. It found significant decreases in symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression, perceived stress and functional impairment from before to after the program.
- A 2020 study in PLOS One tested brief peer outdoor activities for UK veterans with PTSD. In its second experiment, a waitlist-controlled trial of an angling experience with 18 participants, PTSD symptoms dropped significantly compared with the waitlist group.
Two more details stood out to me. In the first PLOS One experiment, which compared angling, equine care and archery with falconry, the improvement didn't differ significantly by activity, so the shared outdoor time with peers may matter as much as the specific hobby. And in a focus-group study of fly-fishing veterans, participants described it as a breather from PTSD and a way to feel in control again.
What I take from it
A weekend doesn't replace counseling, and none of this says it does. Many of these samples were small, some had no comparison group, and the researchers say more work is needed. What I take from it is simpler: getting veterans together, outside, doing something with their hands and no agenda beyond the day, seems to help. That's the idea behind the guided charter fishing at our retreat, and it's why we pair it with a sound bath, breathwork, group meals and a virtual wellness session rather than leaving it at fishing alone.
To see how the rest of the weekend fits together, I wrote about the sound bath, breathwork for veterans, why the shared meals matter and what to pack.
How you can help
The Calm Seas Project raised more than $40,000 in its first four months, and that support is what gets veterans and first responders out on the water. To back the Jacksonville retreat or point a veteran our way, start at calmseasproject.org, read why I started The Calm Seas Project, and follow along on Instagram and Facebook at calmseasproject.
If you or a veteran you know is struggling right now, don't wait for a trip. Call or text 988 and press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line, any time, day or night.
Sources: Military Medicine (2013), outdoor recreation program and PTSD pilot study · VA Research Currents, “Outdoor activities improve mental health in Veterans, study finds” · Therapeutic fly-fishing program for veterans with combat-related disabilities (PubMed) · PLOS One (2020), outdoor activity experiences and PTSD in veterans · Therapeutic Recreation Journal, fly-fishing and PTSD focus-group study · Veterans Crisis Line · The Calm Seas Project
