Diving for Sponges

Days 204 |  Tarpon Springs  

So much for the sunny warmth of Florida. We bundled up today in layers and headed back into town to make the most of our final day in Tarpon Springs. Chris and Roger (Miss Utah) invited us to hop in their dinghy with them for the ride over. It was a much quicker ride via water, than walking around and over the bridge. Once docked, the boys took off to the hardware store and the girls walked down to the end of Dodecanese Boulevard, where Chris had not yet been. I got a photo of her with Mr. Shrimp and then we walked to the dock to watch the pelicans perched in the tree across the way. Working back up the main commercial route, I unexpectedly spotted a pineapple growing in a pot. More artwork paid homage to the sponge industry. At the end of the Sponge Dock, we came upon the St. Nicholas sponge tour boat. The captain and diver were onboard and we chatted briefly, asked a lot of questions, and ultimately convinced them to brave the cold and take us out on a cruise at 1:30.

With just enough time for lunch, we rejoined the boys and had a quick meal at Hella's. Arriving back on the sponge boat at our designated time, we were treated to a demonstration of traditional sponge harvesting. Doug (the diver) meticulously put on his dry dive suit then put on his steel shoes, which weigh in at 12 lbs a piece. The next piece of the suit to go on was the 22 lb collar. It was inserted under the neck opening and the suit attached to the metal studs on the collar with wingnuts. A rope belt was put on to keep air from accumulating in the legs and feet of his suit.

As we made our way down the Anclote River to the sponge bed dive site, Captain George gave us a history lesson of the Tarpon Springs sponge industry and also passed around samples of the six types of sponges. First was the wool sponge, the most durable and softest. The vase sponge and finger sponge are used for decorative purposes. Doug posed for photos, had his 38 lb dive helmet and an additional 80 lbs of ballast attached, grabbed his sponge rake, and slid into the water. Today's sponge divers get to enjoy all the ease and comfort of modern scuba gear.

I found it interesting that he did not wear gloves. He swam about 100 feet from the boat, went under and came back up with a sponge on the rake. He said the most difficult part of the process is climbing up the ladder to get back on the boat. Once he made it to the bullwork, he put the harvested sponge onboard and graciously posed for more photos.

We all examined the sponge he brought up and were told of the additional steps required to get it ready for market. The thin dark layer is the actual sponge animal. It must be removed and the remaining exoskeleton (the sponge) is then dried and cleaned onboard. The temperature didn't make it out of the low 50s and we were cold so we returned to Hella's bakery. We sat inside, out of the wind, and enjoyed a little baklava to warm up. We then returned to the dingy and headed back to our boats as night fell.

Crossroads and Miss Utah are prepared to leave Tarpon Springs in the morning and do about five hours to Madiera Beach. We will continue on the inside passage, to avoid the choppy Gulf waters, but will need three bridges open for us. This is the way it goes in Florida -- fast and unpredictable on the outside, slow and more protected on the inside. Luckily these bridges open upon request and we're hopeful we won't see significant delays.