Sponge Diving Is Alive And Well In Florida

black mamba

The harvesting of natural sponges has been a long-time tradition in the small, west-coastal Florida town of Tarpon Springs. The village was settled largely by Greeks and their influence is strong throughout the area. The taking of sponges from the local sea beds goes back to the later 1800's. Now days, and since about 1920, the sponges are harvested by divers wearing hard-hat diving suits.

There are five different types, or species, of sponges found in the region. Several are for decorative purposes only, the others have commercial value in other uses. The most valued of the bunch are called " Wool " sponges. They are roughly round in shape and are the most durable. Sponges taken in the 75 to 100 foot depth are the most prized as they are the toughest. There are controls as to the size of sponges that can be harvested.

A few of the local boats in the harbor



A typical sponge rig showing some of the day's haul



Another typical sponge rig



A market place where boat operators bring in their haul for sale

DaddyO

Interesting set of images Tom. Thanks for sharing them. Glad you shared
the story line too. I had no idea about sponge harvesting in Florida or much
elsewhere for that matter. Diving a hundred feet doesn't seem like so much,
but I hear it is a qualifying point of depth.

There hasn't been a real sponge is our home for ever so long.

PhotoDavid78

nice shots. I always buy a sponge attached to a bar of soap made from goats milk when I'm down there.

TonyCooper

My wife and I were in Tarpon Springs on the 3rd of August. We had to make a difficult choice when we stopped for coffee: which one of these?




We ended up with the galaktoboureko; custard-filled phyllo pastry with honey drizzled on top.

Tarpon Springs is special to my wife and me. We were married in October, 1964 in Rockford (IL) and went to Hilton Head Island (NC) for our honeymoon. Hilton Head was cold, windy, and rainy so we moved south to Clearwater Beach (FL). We discovered Tarpon Springs (right up the road) and Louis Pappa's restaurant in the original location. The sponge docks area is much the same today as it was in 1964, and some of the souvenir merchandise in the shop windows is exactly the same. The sponge exchange is gone and replaced by trendy shops, though.

black mamba

Hey Michael,

Thanks for lookin in. Tarpon Springs, while having lost a little bit of the charn of days gone by, is still quite an intersting slice of Florida.

Tom

black mamba

Hi David,

Thanks for your comments.

Tom

black mamba

Hey Tony,

When I was down there last week, I went into that very same shop to get something sweet to eat along with my coffee. I chose the chocolate-covered baklava. Over the years, I've eaten many a great meal at the original Pappa's. This time I opted for Santorini's and had a very good experience. Tarpon Springs doesn't have quite the charm it used to have but it's still a great little place to spend an afternoon. If I lived as close as you do, I'd probably get down there a little more often.

Tom

Dogdots

I've never seed a boat of sponges before. What an interesting story. How much to they sell for?

Very good photos to go along with your story about sponge collecting

Jack'll do

Wonderful series Tom, lovely colors, reflections, and comps. I remember having real sponges around the house when I was a kid. We get to Florida quite often as my wife's Dad lives in Beverly Hills. Is this anywhere near Tarpon Springs?

Panther

Howdy Tom,

Loved seeing all the boats, and their reflections. Just such an interesting series, Like Jake we used to have a lot of natural sponges around the house.

Really neat shots, love the crisp sharp details and the story really was neat I didn't know that about the number of different types and the depth level.

As I was typing this, wasn't there a great movie with Anthony Quinn that was a sponge diver?

Have a great weekend!!! Sounds like I have another place on my List to visit.

black mamba

Hi Mary Kim,

Thanks for your comments. These sponges aren't cheap. Notice those in the white baskets at the market place. Those are all the most desirable " wool " sponges and have been graded as to size and quality. They range in price from $11.00 to $25.00 each or discounted somewhat if you buy 3 at a time......for instance, you can 3 of the $25.00 ones for $64.00. Some of the more unusual ones ( generally those of another species....not the " wool " kind ) that are really big or odd shaped can get REALLY expensive.

Take care,

Tom

black mamba

Hi Jack,

Thanks for the kind words. If you get to Beverly Hills, you really should scoot on down to Tarpon Springs.....it would be just a hop and a skip for you to get there. I'd love to see what pictures you could come up with using your HDR skills. Take the time to go there....besides the great picture opportunities, there are some great places to eat some really good food.

Take care,

Tom

black mamba

Hi Craig,

Thanks for your generous remarks. Yes, there was a movie based on Tarpon Springs and the sponge business. And I do believe you are correct that Anthony Quinn starred in it. He was, of course, a natural in a Greek setting. There was another guy....his name escapes me......that was also very good in the film. If you ever get near Tampa, take the time to go north up the coast a little bit and experience this wonderful area.

See you, my friend,

Tom

Dogdots

black mamba wrote:

Hi Mary Kim,

Thanks for your comments. These sponges aren't cheap. Notice those in the white baskets at the market place. Those are all the most desirable " wool " sponges and have been graded as to size and quality. They range in price from $11.00 to $25.00 each or discounted somewhat if you buy 3 at a time......for instance, you can 3 of the $25.00 ones for $64.00. Some of the more unusual ones ( generally those of another species....not the " wool " kind ) that are really big or odd shaped can get REALLY expensive.

Take care,

Tom

Thats some expensive sponges in those baskets. $64.00 is to much to pay for a sponges to clean with, but would be kinda nice to have