Sponges, Sponges and More Sponges!

Tarpon Springs was already a resort town when the Sponge business became their most important industry.  Sponging started near Key West but in the 1873 sponges were discovered by accident off the coast here when they snagged a fisherman's nets!  By 1900 Tarpon Springs was the largest Sponge Port city in the US.

Greek immigrants refined the industry.... 500 sponge divers from Greek Islands came here in 1905 and a mechanized boat for harvesting the sponges was introduced.  Back then it was one of the most dangerous job as the divers wore heavy canvas suits with 50 pound boots and a heavy helmet...many things could and did go wrong but the sponge business just kept growing.

Here is our grandson Eddie standing in front of a statue of a 1900s diver wearing the heavy suit and holding the helmet.

There have been some ups and downs with this industry...a blight infested the sponge beds and many died and a destructive hurricane but even during the depression the sponge industry survived until 1948 when a red tide did more damage.  But this business came back again and has seen some growth in recent years.

Now the Tourist Industry brings the most $ to Tarpon Springs but almost all the businesses here are owned and operated by descendants of those original Greek immigrants.

The sponge docks are so crowded with people that UPS has a special way to deliver packages!

This is a modern day sponge boat.

Here is the stern of the Susie Sea... notice the long air hose and mouth piece.. called a hookah...air is pumped through this hose to the diver.

Here is the way the sponges are brought in by the boats... they do some cleaning on the boats and then they are strung up for buyers to look at & judge size and texture.

Sponge warehouse like this are found all over town among residential areas. They take the sponges and clean the rocks out of the bottom (tiny animals living inside are usually cleaned out aboard the boats that harvest them). Then they are cut with a band saw and then trimmed with sheep shears.

All the sponges are firm/stiff when dry. These are called finger sponges... when they are wet you can move them into different shapes.......often used in aquariums.

These are “vase” sponges that grow this way with an opening in the middle.  Air plants are seen here in them but you can put just about any plant without soil in them after you wet the sponge and the plant will grow.

Close up of a large vase sponge.

These are wonderful tiny silk sponges from the Philippines... the Captain bought me one... when it is wet it becomes as soft as silk... great for washing your face or taking off make-up. They also grow in the Mediterranean.

Florida has silk sponges also called grass silk sponges...not as soft though... these look big but they are very small.

This is a large uncut sponge.

Wool Sponges, in all sizes, are great for washing your car .

So many sponges!  

We spent a lot of time on the sponge docks today....the Greek people were so nice and eager to answer all our questions....it was interesting learning how the Greek culture has influenced American life....how blessed to be in a country where so many other countrymen have come and now call it home.