1/14/07 A Day on the Sponge Docks

Today we went to Tarpon Springs to visit the Sponge Docks. Even though it is "just down the street" we hadn't visited this place as yet. We figured it was a good place to spend the day with Rich and Jackie. We had the perfect day weather-wise. Blue skies and mid 70's.

Tarpon Springs has long been known as the "Sponge Capital of the World." Today, over 100 shops and a dozen or more restaurants line the dock area covering several blocks. Visitors can shop, dine, cruise down the Anclote River to the Gulf of Mexico, and go deep-sea fishing.

The city was developed in the 1880s as a winter resort for wealthy northerners, the arrival of the Greek sponge divers in 1905 changed the city forever. The early sponge divers created a need at the docks for eating places for the boat crews. Then as news of the industry grew, people began coming to the docks to see the sponges. Shops opened so people could buy the sponges and other souvenirs and therefore the tourism industry in Tarpon Springs was born.

That industry was nearly wiped out in the 1940s when red tide destroyed the sponge beds off Florida's coast, but was re-established in the 1980s when new beds were found.

It seemed like the whole town was either restaurants, souvenir sponge shops or made while you wait cigar emporiums. Main street is about 3 city blocks long.

We pulled into the first parking lot we saw. The store the lot belongs to charges $1.00 for parking for the day. Yep, we got suckered into that one! There was no one watching to see who parked in the lot, there were no cameras mounted outside with the lens trained on the parking lot. Just a sign, $1.00 parking - pay inside store. Of course it was a sponge souvenir store, every kind of sponge you can imagine. Need a sponge to wash the car? They had one. Need a sponge for a leisurely bath? They had one. Need a sponge to grow air plants on? They had them! In the back of the store they ran a film about the sponge docks every half hour but we just missed it and didn't feel like hanging around for the next showing.

As we walked down towards the center of town Rich and Jackie were discussing which Greek delicacy they would have when we stopped for lunch. I was praying they had hamburgers!

We stopped in each shop as we made our way "downtown". They all had typically the same thing. Sponges, scented soaps, kids T-shirts with sayings like, "My Aunt went to Tarpon Springs and all I got was this lousy T-shirt", sea shells, and snow globes with the snow raining down on a alligator. How tacky can you get?

After checking out the shops halfway down the main shopping area we crossed the street to get a better view of the water.

Here's a picture of some boats that were at one time used for sponge diving.

I don't think these boats are in use now, they just seem to sit there.

This is a picture of load of sponges that were recently brought up. Take notice of how dark in color they are. They have to be washed to get that golden yellow color that we're all familiar with.

This picture one of a bronze statue in middle of town in tribute to the sponge divers, past and present.

All along the streets are tile murals on the sides of buildings. Each tile is individually painted.

This is the boat we took a ride on to learn more about sponge diving and to watch a sponge diver at work.

Clay, our tour boat captain and guide.

On the boat ride out to the sponge diving area we passed this house. Clay explained to us that this house is occupied only 4 months of the year by the young man that owns it. The owner is a bridge painter and travels all over the country painting and only gets "home" 4 months out of the year. With a nice home like this, I'd hang up my paintbrush.

But then again, this home probably cost this bridge painter mega bucks.

It wasn't long before we reached the sponge beds and Travis Jewel was introduced to us. He is the sponge diver that will go into the water and bring up a live sponge. The divers are loaded down with 72 pounds of weight so that they can "walk" the bottom of the sponge bed. They wear leaded shoes, weights over their shoulders and the "headgear" alone weighs 28 pounds. Travis, 31, hails from New Hampshire and took this job on as a summer job when he was in college. He liked it so much he moved permanently to Florida and now works the "beds" and gives the tours such as we were on. He suits up several times a day for the tour boat when not working underwater.

In this picture Travis is getting his helmet checked one last time before he goes overboard.

Clay, the tour guide explained to us that the divers don't wear SCUBA gear, as in air tanks, but are tethered to the boat by an air hose. He went on to tell us that in years past they have lost several divers because of other boaters driving their boats between the sponge boat and the diver in the water and their boat propellers severed the air lines. Because of the weight they are under the divers can't move quickly underwater and therefore run out of air before they can get back to the boat or to the surface. Thankfully, its been quite some time since that has happened.

Here's Travis waiting for the "go ahead" to go into the water.

Here's a picture of the live sponge that Travis brought up for all of us to see.

When we were coming back to the docks we noticed all these pelicans sunning themselves.

Another painting on the side of a building.

This is one fancy hummer we saw......

After our tour boat ride we finished walking the streets of Tarpon Springs and finally settled on a restaurant for lunch. First thing ordered was "souklava". (Don't hold me to a correct spelling on that) Its a cheese dish that has alcohol added to it and set aflame table side. With much urging from my lunch companions I tasted it. It was ok and I didn't go back for seconds. Now to order the main course. Bob is an adventurous eater and is willing to try new things. Not me! He, Rich and Jackie all ordered things I can't even pronounce let alone spell! Me? I had the lunchtime staple....hamburger and fries! Works for me!

So that was our day in Tarpon Springs, we learned new things, enjoyed fine weather and spent an wonderful day with our camping buddies.

Since Rich and Jackie are pulling out tomorrow in the early morning hours we sat on our porch and talked for awhile. It came time to wish safe travels for them on their way to Texas and after hugs and handshakes we bid them "so long".