Kali Yallourakis: Kalymnos, sponge-diving & Tarpon Springs

In her second broadcast, Kali Yallourakis starts off by talking about Kalymnos and Sfougaria, two areas in the Dodecanese. She then goes into her experiences on the island of Kalymnos, where her mother’s family is from. Briefly, she mentions the history of the islands and the way of life, as well as the origin of naked sponge diving which was a very dangerous profession. At 2:28, Kali includes a traditional song about sponge diving. Then at 6:05 Kali introduces her guest, Melina Yallourakis, her mom. Melina shares a little background about herself, her upbringing (including the fact that her own grandfather was a sponge diver), and childhood experiences in Kalymnos. The broadcast finishes with a discussion about the importance of Tarpon Springs, Florida (minute 16), for Kali’s family and for the people of Kalymnos.

Image result for naked sponge diver greece kalymnos

 

Here we have pictures of sponge divers, as mentioned in Kali’s broadcast. The bottom pictures give an insight as to how sponge divers completed a dive. The divers used cylindrical, glass-bottomed jar to find the sponges on the sea bed. Once found, the divers descended into the sea naked with a mesh bag and a scythe, their bodies tied to a stone. The stone helped the divers reach the bottom quickly, and the other end of the rope was adhered to the boat.

Image result for naked sponge diver greece kalymnos