The Sponge Capital Of The World.
Feb 8, 2024 18:50:07 #
On the west coast of Florida, a little north of Tampa, lies the beautiful small town of Tarpon Springs. Around the turn of the century ( 1900's) The coastal waters in the area were discovered to be a superior production region for natural sponges. Because of this, word spread to Europe and many sponge divers...mostly from Greece...relocated to and around Tarpon Springs. Consequently, there is a large Greek population in the area.
The harvesting of sponges occurs mostly in waters 60 to 100 feet in depth. Some SCUBA diving is employed but the predominant means of collecting the sponges is performed by divers in full suits, metal helmets, with air supplied to the diver by long hoses. At the end of a day's diving, the collected " crop " is brought to the docks where it is graded for size and quality. It is then sold at the retail level or sold to the wholesale market. The town supports a nice museum dedicated to the industry.
The harvesting of sponges occurs mostly in waters 60 to 100 feet in depth. Some SCUBA diving is employed but the predominant means of collecting the sponges is performed by divers in full suits, metal helmets, with air supplied to the diver by long hoses. At the end of a day's diving, the collected " crop " is brought to the docks where it is graded for size and quality. It is then sold at the retail level or sold to the wholesale market. The town supports a nice museum dedicated to the industry.
Feb 8, 2024 18:57:40 #
Feb 8, 2024 19:02:27 #
Feb 8, 2024 19:15:07 #
NMGal wrote:
Very interesting.
As you might guess, the fishing and shrimping industries also play a big role around there. The seafood fare in the local restaurants is out-of-this-world good.
Feb 8, 2024 19:17:23 #
Feb 8, 2024 19:23:24 #
Interesting story and images Tom. I live about 40 miles south of Tampa so not far from me. Have to slightly disagree with your above statement about their seafood. Out of this world seafood and other food in in S.E. Louisiana!
Don
Don
Feb 8, 2024 19:40:20 #
PAR4DCR wrote:
Interesting story and images Tom. I live about 40 miles south of Tampa so not far from me. Have to slightly disagree with your above statement about their seafood. Out of this world seafood and other food in in S.E. Louisiana!
Don
Don
Hey, buddy.
I'm no stranger to food in the area you mention...I've spent a lot of time over there. I happen to like it a lot. But there's a bunch of folks that don't cotton to the range of spices that permeate Cajun cooking.
Feb 8, 2024 19:54:41 #
black mamba wrote:
On the west coast of Florida, a little north of Ta... (show quote)
USED to be some of the best Greek Restaurants in the state....now, Rusty Bellies, 
Feb 8, 2024 21:15:40 #
Feb 8, 2024 22:29:29 #
Blaster34 wrote: USED to be some of the best Greek Restaurants in the state....now, Rusty Bellies,
USED to be some of the best Greek Restaurants in the state....now, Rusty Bellies, Thanks for commenting. That's an interesting observation.
Feb 8, 2024 22:37:50 #
UTMike wrote:
Very nice tour, Tom!
Thanks, Mike.
I hadn't been there in quite some time. Like all of Florida, the area around Tarpon Springs has grown quite a bit. But the little core area was pretty much as I remember from a long time ago.
Feb 8, 2024 23:21:02 #
Feb 8, 2024 23:26:40 #
Feb 9, 2024 05:20:13 #
Feb 9, 2024 05:47:13 #
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