Few words for the supremacy of natural sea sponges compared to plastic ones.

Sea sponges are more durable and last longer than synthetic sponges because they

are more resistant to abrasion. In addition, natural sea sponges are better for bathing and cleaning because they soak up and hold more water without dripping. Natural sponges are self-cleaning through their intricate system of canals. 

They are softer, clean better and will not peel off like the synthetic sponges while being used. Natural sponges will not stain or retain odors.

Natural sea sponges respect the enviroment, they do not leave polluting residuals and are 100% bio-degradable.

Synthetic sponges, on the contrary, are made of cellulose polymers (plastic). The synthetic sponges are processed from materials such as nylon or rubber, which generate as much pollution in their processing as in their residues.

The cleaner we keep our oceans, the more sponges people can harvest.

Be an educated consumer and help eliminate synthetic production, which causes pollutants.

FEW WORDS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE NATURAL GREEK SEA SPONGES

The history of the Greek sea sponges goes many centuries back in time. We find descriptions and references of their uses in the writings of Aristotle, Plato and even Homer's works of  Iliad and Odyssey!!.

Since ancient times the Greeks knew and used the sea sponges as the best natural products for personal hygiene and body skin care.

The Romans also, well known for their famous baths, appreciated immensely the soft quality and the hygienic properties of the natural sea sponges. They made extensive use of natural sea sponges in their everyday personal hygiene and bathroom habits.

The Greek Islands with SIMI, CHALKI and KALYMNOS in the lead have been the most famous and active places for ‘fishing’ and trading the best natural sea sponges all over the world.

Greek ‘SKIN DIVERS’ from many islands would literally 'plough' across  the Greek deep and hot sea waters to collect the best and well known worldwide Greek sea sponges.

It seems that in KALYMNOS the sponge 'fishing' (called 'spogaleeia') started some 300 years ago and the first Kalymnian  divers used to dive with no special protective equipment (‘SKIN DIVERS’).

At that time the divers would 'plunge' into the sea from a small boat with few crew. The diver would carry with him a cylinder shaped glass lense to help him view the sea bed and spot the sponges.

To help him go down fast the ‘skin diver’ would hold in his arms a heavy stone (15 Kgr) called 'skandalopetra'!

The diver would cut clean the sponge from  the sea floor, put it in a net (called 'dihty') and bring it up to the boat.

In each diving (called 'voutia') the diver would remain 3-5 minutes underwater and he would reach up to 30 meters deep.  

At the beginning of the 19th century Kalymnos and other Greek islands saw a boom of their sponge industry thanks to a new diving standard diving suit called 'skafandron'.

With 'skafandro' the Greek divers could dive deeper (70 meters) and stay much longer underwater.

So the divers soon discovered the better quality and bigger sponges that lived at deeper and hotter waters.

Larger ships with more crew (called 'spogoalieftika') started sailing the Aegean Sea (Pelagos) and sailed across the Mediterranean sea as far as Libya and Egypt, Lebanon and Syria.

These sails could last long time and crew and divers could miss their families for up to 6 months. This is the reason that each island developed their customs to celebrate the time all the ships would leave the little ports full of dreams and aspirations for a ‘good catch' and receive them back, few months later full of sponges and desires to meet with their beloved people parents, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, lovers, friends, etc.

Along with the business boom and the good money the standard diving suit brought to the islands, the divers had to pay deathly tolls by the name of 'divers' disease'.

That disease was caused by the 'quick decompression' and the production of ‘air bubbles’ in the divers’s blood. The 'disease' often caused serious paralysis and very often through a confined life ended in early death.

It is estimated that the first year the standard diving suit was used almost half of the divers were affected and either became paralyzed or died. The numbers recorded show that in total 10.000 divers died and 20.000 were paralyzed permanently. 

At the beginning of the 20th century the use of the standard diving suit had to be abandoned and many Greek divers moved to other countries, as far as Florida, to look for new opportunities and sponge diving.

At that time safer diving equipment was appearing in the market produced by Nicolas Toth in Florida.