Kalymnos and Its Fearless Sponge Divers
Kalymnos is known for its sponge diving since antiquity. The divers would use a heavy flat stone named “Skandalopetra” which helped them reach the seabed faster. They had no equipment which would help them breathe underwater so the time they spent to dive and the time they spent to surface were of extreme importance. Their moves had to be quick as they sometimes had to descend 30 meters below the sea to find and cut as many sponges as possible but they could only hold their breathe for a limited time from 3 to 5 minutes maximum.

















