An absorbing tour

Tues. and Wed., Feb. 14-15, 2012 DUNEDIN, FL – Valentine’s Day dawned with the promise of warm temperatures, which suited our plan to visit the sponge docks at Tarpon Springs again. We wanted to take Mum out on a boat trip where they demonstrated how the famous sponges were harvested. Our first order of business was to have a seafood lunch at Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill, a famous restaurant in the heart of the sponge dock area. It was, in addition to Valentine’s Day, John and Fawn’s 30th anniversary, so we had some celebrating to do as well. The restaurant, at the end of Dodecanese Boulevard, was busy enough, but an easier prospect than it might have been at dinner time on Feb. 14. We enjoyed a meal of grouper and crab cakes and admired the décor of fish trophies and old photos of fishing activity on the walls, as well as lobster traps and other equipment on wooden shelves. After a dessert of strawberry shortcake that was light as a feather and full of ripe, sweet berries, we headed out to do some browsing in the many small shops along the street. On the south side of the street, kitschy t-shirts, back scratchers and flip flops were jumbled together with bins filled with natural sponges of all sizes, harvested within a kilometer or two of the stores, plus loofahs and beautiful shells, and some higher-end stores with jewelry and clothes. On the north side were the docks where boats large and small were moored. Some were obviously working boats, but others were brighter and cleaner, to attract tourists. Val and John scoped out a good deal on a sponge boat ride while “the girls” shopped. By the time we were done, they had been in deep conversation for some time with Theodorus, an old Greek fisherman with gnarled hands, white whiskers and a captain’s hat on his head. He had been in the business for years, and seemed pleased to have an interested audience. We climbed aboard the St. Nicholas VI and sat on benches along each side of the boat. Our captain told us about the diving suit that was traditionally used, a thick rubber outfit with a metal yoke to which the diving headgear was attached just before the diver went overboard. The diver also had to wear a necklace of metal weights which, in addition to his weighted shoes and clothing, totaled 170 pounds, and ensured he would stay at the bottom. He carried what looked like a small pitch fork which allowed him to scrape the sponges away from the rocks where they grew. The captain said divers could walk three to five miles underwater in one diving session, and they sometimes stayed out at sea for weeks at a time. We followed the trail of bubbles that came up as our diver walked along the bottom – he could move surprisingly quickly considering how encumbered he was. Then he came up with a round black blob on his fork. Once he was hauled aboard again and his diving helmet was off, we all applauded his find. The captain brought it around to each of us. The blob was sort of slimy and rubbery, but the captain said it would be transformed into the soft, woolly natural sponge we all recognize after a thorough cleaning process on shore. It was a really interesting outing, and just the right length. Today was shopping day for Mum, who wanted to find some souvenirs to bring home. We were glad that the weather warmed up enough to showcase Florida at its best before it was time for her to head back to snowy, wintry Ottawa.