Tarpon Springs
sponge industry
Tarpon Springs, city, Pinellas County, western
Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico; incorporated as a city 1887. It is a resort city
and a leading center of the U.S. sponge-fishing industry. The community, settled
in 1882, is named for the tarpon, a fish found in abundance off the coast. Many
Greek immigrants came here after 1905 to continue their traditional trade of
sponge diving. The Epiphany ceremony, an old Greek Orthodox rite, is a colorful
event each January 6. Population 13,251 (1980); 17,906 (1990); 19,016 (1998
estimate).
Text from Microsoft, Encarta
the sponge fleet
Adonis putting on the Diving gear
getting ready to enter the water
in the water with the diving helmet
found the sponge
getting back on board
more of the fleet
sponges on the deck
sponge boat
