The fleets’ return began in September.
When the first boats showed up in the main harbour, the women and children tried to see if it was the boat with their beloved family member. If the flag was half-mast, then something bad had happened. Someone had died.
The trip had begun. No much time for rest and sleep, the responsibilities had been assigned. Each man was necessary; the cook, the washer, the diver and the rest of the crew.
The ships usually sailed in fleets. In any fleet, one could find many small sponge boats, which carried the men responsible for sponge fishing. In each group, there was a cargo ship, which carried the sponges, the food and other essentials.
The diving techniques have evolved during the last decades. At first, a small glass boat glass was searching for sponges on the sea ground. Once sponges were spotted, the diver, got prepared to dive. He dove naked (“skin diving”), having in his hands a big stone (called “Skandalopetra” or “revera”) that helped him reach the sea ground. He didn’t have much time underwater. When he sensed that the oxygen in his lungs was running out, he had to emerge.
This method wasn’t very effective, so it was replaced by another one, where the diver started carrying with him an air tube, through which he could breathe (called “fernez” method). He also held a rope that he used to make signals to the ship when something went wrong. A man on the ship was responsible for the supervision of this tube. The boat followed the direction of the diver.
As the years passed by, sponge diving methods got improved. On some boats, the divers started wearing a diving suit, with a helmet (“skafandro”).
The basic problem with the previous two methods was that, because of the fact that the diver had to stay long underwater, nitrogen accumulated in his body. If he emerged too fast, the nitrogen stayed in his blood and created clots (so called decompression sickness). As a consequence, the diver suffered unbearable pain and numbness, leading to a temporary or even permanent paralysis or death. This led to the loss of many sponge divers, who were buried in beaches close to the place of work or carried home and buried by their families. This phenomenon also gave birth to a dance called “the dance of the mechanic”, dedicated to all these lost people.
Today, sponge divers dive using either “revera free diving” or “nargile” (a compressor on the boat continuously supplies them with oxygen).
Easter had just gone and it was time for the sponge boats to leave. The trip would last from six to seven months. It was a really long time…
The families of the crew (especially the sponge divers) were very worried about their beloved ones health. Were they going to make it? Were they going to return home alive? Sponge diving has always been a dangerous profession and many divers have been drown and buried in unknown places.
The final preparations were made at Lafasi shipyard. Employees were taking care of the boats (painting, maintenance etc.), and checking for possible engine problems. They had to make sure that nothing would go wrong, during their long-lasting trip.
The captains of the boats had already made their deals with their sailors and the local store owners, who supplied them with food and everything else they‘d need during the trip. After all the preparations were completed, it was time for everyone, the captain and the crew, to celebrate. Their last night in Kalymnos, they were all gathered together while they were eating, singing, dancing and discussing the final details.
On the departure day, priests, surrounded by the majority of the Kalymnian people, were performing sanctification, so that God would keep their “children” safe. The wives were wearing their kerchief, sending their warmest wishes to their husbands, and they would take it off, only if their men returned.
