An aerial view of the sponge docks along the Anclote River near the old Sponge Exchange building.

A young George Billiris aboard the St. Nicholas II preparing to enter the gulf waters in search of sponges.

A close up shot of a sponge diver.

Sponge dealers, brokers, boat captains and others gather at the Sponge Exchange, the heart of the local sponge industry. In the early days, sponges were sold by silent auction with dealers submitting written bids with lots awarded to the highest bidders.

The sponge diver and his crew. More than half the 9-12 crew members were divers allowing for more time on the bottom.

A sponge diver enters the water with a sponge hook, knife and net to hold the sponges.

Tarpon Springs sponge diver, Leon “Roxy” Velousis, preparing to dive.

Two-man hook boat operation. Working in shallow water, one man rows while the other searches for sponges through a glass-bottom bucket while retrieving sponges with a 15 to 45 foot poles.

The beautiful interior of St. Nicholas Cathedral is adorned with murals of saints and apostles by renowned religious artist, George Saclarides. Twenty-three memorial stained glass windows and three massive Czechoslovakian glass chandeliers are other highlights of the center of the Greek life in Tarpon Springs.

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral replaced the old Greek Church of Tarpon Springs in 1943. Sponge boat owners pledged a percentage of their profits to help build this magnificent example of Byzantine architecture featuring round arches, a massive dome and bell tower resembling the famous Hagia Sophia church in Istanbul, Turkey.

St. Michael’s Shrine on Hope Street, built by a local Greek family in the 1940s in gratitude for the miraculous recovery of their young son. The shrine is open to the public with many coming to pray or leave religious or personal mementos.

A boat loaded with sponges drying in Tarpon Springs, Fl.