Study title

Kalymnos, one of the islands of the Dodecanese, is widely known as the "island of sponges", since its inhabitants, especially men, were engaged in the profession of sponge fishing. Sponge fishing, or as it is called sponge work, was one of the only men's vocational rehabilitation, as the island did not offer employment in any other field. The people's love and emotional connection to the island, to the "stone" they inhabit, did not leave them any space to think about abandoning their place. So in order to survive on this "rock", they had to find an essential solution to their survival. As a gift "from heaven" to the barren island, it gave life breath and financial prosperity, as the money from this particular job was plentiful. Beyond the lucrative business, however, the problems and dangers the sponges faced were many and often fatal to their own lives