Carmel Kostos — Connecting with Clift’s Kalymnos

The plight of Kalymnian sponge divers was perilous, to say the least. Routinely, up to 12 men of varying ages worked aboard a 30-foot caique, enduring relentless and dangerous conditions at sea for six months at a time. Some reports estimate that fatalities among Kalymnian divers during the mid-to-late 19th century reached 42 percent, with thousands more afflicted by life-altering, crippling physical conditions from this work. Yet, while this form of livelihood was often passed down through generations, the perilous nature of the sponge diving system in Greece caused some men to seek less risky alternatives in sponge fields abroad.

Take the story of Kyrios Georgios [not his real name]*, who learned of new opportunities for Kalymnian sponge divers to work the waters off Florida, specifically Tarpon Springs. The newer technologies and the ocean depth there, compared to the waters off Greece, posed lesser risks for divers. After relocating to Tarpon Springs and beginning preparations for his young wife to follow, the daunting task of traveling by ship to America with four small children ultimately saw these arrangements left undone. She could not find the strength to make the trip, and as a result, he never returned to Kalymnos. Instead, possibly in reprisal, he forwarded her a mischievous photograph, presenting himself confidently adorned in his new American identity.

Likewise, Charmian Clift's Fotis in Honour’s Mimic had dreams of a life beyond the Port of Pothia. Having been rejected by the captains of the Kalymnian sponge diving caiques as ‘trouble’, he turned to drink to cope with his situation, which appeared to villagers as pitiful and hopeless. One villager explained that the diver had the curse of the ‘evil eye’. Also burdened by a young family, Fotis sought out Kathy, whom some villagers believed had arrived on the island to facilitate a work permit process for the Australian government to employ Kalymnian men wishing to migrate. However, Fotis and Kathy’s mutual desperation makes a connection that takes them to a place unimagined. Or was it?

Photograph taken at the Kalymnian House Museum

Entrance to Kyrios Haramis' sponge warehouse, Kalymnos