Kalymnos

Kalymnos island is located southeast in the Aegean sea. It belongs to the island group of the Dodecanese, and has about 16 000 residents. Kalymnos is an exciting place full of various activities. 

In Kalymnos, you can for instance scuba dive in the stunning Aegean sea, and expand your knowledge on sponge diving, which is the great pride of the island. Sponge diving has existed since ancient times, and it is part of the tradition and history of Kalymnos. In the past, the collecting of sponges was conducted by skin diving, a method where a cylindrical object with a glass ending was used to discover the natural sponges in the bottom of the sea. The divers wore no suits, and brought a "skandalopetra" into the water, a heavy rock, in order to go down as quickly as possible. Their stay in the sea varied, between 3 and 5 minutes.

The sponge diving affected the community both economically and socially. Around the year of 1800, sponge trade was expanding from the island, bringing wealth and economic prosperity. While the men were involved in the labor, the women invested in painted head scarves, beautiful details to the locals' traditional dresses.

There were, however, also hard times for the locals. Many people lost their lives searching for sponges, as the skin diving method encountered heavy danger. Luckily, sponge diving became more safe in the year of 1865, when a standard diving suit, a "skafandro," found its way into the business. Since then, sponge diving continued in Kalymnos until pollution and overproduction put a stop to it. Kalymnos is still, however, considered as one of the most wealthy islands in Greece.

But sponge diving is not the only thing which can be discovered in Kalymnos! The island has many more interesting characteristics. Did you know that many festivals are arranged in Kalymnos every year? Among them is Kalymnos Climbing Festival, which attracts rock climbers from all over the world, as the island is perfect for rock climbing! In the natural scenery one can find more than 1300 unique climbing tracks, and many more are yet to be discovered. If you are not fond of climbing the rocks, do not worry! Regular hiking is also a popular activity here, which gives you a chance to discover the many caves of Kalymnos.