Costa John Tsataros

Costa John Tsataros

Tarpon Springs, Greek community, sponge industry

The son of a diver and hook boat captain, Costa John Tsataros (1926-2001) also became a sponge diver. While at sea, he often whittled—creating beautiful sponge boats from blocks of wood. Today his sons John and Steve continue his father’s tradition. It was not uncommon that in their leisure time the men who built or worked on the sponge boats sometimes made elaborate model boats to delight their families or friends. Most models are exact replicas, produced in much the same way as real boats. They often painted them like working sponge boats: white with a few red, black and/or yellow horizontal stripes along the sides, or with a black base and blue trim.

City of Tarpon Springs

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English

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