St. Nicholas Boat Line

Honestly, it’s a little cheesy, but somewhat interesting. They barely take you more than a few hundred yards from the marina dock when a guy in a 100 year old helmet diving suit plops in the water, walks around under the surface for a few minute and comes up with a nasty little sponge that you get to touch (and by nasty I mean covered in black slime). They give you a few facts about sponges and the history of sponging in the area, but really the only cool thing about this 25 minute tour is the super old helmet suit. Small children will probably find this activity the most exciting. If you are looking for a longer adventure, I would recommend the Dolphin Tour to Anclote Island with Odyssey Cruises for a few bucks more. We did both.
Adults | $ 8
Kids (6 – 12) | $ 4
6 & under | free
FINAL THOUGHT
It’s tolerable if you are looking for something to do other than walk the local shops & restaurants of Tarpon Springs. Staff is very friendly so that’s plus, but at the end of your tour expect to be presented with a pack of post cards. At first you’ll think they are a gift for taking the tour, but just hold on a few minutes. It will become apparent they are for sale as one of the crew members begins to promote them (helmet guy will sign one for you if you buy). We bought one pack since it was only a buck, however its been a few months now and I can’t remember where I put them! LOL

Great price, awesome guide and crew. I learned a ton about the town and sponge industry.

As for value, $ 8 probably a good one. This whole section of town is a tourist trap. The boat ride is fun if you aren’t expecting much. The entertainment value is decent especially after walking around to all the stores. We got a couple of good pictures with the diver. I thought the whole post card thing was strange, but my wife bought them. It’s a good way to find out the history behind the Sponge Capital of the World. It’s a good tour (once).

Well, not exactly what we expected, but then again what can $ 8 get you these days. I wanted to go to Tarpon Springs, because I fondly remembered first visiting there with my grandparents over 30 years ago. Though we had a wonderful meal at one of the greek restaurants, lots (of course) has changed. That said, I decided to take my partner on the «sponge diving» exhibition boat ride. Though the history lesson was delightful, and watching the diver in the old suit prepare for his «decent» was interesting. The whole thing was a bit on the cheesoid side of things. First, I don’t believe for one minute that he «dove» to great depths to retrieve the «sponge» from the bottom of the inlet. Yes, we didn’t go into the bay, we stayed in the inlet across from several beautiful homes. I don’t think that we were a mile from the dock, well maybe 1 mile, but that is about it. The diver jumped in, and though you could see the bubbles, you could also tell that he was in incredibly shallow water and most likely was harvesting a «planted» sponge. Dude got back on board and one of the «ship mates» walked around with the slimy sponge for all to have a brief touch before it found its way back into the bucket. All in all it was a little hokey to say the least. Then they try to sell you a packet of cheap post cards with bad photography for $ 1, then of course the whole «tip your waiter on the way out» speech soon followed. I don’t mind a little hokiness every once in a while, but I thought that the experience would at least be a bit more exciting and less on the «lets see how we can squeeze a buck out of these folks» routine. Ah, none the less, it just goes to show you what happens when a town steeped in tradition and history allows the touristy b/​s to overrun the real reason that the town exists in the first place.

What great fun and educational! Frank the sponge diver and his crew tell of days gone by of how Tarpon Springs became the Sponge Capital of the World! Fellow sponge divers from Greece came from abroad to work in this area and have now made this their home. A lot of history in these guys! Loved the tour! Frank actually dives like the old times and gathers a sponge for your review!