A Day with the Sponge Hunters, Kas  Antalya - 1980

I met sponge divers during my Kas trip in Aug 1980. They make money by collecting sponges at the bottom of the sea with great risk in a tiny boat. They hosted me on a journey. I was with them from morning till night and photographed their lives.
On the weekend, I took my cameras and met with sponge hunters at the port. We left the port together. A boat registered in Bodrum Turgutreis harbor. Except for the compressor and the person managing the air, all the young people were divers. While working underwater, they breathe with the fresh air that the compressor sends from outside. They share their daily production with the boat owner. They are all working people.
The diving sites are around 30 meters, after the work is completed, his friends on the boat pull the net with the sponges he collected. Then it comes out itself. The shaking of the boat during operation is a nightmare for those who are not used to it. While they were eating the watermelon that they cut easily, there was nothing left in my stomach. When they saw the fishing rod I took with me for fishing, they said, "We'll fish for you, don't use it.
The study was completed with dizziness and nausea. I left the harbor with 2 Lagos fish (local name is gray) they caught for me.

Nikon F and Norita 66 medium format analog cameras