What is the Skandalopetra dive.

The Skandalopetra is a piece of stone, usually from marble or granite, with rounded edges and hydrodynamic shape, weighting from 8-14 kilos.

For thousands of years until a few years ago it has been used by sponge divers as diving stone and an auxiliary diving tool.

A long rope tied through a hole at one of it's edge, was unrolled during diving and rolled during ascending of the sponge diver. Through this hole a small rope was tied to the shackle bone of the sponge diver so that he could liberate his hands without missing the Skandalopetra and his connection with the boat.

Until the decade of 1960, a lot of sponge divers were using this ancient Skandalopetra diving method.

The skin diver was diving from a boat keeping the stone with his two hands and the small rope tied to his shackle bone.

During descending he used the Skandalopetra as weights for quick descending, as a steering wheel to change direction and as a brake to slow down or accelerate his diving beat.

Upon reaching the sea bed he would liberate his hands to collect the sponges and when he was done he would use the long rope to give the appropriate sign to his partner on the boat. Then his partner would rope him to the sea surface while he was standing on the Skandalopetra or just hung up on the line.

From this small description it is obvious that the Skandalopetra was a tool with many uses. It was the equivalent of the weights we use today and at the same time it was a steering wheel, a brake and a standing base. While the rope it was tied on, was used as a reference line and for communication with the boat.

The Skandalopetra diving method has a history of thousands of years. Due to this fact it has reached the highest levels of perfection and safety.

But freediving for sponges was a very hard job and as soon as new and more comfortable diving gear was available, the Skandalopetra diving method was totally abandoned !

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KALYMNOS HOTELIERS ASSOCIATION

What is the Skandalopetra dive.