Bitter Sea tells a gripping story that has never before been fully revealed. The book vividly charts the fortunes of sponge diving in Greece and brings the saga right up to date. It tells of the wealth and lavish lifestyle brought by the golden harvest to a few traders and dealers. The incredibly hazardous diving methods used to gather the sponges - and their terrible toll on the menfolk of the picturesque Dodecanese Islands. The sudden catastrophe of the 'Chernobyl effect' and the founding of new communities in America and Australia.
Read about the divers, their families and their way of life. Customs, tradition and popular folklore. Tales from the lips of veteran divers and sponge workers. The 'Dinner of Love' preceding the fleet's farewell. Songs of the sea and the heart wrenching dance of the diver condemned in his prime to lifelong disability.
The cover picture shows a 19 year-old diver tragically stricken by the bends. Each of the 22 chapters is headed by an equally atmospheric full-page photograph, several of which date back to the early 1900s.
