Giorgos Zachariadis from Rhodes sent us an intruguing story from the old days, which took place in Limnos and Symi in the middle of the 18th century.
We thank him very much!
”The Ship’s Log”
27 February 2024
“The diving bell”
by Giorgos Zachariadis
It was the time when the Symi sponge merchants and captains were travelling all over the Aegean islands transporting sponges and other products.
A famous sponge merchant of those years was Fotis Mastoridis from Symi, but also my grandfather Dimitris Papazachariou from Kos, who mysteriously disappeared during a trip to the northern Aegean islands at the beginning of the 19th century. (why his name is Papazachariou and not Zachariadis is another long story).
On a trip to the coast of northern Greece, Fotis Mastoridis boat docked in Limnos harbor. There he met the Mavriou family and was hosted at their place for a few days. The family had two daughters and he was betrothed to marry one as soon as he returned to Limnos after his trip to northern Greece.
However, when Mastoridis returned to Limnos, the girl had died and her family decided to marry him with her sister, Evgenia Mavriou, to marry her.
So Mastoridis traveled to Symi with Evgenia and her brother, Giorgos Mavrios, where he married her and they all settled together on the island. Mastoridis continued to work in the sponge business and in the year 1863 he brought to Symi the first scuba diving. Some say he brought it from the Indies and others from France.
But no local diver wanted to try it and so the courageous Evgenia was the one who put it on and dived in the harbor of Symi! In fact, she was pregnant when she took the plunge!
And so began the use of the scuba diving was put into use by divers on other islands that used to dive holding in his hands a flat stone, the “skandalopetra”.
This is the story of the Mastoridis and Mavriou families from Symi and Limnos. Me and my family are their descendants.
_ Giorgos Zachariadis, Rhodes
* Evgenia Mastoridi’s statue at Symi island
* Giorgos Mavrios, Giorgos Zachariadis’ great grandfather
