Sponge Diver Memorial Statue
Tarpon Springs, Florida
A statue of a fearless sponge diver stands along the docks of Tarpon Springs, a Greek community that started as center for the Florida sponge industry, and evolved into a tourist attraction about the sponge industry (and a great place to find Greek food). Dedicated in 2002, "In Memory of the Spongers of Tarpon Springs" depicts a young man in a full rubber diving suit and boots, holding his helmet in one arm. A lot of these intrepid spongers died on the job, and with the sponge beds exhausted, there are safer professions diving for tourist dollars.
The sculpture is a worthy photo op, though it's no Spongeorama. Apparently an older fiberglass diver, circa 1975, was retired -- it had the signature 1970s manly mustache seen on the old dummies in Spongeorama dioramas.