Century-old Tarpon Springs boat tour is a family affair
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - In the heart of Tarpon Springs, where the river meets the sea, a tradition as old as the town itself is thriving.
On the waters of the Anclote River, Captain George Billiris is the custodian of the last remaining sponge tour boating business. The St. Nicholas Boat Line is 100 years old.
"When people come, you know, that's what they see," explained Captain Billiris of the St. Nicholas Boat Line. "They see that culture of the sponge docks, the sponging industry, and it’s still here."
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His grandfather started the family business back in 1924, during the off-season for sponge diving.
"He bought several boats and began operating them in 1924. He was doing sponge diving tours. They were doing fishing tours, a lot of different things at the time," Captain Billiris said.
His family has been traveling these waterways for a century.
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"Just about everybody in the first generation is a captain. We had to start off with my grandfather," shared Captain Billiris. "My father, all of my uncles. The cousins, we had probably about eight or ten family members that were captains at one point."
The St. Nicholas Boat Line is 100 years old.
The captain was just a kid when he started.
"I was doing it from the time I was about ten years old. I used to work on the boats here. I grew up through high school, and then when I went to high school, I actually went away to college and kind of disappeared for a while," he stated.
Now he's back telling tales of yesteryears.
Captain Billiris was just a kid when he started.
"Now, all these boats you see to my left, are working commercial sponge boats," said Captain Billiris added. "It's more of a historical representation of what we, how we used to work with the diving gear and all. And, it gives you a lot of history about the sponge industry."
Families aren't just on a tour but are part of a legacy.
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"A lot of people coming up as older people now, bringing their grandkids to come onto the boat because of, they just remember how it used to be," he said.
Captain Billiris says this is the second-oldest attraction in Florida.
Guests get to experience first-hand what it was like to be a sponge driver.
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"I hope they leave with a little bit of knowledge of, of about our culture, about our history, how things used to work here in the old days. And just a good, pleasant idea of what Tarpon Springs was all about," Captain Billiris said.
The tour gives guests an idea of what sponge diving was like decades ago.
The tour is the second-oldest attraction in Florida and it runs every day.
The tour leaves from 693 Dodecanese Blvd, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689
Call (727) 942-6425 for more information.