The sponge diving tradition of Kalymnos Island has inspired a modern-day sporting event that is now to be endorsed as an international sport by the World Underwater Federation.

Kalymnos has historically been the centre of Greek sponge industry and famous for its legendary sponge-divers that have for centuries mastered the art of apnea skin-diving. The standard diving suit arrived in the island only in 1865 -until then skin-diving was the only method.

Kalymnos sponge-divers used a cylindrical 15 kilogram stone, known as the "skandalopetra" to move to the sea bottom quickly and exercised apnea diving, going down to about 30 metres for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the diver’s lung capacity.

This legendary tradition has inspired the modern day sport of skandalopetra, an apnea free-diving contest, with events taking place all around the world. The next Skandalopetra FreeDiving Event will be held in Bonaire, Northern Caribbean on May 3-9, with Italian, Turkish and Greek events to follow. Spain, Russia and France, have applied to join the contest’s 2013 calendar. The popularity of the sport has led the World Underwater Federation to propose that Skandalopetra Freediving become an Olympic sport.