Bodrum’s famed sponge diver sets out on symbolic 1,000-mile voyage

MUĞLA

Mehmet Baş, better known as “Aksona Mehmet” and described as the last sponge diver of Muğla’s town of Bodrum, has embarked on a symbolic voyage across the Aegean to mark the 60th anniversary of his diving career.

Born in Bodrum in 1950, Baş began sponge diving at the age of 15.

Sponge diving, once a traditional livelihood in the Aegean and Mediterranean, involves free-diving or using rudimentary gear to harvest natural sea sponges from the seabed.

For 22 years, Baş pursued his passion at sea, diving in many parts of the world and harvesting sponges. When sponge populations were hit by disease in 1987, he shifted his focus to running his own boat for blue cruises and diving tourism.

Now 75, Baş has set sail with his boat "Aksona Mancorna” for a 1,000-mile journey along the Ayvalık–Enez line of the northern Aegean.

During the trip, which is expected to last around 15 to 20 days, he plans to dive for sponges once more, not for commercial purposes, but as a tribute to generations of sponge divers.

“From North Africa to Çanakkale, countless unnamed graves were left behind by the deep blue’s unsung heroes. This voyage is both in memory of my 60 years and in honor of all sponge divers. The sponges I collect will be given as gifts to institutions,” Baş said before departure.

He marked his departure with a zeybek — a traditional folk dance from western Türkiye characterized by slow, proud movements — performed in front of local officials and sailors.

Looking ahead, he also hopes to sail as far as Gibraltar next year with his tirhandil, a traditional wooden boat, and to become the first Turkish diver to explore the shallow waters there.