There
are many ways to dispose of human remains. In the United States, we tend to prefer burial. In England, cremation is the first
choice. In Tibet, sky burial is favored. But now that ‘green burials,’ (those
that are more in tune with nature) are catching on again, burial at sea is
becoming more popular.
Burial
at sea is accomplished by taking the deceased’s body, or their cremains, out on the ocean and dropping them over the edge of a boat into the
water. Burials at sea
have occurred since ancient times.
 |
| Viking Ship |
The Vikings would place a body on board a ship and set it on fire as a
way to help the deceased get to Valhalla.
 |
| Egyptian Raft |
Throughout
the islands of the South Pacific, the dead were placed in canoes and launched
into the sea.
The
ancient Egyptians placed their dead on papyrus rafts and floated them off to
sea.
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| Military Services |
Military
navies around the world have practiced sea burials for hundreds of years. From the fifteenth century to WW II,
sailors have committed their own to the sea. Superstition had it that a sailor not buried at sea would
become restless and haunt the place where he died.
 |
| Davy Jones Locker |
If
a ship capsized and life was lost, sailors would refer to those who had drowned
as having been sent to Davy Jones Locker.
The origin of the saying is not known, but it was first reported in Four
Years Voyages of Capt. George Roberts
published in London in 1726.
During the nineteenth century, the phrase became popular among sailors.
Burial
at sea is not a complicated process, but rules and regulations must be
followed. In the U.S., a body must
be taken at least 3 nautical miles away from the coastline and dropped in water
at least 600 feet deep. There are
some areas that require the water to be 1800 feet deep. The remains must be prepared in a
manner so that they will sink quickly and permanently.
 |
| Casket for Sea Burial |
If using a casket, it must be weighed down
with one hundred pounds of weight, and have twelve 6 inch holes drilled into
the lid and bottom of the casket, in order to allow the water in to aid in the sinking. Five
metal bands must also be wrapped around the casket.
 |
| Sea Shroud |
offers
full body burials at sea. The body
is placed in a shroud that is weighted down with cannon balls. The shroud will decompose over time and
the cannon balls help to form a reef, keeping everything natural.
All
sea burials must be reported to the EPA.
A Burial at Sea form must be completed. It will require the name of the
deceased, port of departure, name of vessel, longitude and latitude of the drop,
and if the remains were cremains or a body. For more information visit http://www.epa.gov/
 |
| Lighthouse Urn |
 |
| Shell Urn |
Almost
90% of human remains taken out to sea for burial are cremains, the remainder of
the cremation process. They may be
taken out three miles from the coast and scattered on the water or dropped into
the ocean in an urn. The urn may be watertight or one that will dissolve with
time.
 |
| Man-made Reef Urn |
 |
| Neptune Memorial Reef |
Urns
may also be part of a reef that attracts sea life. The Neptune Memorial Reef is the largest man-made reef ever
built. It is located just over 3
miles east of Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida and attracts sea life and scuba divers.
Religious
beliefs can influence whether someone may be buried at sea. Traditional
Orthodox Judaism prohibits burial at sea.
Reform Judaism may allow a burial at sea after consultation with a Rabbi,
but burial is still preferred.
The
Roman Catholic Church will approve burial at sea in a casket or urn when the deceased
has died at sea.
Buddhism
specifies that the body should be cremated, placed in an urn and buried or put
in a columbarium. However, a
ceremony has been developed for Buddhist military personnel who must be buried
at sea.
Hinduism
requires the deceased to be cremated and the ashes placed in the Ganges
River. But burial at sea can be
approved after discussion with a Hindu priest.
Islam
calls for the body to be buried deep into the ground. However, if the person died at sea and decay could be a
problem, a sea burial is allowed.
Also, if enemies might dig up the body to mutilate it, a sea burial is
acceptable, as in the case of Osama bin Laden.
The
cost of a burial at sea is quite inexpensive when compared to a traditional
burial in the United States.
Depending on the company, some vessels will charge a nominal fee ($50 to
$100) to carry ashes out to sea and scatter them. Others will take the family out to sea where a service can
be held and the remains dropped over the edge of the ship or boat. Prices vary, but the smaller the boat, the less the
expense.
Many
well-known people have been buried at sea including;
 |
| John F. Kennedy, Jr. |
 |
| Alfred Hitchcock |
H.G.
Wells (1866 – 1946)
Janis
Joplin (1943 – 1970)
Alfred
Hitchcock (1899 – 1980)
Rock
Hudson (1925 – 1985)
Vincent
Price (1911 – 1993)
Gene
Kelly (1912 – 1996)
John
Kennedy Jr. (1960 – 1999)
Dick
Clark (1929
– 2012)
Those
who request burial at sea usually have a deep affinity for the ocean, whether
from working on it, being near it, or just loving to look at it. Many people find a sea burial to be a serene and
unobtrusive way to sail off into the sunset.
I Must Down
to the Seas Again, the Lonely Sea and the Sky
I must down to
the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is
a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's
kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist
on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must down to
the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call
and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is
a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung
spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must down to
the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's
way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is
a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep
and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.
~
John Masefield, Poet Laureate (1878 - 1967)
~ Joy
Baby Boomers are the catalyst to this change, thanks to “thinking outside the box” and wanting a service that is unique to their lives. Themed funerals are starting to take off, and services are becoming memorial events.
In Texas, one funeral home director decided to offers some options to the traditional funeral home. Funeral Director Jeff Freidman operates Distinctive Life Funeral Home, (yes, a traditional funeral home) in Plano, but he has also set up a storefront in Richardson Texas where you can shop for grandma’s casket in a nicely lit, comfortable showroom with real music playing. Distinctive Life also has several vans equipped with a selection of urns, many unique and creative (A floating urn anyone?) along with a computer on which you can view and select the casket you’d like without leaving home. 
At Adams Funeral Home in Los Angeles, mourners simply pull up to a bank teller-like window and push a button. A curtain raises, music plays and you have a few minutes to say your good-byes to the deceased.
Wade Funeral Home in St Louis has become known for their themed viewing rooms, offering a familiar setting like “Big Momma’s Kitchen” where family and friends can gather in a homey 1950s style kitchen as a platter of fresh fried chicken waits on the stove.
Hodges Funeral Home in Naples Memorial Gardens offers family and friends the opportunity to sit and reminisce over a glass of wine in their wine bar providing a more relaxed and calm way to mourn and remember. Amid comfortable chairs, high top tables, and racks of wine, this modern wine cellar provides a more laid-back, tranquil vibe than your average funeral home viewing room. 
The Neptune Society, the largest cremation-only provider in the U.S., takes cremated remains and mixes them with cement before placing them in a mold. Once the mold is formed, the shaped piece is then taken down to the world’s first underwater “cemetery”, actually a cremation memorial park, and placed on the Atlantis Memorial Reef with a memorial plaque. There, the molds become a permanent part of the ever-changing man-made reef.
You can even light up the sky when the Celebrate Life Program mixes your ashes with phosphorous to create a private fireworks display for family and friends.One things for sure, Boomers do not intend to go “quietly into that good night” – at least not without some serious shake up of the traditional, and a touch of individualized flair on the way out.
