Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Neptune Memorial Reef created?
Imagine a thriving new reef system where there was once barren ocean floor in dire need of marine life! The goal was to create a exquisite dive destination while celebrating and remembering the human spirit.
Incorporating cremated remains into placements was recognized as a way to provide a unique final resting place for those who loved the ocean and cared for the environment. The art speaks to our desire to nurture the ocean, and “create life, after life”.
What is Neptune’s connection to the sea?
For centuries, people have connected spiritually with the ocean and favored sea scatterings and sea burials as their final resting place.
Neptune Memorial Reef brings a new dimension to this connection by offering a permanent place in the ocean. And, it goes a step further by creating and sustaining marine life, thereby allowing a person to contribute to the environment.
Who purchases a Neptune Memorial Reef placement?
People who want more than just a sea scattering can select to have a permanent place to remember and visit a loved one by choosing the reef as a final resting place. We are also the choice of environmentally- conscious individuals who do not wish to take anything else from this earth, but to give back to the environment. People love the idea of new life being created in an eco-friendly final resting place.
How do families visit their loved ones at the reef?
Families are encouraged to visit the site with their own private vessels or by chartering one of the many professional dive boats that frequent the reef.
Many have received scuba certification so they may come back and visit year after year to pay tribute to their loved one. A local family are known to moor their 70-foot sailboat and spend the day with their Dad, Uncle, and Grandfather who are memorialized at the reef.
How can I trust the cremated remains are actually there?
Families are always welcome at our studio to observe the Mixing Ceremony and may charter a local dive boat to take your family out for the deployment. Chain of custody, caring and certified personnel, detailed documentation throughout our entire process ensure there are no mistakes with identity, location, or type of memorial sculpture.
Will the ashes or sculpture eventually wash away?
It’s hard to tell what nature will throw at the reef over centuries ahead. However there is no sign of erosion after many years. Coral and other crustaceans make the memorial placement their home and protect it by encapsulating it in living coral.
What about commingling cremated remains and Pets?
Uniquely, Neptune Memorial Reef is one of the only cemeteries in Florida that allow families to commingle their cremated remains within a single placement. Furthermore, beloved Pets are welcome to be memorialized on their own, or along with their owner.
Is Neptune Memorial Reef regulated?
Deployment of an artificial reef of this kind requires “a boatload” of regulations and permits. It took our Founders 4 years to secure permission to develop Neptune Memorial Reef. The primary permit to build was issued by the Army Corps of Engineers to the Department of Environmental Resource Management (DERM) of Miami-Dade County.
The Neptune Memorial Reef project meets the strict guidelines and permitting of DERM, EPA, NOAA, Florida Fish and Wildlife and the Army Corp of Engineers.