Cost
The number one benefit is COST – According to AARP, the average (U.S.) cost of a traditional funeral is more than $7,000.
A simple, Direct Cremation and burial at sea can cost as little as $525.00, depending on the firm you choose do perform the cremation.
Ashes on the Sea charges only $195.00 for an unattended burial at sea. You can send the ashes to us, and we scatter them in a dignified manner. There are no hidden charges.
Peace
Not only is the cost difference a benefit, but Cremation and Burial at Sea is usually a simpler plan.
Time
Another benefit is time. With cremation, you do not have to schedule the burial immediately since there is no body.
Rose petals - petaled fresh on the day of the service
We’ve always brought rose petals for our ash scattering services. Without them, after scattering the ashes, the family is left staring at just the water. Of course the water is nice, but when the rose petals are there it really allows for more time and deeper reflection.
We also encourage our families to bring additional flowers. Why?
The more flowers the better
The more flowers there are, the better the display.
This holds true whether we scatter the ashes by pouring, or if we use our scattering basket.
Look how one family took their scattering basket to a whole new level by bringing their own flowers and taking part in assembling and designing the basket.
Scattering basket that the family took part in designing.
Each flower had its own special significance.
This shows how much more meaningful a sea service can be when family members take the time to involve themselves deeply in the planning of the service.
Please subscribe to our blog for the latest updates, and visit our website for more information about Burial at Sea, scattering ashes, and whole body burial at sea.
Thanks!
Warm regards,
Anya Shortridge
Ashes on the Sea
P.O. Box 710693
San Diego CA 92171
What designs, shapes, etc. do you think families would like in a biodegradable urn?
Our Urn Store – http://urns.ashesonthesea.com – is developing new designs for biodegradable urns. Bio urns have cremains put in them and then they are placed in the ocean where they float for a brief time, sinking slowly to the bottom…
A biodegradable flower urn – Peaceful Petal
What designs, shapes, etc. do you think families would like?
So far on the idea table we have dolphins, a whale tail, and sports themed.
With cremation so popular today, the number of products being sold to accommodate cremains has also skyrocketed. We at Ashes on the Sea handle the urns families purchase from funeral homes.
Families choose a biodegradable urn for several reasons. Sometimes their religion or belief is such that all of the cremains must go in at once. Others simply cannot bear to ‘see’ the cremains. In any case, what the families are expecting from this purchase – a peaceful descent into the sea – can become a horrific ordeal attempting to sink the urn! These families are usually very shocked and disappointed.
Why is this happening? What can you do to help ensure this doesn’t occur?
Learn About the Specific Product
Peaceful Petal Urn on top of the water
All biodegradable urns are not made equal. Some bio urns are only made for earth burial, and will not disintegrate for long periods of time when placed on the water. Make sure that the item purchased is specifically made for ocean burial.
Use the Right Bag!
This is the most common problem we find with biodegradable urns. Someone has not transferred the cremains into the biodegradable bag that usually accompanies the urn. The whole regular plastic bag has been placed into the urn. Because the urn is closed and sealed, no one knows that the internal bag is real plastic, and as a result the urn does not sink.
When we have to pull the urn back into the boat to ascertain why it isn’t sinking, the effect is quite appalling to the family.
The effect is quite appalling. We have to pull the urn out of the water and open it up to find out why it is not sinking. The urn is already starting to fall apart at this stage. We then have to take the plastic bag out and empty the cremains from the bag. This is exactly what the family was trying to avoid by purchasing the urn.
Funeral Directors – Please Share This with Your Team
While YOU may find it obvious that a biodegradable bag must be used inside a bio urn, it may be good to remind all of your employees and members of your team to double-check the inside bag. It is an easy mistake to make.
We decided to write this piece after another biodegradable urn failed to sink today off the coast of San Diego during a burial at sea. We waited for an hour, but it would not sink.
We are hoping that we can all work together and get the word out to help make this a more pleasant experience for the families we serve!
Catered event with wine and beer bar.
Aboard our 65′ Yacht
If all goes well, we’ll have a sail-by from the Amazing Grace with a celebratory cannon shoot!
1. Call us at 858-277-2799 to register or sign up here: http://baycruise.eventbrite.com
2. Mark your calendars – May 28th – Wednesday – 6pm – 8pm
3. Download the PDF below:
Holidays and other life celebrations can bring on new waves of grief, even when you feel that your healing has been going well for some time. Now is a good time to prepare yourself. Here are some tips for those enduring grief and for those who want to help.
Face it, don’t fear it or fake it:
If you try to push the pain out of the way, by ignoring it, by over-drinking, or otherwise masking it, you will make things worse. Instead, try talking to a close friend or other family member. Voicing your pain gets it out of your head.
Create traditions that help you remember your loved one in happy times. Craft projects, digital projects, that utilize photos, videos, and other items are a meaningful and productive way to grieve. This is an especially good idea when assisting children grieve in a healthy way.
We have been given the go- ahead to invite our colleagues to the Open-House event on our beautiful 90′ yacht – available now to serve your family groups of up to 130 for attended scatterings at sea.
This is great news for families, since we are able to offer this yacht at a significantly lower cost than the other big name yachts in San Diego Harbor…
FREE: There is no cost for this event, but space is limited.
The event is on-board, but we’ll be dockside, serving food catered by Buckboard Catering. There will be drinks as well as beer provided by Coronado Brewery.You are going to LOVE this boat! Join us and we’ll give you a personal tour 🙂
WHEN: Wednesday Evening October 10, 2012 starting at 5:30 p.m. WHERE: San Diego Harbor – We will email you directions and more details after your RSVP.
Please email or call Anya or Ken 619-520-9550 as soon as possible if you would like to attend! We will have to close the guest list when it reached 30 as there will be other attendees invited by the Yacht owner.
Until June 25, 2012, it was “officially” illegal to use a biodegradable urn, as a method for dispersing human ashes (cremains) at sea. Existing law required that cremated remains be removed from their container before scattering. This obviously applied to non-dissolving urns, such as the hard plastic or “temporary” urns, metal, or other permanent urns, but, as it was written, also applied to ANY container, even those that would dissolve over time.
The old law presented a number of problems for families as well as funeral homes. Funeral Homes regularly purchased biodegradable urns from reputable companies, such as Passages International, and sold them to families planning on carrying out a memorial at sea off the California Coast. No one was really clear on how far-reaching the law was. Even the State was not enforcing the law as it applied to biodegradable urns – although still stating emphatically that it was illegal. When burial at sea companies were presented with such urns, it presented a moral dilemma: Would they refuse to allow the family to carry out their wishes? Would they, according to the strict application of the law, open the urn at the place of disposition, pour the ashes out, and return the urn to the family? Most did neither, and just allowed the memorial to take place, feeling it was the right thing to do, and why cause any more grief to the family?
Finally, California modified the law, effective June 25, 2012, excluding biodegradable urns from the containers that had to be opened up. The law was signed by Governor Brown on July 10, 2012. This makes sense on many levels! The original law was written before biodegradable urns were so popular. The law was not created with bio urns in mind. Many bio urns are designed to be ocean friendly. Using a biodegradable urn as it is designed to be used presents no major differences than opening a container and pouring the cremains out. Another benefit is that it prevents the often-feared “ashes blowing back on the family” scenario. Also, the law will (hopefully) help to prevent other urns sold as biodegradable, but not quite, from washing up on shore and being found by beach-goers, surfers, and swimmers.
Now, new questions arise: What kind of urns qualify under the new law? Are there any specific methods that must be followed?
The urns pictured here qualify under the new law, which requires the urn dissolve within a certain amount of time.
Other notable changes: The ashes must be transferred no more than seven days prior to placement at sea. How this would ever be enforced is left to your imagination. The industry has always called these containers “biodegradable urns” or “bio urns.” The law calls them “scattering urns.” “Scattering urn” is described as “a closed container containing cremated remains that will dissolve and release its contents within four hours of being placed at sea.”
The exact text of AB 1777 can be found here. The Bill was introduced by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, CPA who wanted family members to have more peace of mind that their loved ones were being properly “disposed.”
“AB 1777 will protect the remains of loved ones from being stranded in a vulnerable container and most importantly, it will ensure that they are peacefully laid to rest in a manner that is not only lawful, but safe for the environment.” – Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, CPA
Ashes on the Sea applauds this change as it relates to forward thinking in the funeral industry. Almost half of those who die will choose cremation. Laws relating to post-cremation choices thus need to be looked at and addressed on a continuing basis.
Holidays and other life celebrations can bring on new waves of grief, even when you feel that your healing has been going well for some time. Now is a good time to prepare yourself. Here are some tips for those enduring grief and for those who want to help.
Face it, don’t fear it or fake it:
If you try to push the pain out of the way, by ignoring it, by over-drinking, or otherwise masking it, you will make things worse. Instead, try talking to a close friend or other family member. Voicing your pain gets it out of your head.
Create traditions that help you remember your loved one in happy times. Craft projects, digital projects, that utilize photos, videos, and other items are a meaningful and productive way to grieve. This is an especially good idea when assisting children grieve in a healthy way.
Get professional help when needed.
Do You Know Someone Who Might Be Affected by Holiday Grief?
Check in on neighbors, friends, or family who may be at risk for Holiday grief, especially if this is the first year an event will be celebrated without their loved one. Wedding Anniversaries are other occasions that can be difficult to bear – also the anniversary of the death. It is easy to forget these dates, but be assured, your friend, family member or neighbor will wake up knowing what day it is. Why not put these important dates in your calendar now?
I Don’t Know What To Say or Give
You do not need to “know what to say.” Just making your presence available will help the grieving one know that he or she is not alone…
Gifts That Keep Giving
Never before in history have we seen such a diversity of remembrance items that you can either make or purchase that say “I still love you and you are not forgotten.”
For example, some choose “living gifts” like trees and seeds that grow and have meaning for years to come. When you send someone a New Growth Tree Gift Box, the experience begins when they receive the specially-designed package, and open it to reveal your personal message and a beautiful living tree.
Please visit the Grief and Healing section of our website for more information.
Ashes on the Sea Official Blog 