Burials at sea and ash scatterings out of San Diego and Oceanside, run by the captain himself — with a Water & Ash facilitator beside you on every voyage.
A moment on the water
Our practice
What we do
What we don't do
What we offer
Every voyage is private. Every service is straightforward. Prices shown are starting points — we confirm a flat number before you commit to anything.
Who we are
We started Water & Ash because we saw a gap. Families who chose the sea were being handed to charter companies who didn't understand what the day meant. We do.
— Chris, Co-Founder
Finding myself in this space is somewhere I never thought I'd be, but having the opportunity to talk with families and help behind the scenes to make this day something memorable for them is something so special that I can't imagine not being part of Water & Ash Burials.
— Jaclyn, Co-Founder
How it works
01
Call or send a message. We'll talk through the options, answer every question, and never push you toward a decision.
02
Date, vessel, port, timing. We coordinate with your funeral home if needed and handle every permit.
03
Your family boards. We depart. The ceremony happens at sea, on your terms, at whatever pace feels right.
04
You receive a GPS record of the site and a certificate of committal. We handle the paperwork.
From families
“Captain Eric, you're a good man. Thanks for making it a special morning! The pictures are excellent. Chris, you arranged things nicely!”
“So grateful for Water and Ash Burials! Chris was so great to work with and worked with me to meet our needs. And our boat captain, Dan, could not have been more helpful and nice. It was a perfect ceremony for such a solemn event.”
“I highly recommend working with Chris! He was kind, supportive, knowledgeable and eager to make this everything we wanted it to be. He made the day all about our family and made sure our vision came to life. We chose to do a full body burial at sea, and every detail was perfect. My mom had the most beautiful send off full of flowers, music and the dolphins came! Chris and Savannah are a dream team, thanks to them we got to send my momma back to the Ocean exactly how she would have wanted.”
Partner with us
We work alongside funeral homes — not instead of them. When a family chooses the sea, call us. We handle the maritime piece, you handle the rest.
For full-body burials, yes — a licensed funeral home must prepare and transport the remains. For ash scattering, you can come to us directly or through your funeral home. We work with both.
It depends on the service. For ash scattering, we go about 500 yards offshore, and the whole voyage runs 30 to 45 minutes. For a full-body sea burial, we go 3 nautical miles out to reach deep, calm water, with a voyage of 90 to 120 minutes.
Each vessel has a capacity limit based on USCG regulations. Exact capacity depends on which vessel you book. All voyages are private — no strangers on board.
Your safety and the dignity of the ceremony come first. If conditions are unsafe, we'll reschedule at no cost. We monitor forecasts closely and will contact you in advance if there's any concern.
After the voyage you'll receive a GPS record of the committal site and a certificate of committal. We handle all the paperwork.
Yes. Flowers (non-plastic) and biodegradable materials are welcome. We'll walk you through what's suitable to release when we plan the voyage.
Reach out
There's no pressure and no script. Tell us a little about what you're planning, and we'll reach back out within one business day.
