What it is
Burial at sea has been a recognized form of committal for as long as people have crossed water. Today it is governed in U.S. waters by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act — and that is a good thing: the rules exist to make sure the ocean and the ceremony stay clean.
What we add is the part the regulations cannot. The pause. The reading. The way a family walks back to shore together when it is done.
Every voyage is captained personally by a USCG-licensed master, with a Water & Ash facilitator aboard whose only job is the family.
The day itself
The pace is set by the family, not the boat. We have stayed at the committal point for forty minutes when that is what was needed.
00:00 · Dockside
We meet you at the slip, walk you aboard, and orient everyone — restrooms, seating, what to expect.
00:20 · Departure
The vessel makes way at idle through the channel. A quiet moment as the city falls away.
01:00 · On station
Engines ease, then idle. Readings, words, music — anything the family has prepared, or silence if that is the choice.
01:30 · Committal
The captain holds station while the committal is made. We mark the GPS coordinates for the family.
03:00 · Return
A wide turn, a slow return. Most families ride the bow home in silence. We do not interrupt that.
Choose your committal
Pricing below is starting from. Final cost depends on the vessel, the day, and the size of the party. We will quote a flat number before you commit to anything.
Option A
Ashes returned to the sea over open water. The simplest path, and the one most families take. We can also include a biodegradable urn that floats briefly, then dissolves.
Option B
A weighted, biodegradable shroud or vessel committed in deep water. Requires advance scheduling — typically two to three weeks — and EPA notification within thirty days of the burial.
* Cremated-remains pricing is still being finalized. Full-body sea burial pricing is firm.
What's included
By the law of the sea
The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act sets the minimum distance, depth, and reporting requirements for sea burial. Our voyages exceed every requirement, and we file on your behalf.
Common questions
For ash scatterings, a few days is usually enough. For full-body burials, plan for two to three weeks — there is paperwork to file, and we want to choose a calm-water day. If circumstances need same-week scheduling, call us; we will make it work where we can.
The vessel and the day determine the count — most of our voyages carry up to two guests aboard. Larger parties are possible on the larger boats. We will confirm capacity once we know which vessel suits the day.
The captain runs the boat — navigation, weather, the law of the sea. The Water & Ash facilitator runs the ceremony — readings, pacing, music, anything the family has asked for. Two roles, two people, one voyage.
Of course. We have welcomed priests, rabbis, imams, ministers, humanist celebrants, and quiet families with no clergy at all. Whatever the family has chosen, we hold the space.
The body is wrapped in a weighted, biodegradable shroud or placed in a biodegradable vessel and committed to deep water — three nautical miles offshore, a voyage of 90 to 120 minutes. The committal is a single, deliberate moment — not rushed, not staged.
Captain's call. If the sea is unsafe, we postpone — at no cost to you — and re-schedule for the next workable day. We have never lost a ceremony to weather; we have moved a few.
Begin when you are ready
Call us, or send a short note. We will sit with you, learn what your person asked for, and only then suggest a path.
