Florida's Exclusive Underwater Burial Ground
(Posted Feb 06, 2012 07:45 am)
From the depths - A new life in the City of Atlantis.
By Les Coleman
KEY BISCAYNE, FL - The closest thing to the Lost City of Atlantis may be located three miles off the coast of south Florida.
Link:
Neptune Society
Forty feet below the surface is a man-made, pristine
reef where, several times a month, divers come to
deposit stone urns containing ashes of the recently
departed. This underwater burial ground near Miami was
created by the Neptune Society, says Martha Porter, one
of the group's counselors.
"The deep-sea divers go down with your ashes mixed with
cement, and they place it in selection spots you made.
So, if you have an affinity for water, it's a great way
to go - and people love it."
In addition to providing a permanent legacy for those
who loved the ocean, the Neptune Memorial Reef is
attracting recreational scuba divers, marine biologists,
students, researchers and ecologists from all over the
world. Porter says visits to the reef are free and
accessible to all visitors.
The Neptune Memorial Reef is the world's largest
man-made reef. When complete, it will have transformed
more than 16 acres of barren ocean floor. The project is
environmentally sound, Porter says, and meets the strict
guidelines of the Environmental Protection Agency,
Florida Fish and Wildlife Department and Army Corps of
Engineers.
Making the reef a final resting place, she says, is a
simple process for anyone.
"That's the whole key. We want the family to actually
celebrate a person's life. We don't want to have to see
them go through all the mess in handling everything that
has to be done."
Among those who have used the Neptune Society's unique
cremation and undersea burial service is the late Julia
Child, the famous television chef.