You have lots of different ways to plan for a meaningful send-off for your loved one. Coastal beaches or sea-safaris may have been an elemental part of your loved one and for that reason, scatting their ashes at sea makes the most suitable way of celebrating their life. With cremation now a popular option for funerals, you can now have ashes scattering ceremonies and give your loved one the send-off they deserve while celebrating their life. Since the ceremony is done at sea, it plays an integral role in offering an appropriate good-bye to a person you love. You may have heard of cremation ashes scattering cruises, but don’t precisely know how to go about the process. In the piece, we will offer a guide to ash scattering at sea.
Firstly, understand that there are laws and regulations governing how cremation ashes can be scattered in water bodies. The good thing is that the laws are pretty lenient when it comes to scattering ashes at sea compared to sea burials. The ashes can degrade faster than a corpse buried at sea. Most importantly, the ashes are not as toxic to the water as a body because the corpse will take longer to degrade or decompose. Unlike other countries, the US has laws regulating the process. The Federal Clean Water Act states that you can only scatter cremated remains three nautical miles from mainland at the minimum. So if you are hiring the scattering sea cruises services, ensure that your provider is conversant with the laws. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also prohibits scattering cremation remains on beaches or wading pools by the Sea. Moreover, the agency requires you to notify them within 30 days before scattering the cremation ashes at sea.
If you are considering this as an option for your loved one’s farewell, there are a few aspects to put into perspective. Firstly, you have to decide whether you want to hire custom private cremation scattering cruise to maximize the experience on the ceremony or want a standard cruise that will be attended by a large group. You might want to decide on the latter if you are looking for a cost-effective plan.
Ensure that you have notified the EPA regarding the event because you don’t want any problems during one of your most important events where you are celebrating your loved one’s life. This should be done within 30 days before the actual ceremony. As much as you are giving your loved one the best send-off, you also want to abide by the regulation to ensure you don’t harm the environment. This will include using biodegradable material used to carry the ashes if you are using biodegradable water urns.
Also, consider the weather conditions. You want to have a ceremony when the sea is calm. You don’t want a rough sea because it will present mishaps ruining the ceremony. Most likely, the sea will be windy. That is a factor beyond your control. Just ensure that you are scattering ashes to the direction the wind is blowing from unless you want the ashes blowing back into your face or get into the boat. An alternative is using water urns that float away from the boat gently, simplifying the process.