Funeral At Sea performs scattering of cremated remains in the coastal waters of Florida. These scatterings may be attended or unattended, with or without clergy, and by boat or airplane. An unattended funeral at sea is one in which we perform the scattering service without family present. This is naturally less expensive. Attended services are those where family and/or friends are present. Attended services are available only by boat.
While the majority of our funerals at sea are unattended, quite often family and friends want to attend the funeral. We provide services for groups of any size on any day of the week, weather permitting. Our charter boats leave from the appropriate port, and the services can begin at any point during the voyage. Call us at 1-813-855-2093 for details.
Funeral At Sea utilizes a number of locations in Florida, USA for our services:
Veterans Reef is a popular site, and is the only reef in the continental U.S. dedicated to our veterans. It is located 12 miles off the coast of Tampa Bay, Florida.
The Anclote Key Lighthouse is another favorite site. It is situated on Anclote Key, which is located offshore of Tarpon Springs, Florida. “Anclote” is a Spanish word which means anchor, grapnel or kedge.
Anclote Key is a beautiful, uninhabited island of about 400 acres and 2 1/2 miles long.The island is home to at least 43 species of birds, including the American oystercatcher, bald eagle and piping plover. The lighthouse first became operational on September 15, 1887. It is built of a cast iron skeletal structure, which does not rust through,as do alloys such as steel.
Two families lived on the island, one the principal keeper’s and the other the assistant keepers. The lighthouse was abandoned in 1984. The island and lighthouse are owned by the state of Florida. Since then, the lighthouse has been refurbished, and Anclote Key is now a Florida state park.
The Sanibel Island Lighthouse is another favorite site. It is situated on Sanibel Island, which is located offshore of Fort Myers Beach, Florida. Scatterings take place offshore from the lighthouse, and well within sight of it.
A carbon copy of the Cape San Blas Lighthouse in the Panhandle, the Sanibel Island light was first lit in 1884. It is the last one heading south until you reach the Dry Tortugas, 130 miles away. The lighthouses on the gulf coast are far apart, unlike the lighthouses in the Keys, where there are many more dangerous shoals and reefs. The grounds and beaches around the lighthouse are very lovely with white sand, sea grapes, and sea oats. The beaches are accessible. The lighthouse is not open to the public and the keepers’ houses are fenced in and are used by National Wildlife Refuge employees. You can walk all around the site, however, and it is a popular place for shelling and swimming. Back in 1949, the lighthouse was automated, long before many other lighthouses were mechanized. The ninety-eight-foot-tall lighthouse has a modern light beacon. One of the original lenses is now displayed at the Sanibel Historical Museum, where you can also see the Sanibel Post Office, built in 1927, and an old store, house, and tea room, all built around that time as well. If you like bird watching, the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is towards the northern end of Sanibel extending into Captiva Island. Its 6,500 acres are one of the best places in the South to view shorebirds such as ibis, herons, egrets, roseate spoonbills, white pelicans, and dozens of songbirds. Many other native wildlife species, including alligators, also call this refuge home. Photographers and naturalists come from all over the world to visit this haven for wildlife. It is worth visiting if you can tear yourself away from the shops on the island. A trip to the Edison home in Fort Myers is also a wonderful place you will not want to miss.
Christ of the Abyss is another favorite site, located 6 miles east-northeast of Key Largo, Florida. It is a 9 foot statue of Jesus Christ standing on the bottom in approximately 25 feet of water in John Pennekamp State Park, the only underwater park in the world.
It is located near Dry Rocks, about six miles east-northeast of the Key Largo Cut, in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. It is a copy of “Il Cristo Degli Abssi,” located in the Mediterranean Sea near Genoa, Italy. The original statue was cast by artist Guido Galletti, and was modeled after Italian swimmer/diver Duillo Mercanet. It was placed in 1954.
In 1961 Italian SCUBA entrepreneur Egidi Cressi commissioned the second casting from the original mold, and donated it to the Underwater Society of America. The statue ended up in storage at O’Hare airport in Chicago, waiting for a home. Senator Spessard Holland of Florida helped John Pennekamp Park to get the nod, where it was placed on August 25, 1965.
Today, Christ of the Abyss is one of the most famous and popular underwater sites in the only underwater park in the world. Funeral At Sea is proud to provide scattering services at Christ of the Abyss. We offer ash scatterings near the statue, not right on it due to regulations.
Clearwater Beach has been rated by Dr. Beach as one of the best beaches in the U.S., and its sugary white sand is proof that he was right. We do many scatterings off the coast of Clearwater.
We can photograph or videotape the services for a small fee, whether the scattering is attended or unattended. We can also provide clergy for services, or families may provide their own.
A Certificate of Burial At Sea is provided for each scattering. The certificate includes the date, winds, water temperature, and exact location in terms of longitude and latitude. This allows us to return to that exact spot for a memorial, or burial of another family member. We can arrange services for most any type of request, such as: full body burials, services in other parts of the world, and even services sub aqua. Please call us at 1-813-855-2093 for arrangements, or email us at sales@funeralatsea.com.