With plot space running out across America, people are now seeking out alternative options for their final resting place, and one such eco-friendly option that is gaining popularity is known as reef burial.

 

Over the past seven years, Atlanta-based Company Eternal Reefs has offered underwater burial at sea in an artificial reef called a “Memorial Reef.” Eternal Reefs combine an individual’s cremated remains with eco-friendly cast concrete to form a designed reef called a reef ball. Weighing anywhere from 400 – 4,000 pounds, each Memorial Reef placed on the ocean floor creates a new marine habitat for fish and other forms of sea life, allowing a new ecosystem to develop.

 

Memorial reefs have become a popular solution for the “shelf people” crisis across the country. It is estimated 45 percent of families that have chosen cremation still have their loved ones remains sitting on a shelf or in a closet, and many people passing away unexpectedly without leaving a will, the next of kin often have no plans for the remains, so are now turning to burial at sea.

 

With every Memorial Reef the executor of the estate receives two certificates that identify the longitude and latitude of the memorials, which are marked with bronze plaques. Loved ones can participate in every step of the Memorial Reef process and gather for the reef casting, viewing and placement ceremonies. Throughout the year, families and friends often return to the memorial reef site to dive, fish or even visit by glass bottom boat.