Sea life thriving at underwater mausoleum off US coast
The facility modelled on the lost city of Atlantis is being expanded amid increasing demand.
An underwater mausoleum off the US coast modelled on the lost city of Atlantis is helping relatives ensure their loved ones are sleeping with the fishes.
A year after Will and Daniel Payne lost their mother and nearly two decades since their father’s death, they have helped their dying wishes come true.
Three generations of family members were present as the brothers slipped into flippers and de-fog their masks off Miami Beach.
This unusual resting place is exactly what the Paynes say their parents wanted.
Buel Payne, a former Coast Guard member, and Linda Payne, who grew up on the water and loved boating, will spend their afterlife in a memorial modelled after the lost city of Atlantis.
Their ashes will be among lion statues and ornate gates and pillars that are encrusted with sea life.
It took nearly four years for multiple government agencies to sign off on this underwater mausoleum, which is designed to encourage a healthy ecosystem.
Roughly a decade later, the Neptune Memorial Reef is home to the cremated remains of 1,500 people, and any snorkeller or scuba diver can visit.
Placements start at around 1,500 US dollars and can go up to 8,000 dollars, with the priciest placements for specialised shapes like sea turtles and stingrays or for prominent spots throughout the city like the lions.
With reefs struggling worldwide against coral bleaching and other threats, the memorial’s builders are providing coral a head start.
The concrete structures offer a high pH level, enabling sea creatures to flourish.
“We’re seeing animals here that we haven’t seen before. Ones that have been missing for a long time,” says Jim Hutslar, the reef’s operations director and one of the founders.
“We actually found a long spine sea urchin that was considered extinct in the Caribbean Sea.”
Sara Thanner, an environmental supervisor for the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, says an April survey showed the reef supports more than 65 different fish, shrimp and lobster and 75 other species including sponges, soft corals, and hard corals.
For people making end-of-life plans, the reef means being part of something living.
Mr Hutslar is hoping that decades from now, the memorial will have grown into a massive coral reef where individual markers will no longer be distinguishable, and “family members will just know their loved ones are part of it.”
“We’re creating life after life,” he said.
They spotted a parrot fish, barracuda and a monster snook while abundant schools of small, colourful fish darted in and out of the sculptures.
They had picked out a small bronze headstone reading Together At Last to mark the ashes, adding their thumbprints on a decorative concrete sea shell.
“It’s just amazing. It’s so peaceful,” Will Payne said.
“If there is a heaven, that would be it for them.”
Back on the boat, the family ate biscuits and oranges and enjoyed a day at sea, laughing, hugging and crying at times.
The men’s aunt and uncle also brought red roses that each member of the family tossed overboard.
“I really didn’t get it when (my mom) was telling me about it and the more and more I think about it, it’s really a nice, peaceful spot for your last resting place,” he said.
Mr Hutslar and his partners were solely focused on supporting marine life at first, figuring the cemetery would help pay for the reef.
But he has helped hundreds of families say goodbye to their loved ones over the years, giving him a calling he has come to cherish.
“This has actually become my favourite part — being with the families,” said Mr Hutslar.
There is something healing about the ocean.
He says you can see it when families return to the surface.
It happened again, Mr Hutslar said, as Will Payne paid his final respects.
“I hope you’re happy where you’re at. I love you,” Will Payne whispered through his mouthpiece.
“Keep an eye on us.”