The Neptune Memorial Reef™

The Neptune Memorial Reef™ is the largest man-made reef ever created, located 3.25 miles east of Key Biscayne in Miami, Florida. It’s GPS coordinates N25º 42.036′, W80º 05.409′. Forty feet beneath the ocean’s surface, the Memorial Reef is an artistic representation of the Lost City of Atlantis. The reef serves as an underwater mausoleum for cremated remains, as well as a home for a growing marine habitat, fulfilling its mission of “creating life after life”.

Engineering the Memorial Reef required passing strict regulations, such as the ability to withstand the strongest storm of the last 100 years.

The Neptune Memorial Reef™ has been approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) of Miami, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Army Corps of Engineers. The Neptune Memorial Reef™ is also a member of the Green Burial Council.

As of 2012, 14 species of coral were identified. Additionally, 195 coral colonies, diverse sea creatures, and even a sea urchin species thought to be extinct have been found living at the reef. The reef’s vertical surfaces have attracted filefish, trunkfish, and pufferfish. The new coral colonies have also given a home to key species such as moray eels, parrotfish, and spiny lobsters. A recent marine study conducted by the Department of Environmental Resource Management concluded that marine life around the reef has gone from the zero to thousands in just a few years.

Visit the Neptune Memorial Reef™

The reef stretches across acres of ocean floor and has become a popular destination for scuba divers, snorkelers, tourists, marine biologists, ecologists, researchers, students, and families whose loved ones’ remains were deployed to the reef. The Neptune Memorial Reef™ lies in a zone where boaters are welcome, but fishing and lobstering is prohibited. To scuba dive at the Memorial Reef, please contact one of our dive partners. Many of our local families dive the reef on a regular basis to visit their loved ones. One family, in particular, has visited the reef 5 times in as many months.

Plan a Memorial at the Neptune Memorial Reef™

Many families choose cremation because it is a simple, affordable, flexible alternative to traditional burial. The Neptune Memorial Reef™ allows families a truly unique tribute for their loved ones through deployment.

The Neptune Memorial Reef™ provides a permanent legacy for those who loved the ocean. For more information regarding deployment at the Neptune Memorial Reef™, please contact us today.