The Neptune Memorial Reef is an underwater

columbarium A columbarium (; pl. columbaria), also called a cinerarium, is a structure for the reverential and usually public storage of funerary urns holding cremated remains of the dead. The term comes from the Latin ''columba'' (dove) and originally solel ...

in what was conceived by the creator as the world's largest man-made

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...

, covering over of ocean floor at a depth of . It was originally conceived by Gary Levine and designed by artist Kim Brandell and known as the Atlantis Reef Project or the Atlantis Reef. As of 2012, the Reef occupies a space, but a planned expansion is underway. The city design involves underwater roads leading to a central feature with benches and statuary. The place was chosen at 3.25 miles (5.2 km) off the coast of

Key Biscayne Key Biscayne () is an island located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, located between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. It is the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida, and lies south of Miami Beach and sout ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. It is a type of

burial at sea Burial at sea is the disposal of Cadaver, human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship, boat or aircraft. It is regularly performed by navies, and is done by private citizens in many countries. Burial-at-sea services are conducted at many di ...

and the first phase is estimated to be able to accommodate 850 remains, with an eventual goal of more than 125,000 remains. Though often referred to in news articles as an underwater mausoleum or underwater cemetery, the Neptune Society Memorial Reef meets the criterion for neither. Cremated remains are mixed with cement to form features of the Reef, and memorial plaques are added. The Reef is more correctly identified as a cremation memorial site or aquatic columbarium. The man-made reef, located three miles (5 km) off the coast of Florida's Key Biscayne, opened in 2007 after a number of difficulties, including permits. After an extensive evaluation and permitting process, the Atlantis Reef Project has been permitted by the EPA, DERM,

NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charting the seas, conducting deep-sea exploratio ...

, Florida Fish and Wildlife, and the Army Corps of Engineers. One of the construction requirements was that the Memorial Reef be built to withstand the strongest storm in the last 100 years. During the permitting process,

Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was a compact, but very powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It was the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures dama ...

, a category 5 hurricane swept through, requiring a re-engineering of the Reef. The reef stretches across of ocean floor designed as both a home for sea life and "a destination for divers". The Neptune Memorial Reef lies in a special management zone. Boaters and divers are welcome, but no fishing or lobster-taking is allowed. Now that reef-building coral have developed at the site, the Reef can be properly identified as a coral reef. The Neptune Memorial Reef is actively working the site and expanded from less than an acre to its original permitted 16 acres. Famed chef personality

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (Birth name#Maiden and married names, née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for having brought French cuisine to the American pu ...

who died in 2004 before the reef was built has a memorial, but no ashes. The memorial was added around 2018.Neptune Memorial Reef is an underwater mausoleum for cremated remains
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References

External links

* {{coord, 25, 41.412, N, 80, 5.445, W, display=title, region:US-FL_type:landmark Cemeteries in Florida Burials at sea Underwater monuments and memorials Service Corporation International