When a family in your care asks about scattering ashes at sea, one call or email to us is all it takes. We speak with the family, handle the permit questions, the vessel and the filings, and carry the last step with the same care you have shown them.
Licensed and insured · Private ceremonies aboard JADA, a 65-foot 1938 classic yawl · Departing Harbor Island
Families board JADA at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina on Harbor Island and sail about three nautical miles out, to the water off Point Loma. The ceremony belongs to them. We do not perform one; the family brings the words, or chooses silence.
JADA is a 65-foot classic sailing yawl built in Stockton in 1938, with a wide, stable teak deck and a comfortable cabin. She is intimate enough for a small family and comfortable for up to 28 guests.
A reading, a song, a prayer, a quiet pause, or nothing at all. Clergy, chaplains and celebrants are always welcome aboard to lead the service; the deck is yours. After the release, the crew circles the spot and tolls eight bells, the Last Watch.
A USCG-licensed captain and full crew run the boat, confirm the position before the release, and look after guests. The family is present for the moment, not coordinating logistics. Lunch aboard on the return is welcome.
The family receives the GPS coordinates of the release point on a keepsake postcard, so they can return on anniversaries. The crew files the EPA report and the San Diego County statement on the family's behalf.
There is nothing for your office to administer. Give the family our number, or let us know they are coming, and we will take good care of them.
Call (619) 986-7344 or email bookings@queenofsandiego.com with the family's name and how they prefer to be reached. Or simply hand the family our handout. Either way works.
We confirm the date, guest count and any special requests, and answer every question at the family's pace. We are also glad to talk a case through with you first, before you bring it to the family.
Your office or the crematorium obtains the California Disposition of Remains permit as usual. We verify everything before sailing day and file the EPA report and county statement afterward.
Guests gather 20 minutes before departure at the Sheraton Marina on Harbor Island. If your office would like a note when a family you referred has sailed, tell us and we will send one.
A few things that make the handoff simple. Print them, link to them, or ask us to mail them to your office.
A single sheet for the front office, the chaplain's binder or the estate file: what we do, how to reach us, and the rules in brief. Download the handout, or request printed copies.
We sail seven days a week and accept short-notice services, so a same-week date is often possible. Call and we will tell you plainly what is open.
Wording for your website or brochure. Many partners add a short note to their services page or after-loss resource list. Use either of these as written, or change it however suits your voice.
Scattering at sea: for families who wish to scatter ashes on the Pacific, we refer to Burials at Sea San Diego, a private ceremony aboard the 1938 classic yawl JADA, departing Harbor Island. burialsatseasandiego.com · (619) 986-7344
If your family would like to scatter ashes at sea, we recommend Burials at Sea San Diego. Families sail from Harbor Island aboard JADA, a 65-foot classic yawl built in 1938, to the water off Point Loma, three nautical miles out, with a licensed captain and crew. The ceremony is the family's own; up to 28 guests may come aboard. Afterward the family receives the GPS coordinates of the release, and the crew files the required EPA and county reports. Learn more at burialsatseasandiego.com or call (619) 986-7344.
Scattering at sea is well regulated and, done properly, simple. Here is what applies to a San Diego ceremony and which of us takes care of it.
Under the EPA's general permit for burial at sea (40 CFR 229.1), cremated remains must be placed in the ocean no closer than three nautical miles from land. The crew confirms the position before the release.
We handle itEvery burial under the general permit is reported to the EPA regional administrator for the region the vessel departed from, within 30 days. San Diego departures are reported to Region 9. The crew files this report on the family's behalf.
We handle itCalifornia Health and Safety Code § 7117 requires the person who scatters to file a verified statement with the local registrar of the county nearest the point of scattering. The crew files this with San Diego County.
We handle itCalifornia requires a Permit for Disposition of Human Remains (the VS-9). The funeral home or crematorium normally obtains it, with the place of disposition shown as scattering at sea. The family brings the permit, or a copy, to the dock. We verify it before sailing day.
Your office · we verifyRemains are generally removed from their container before scattering. If a family wants to place an urn on the water whole, Health and Safety Code § 7117.1 allows a scattering urn that dissolves within four hours of being placed at sea, with the remains transferred into it no more than seven days before. Please have the family confirm the particular urn with the crew first.
Family · we confirmOnly natural, biodegradable material may go into the water: no wire, plastic, foam, glass or metal. A box of loose petals is the simplest option. Keepsake urns stay with the family.
Family · we adviseJADA sails with USCG-licensed captains, and we are fully insured with a certificate of insurance on file for marinas and venues. We are glad to provide the certificate to your office on request.
On requestFuneral honors for veterans are arranged through the branch the veteran served in; the honor detail meets us at the dock or boards with the family. The branch phone numbers are on our homepage.
Family · we coordinateThis is general information for referring professionals, not legal advice. Confirm current rules with the cited sources or an attorney.
Different partners have different rules about what they may accept, so we keep the arrangement simple and matched to your profession. In every case there is no cost to you, nothing to sign and nothing to administer.
You receive a 15% referral commission on every charter booked through you, paid after the sail. You refer the family and we take it from there: vessel, licensed crew, permits, ceremony.
Just tell us the family came through you. If we have given your funeral home a referral code, families may also enter it when reserving online; codes apply to 3-hour and longer services.
When a family you refer chooses an ocean farewell with us, we make a donation of 10% of the charter to your organization once the ceremony is complete: a contribution to the work you do, not a referral fee. We are glad to set up whatever verification or record-keeping you prefer.
Many organizations keep a short list of after-loss resources for families and chaplaincy staff. We would be honored to be on yours. We simply take good care of the families you send us.
If your organization accepts donations and its policies allow, ask us and we will talk it through.
We do not pay referral fees to attorneys or professional fiduciaries, and we do not ask anything of you. When a will or trust says "scatter me at sea," we execute it lawfully and return documented proof for the file: the GPS coordinates of the release and the filings made afterward, with a written quote for every matter and invoicing to the estate or family as directed. Unattended scatterings are available when the estate directs.
Current pricing for families is always on our homepage: the 2½-hour memorial service aboard JADA is $2,925, all-inclusive, for up to 28 guests. A $500 deposit holds a date.
Email us and we will send the one-page handout for your front desk, chaplain's binder or reference files, or mail printed copies to your office. Tell us how many you would like.
✉ Request a handoutOr download it now: bssd-partner-handout.pdf · Call (619) 986-7344