Advantages of Return to Sea™

     An innovative and dignified Memorial option.

Return to Sea (R2C) provides a profound and environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional land-based cemeteries and Memorials. Cemeteries require continual use of land, resources and chemicals for upkeep.  Families often face significant financial costs for burial plots, headstones and perpetual maintenance fees that extend for generations. In contrast, R2C honors Loved Ones through a natural ocean journey, where cremated remains are gently dispersed by the Gulf Stream in harmony with marine ecosystems. This process eliminates the need for land, concrete vaults or non-biodegradable materials, while contributing valuable oceanographic data for science and education. Families gain a meaningful, living Memorial at sea, knowing their tribute supports both environmental stewardship and the ongoing health of our oceans.

Key Advantages​

• Invention of a unique drifting buoy (Drifter) for the automated release of cremated remains in the open ocean.​ Drifters are not retrieved but they create small, marine ecosystems as described in FAQs on following pages.

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• Enables Families across the country to fulfill the wish for Burial at Sea, without the need for travel or coordination of an in-person Memorial.

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• The Drifter is constructed primarily from natural, ocean-safe materials and designed to be expendable, with less than 1% plastic content to prevent additional marine plastic debris in the ocean. See FAQs for discussion.

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• Capable of simultaneously releasing ashes from two individuals (such as Spouses or Partners) using separate R2C ash canisters attached to a single Drifter.

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• Families may optionally take part in the at-sea deployment of the R2C Drifter. Alternatively, their role can be as simple as selecting the cremation facility - Return to Sea will handle all other logistics, with care.

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• Deployment of the R2C Drifter into the Gulf Stream helps ensure that ashes will not wash ashore or drift into swimming areas, as may occur when ashes are released from a boat just a few miles offshore.  See FAQs for discussion of Gulf Stream.

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• Enables families to track the Drifter's real-time journey in the North Atlantic Ocean using the interactive map available on the Return to Sea website.

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• A private Remembrance Blog can be accessed on-line and used to share written tributes to their Loved One.

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• The unique trajectory of each R2C Drifter will contribute to research on marine plastic drift patterns in the ocean.​​