Neptune Memorial Reef

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Underwater gates of the mausoleum
Lion statue

The Neptune Memorial Reef (also known as the Atlantis Memorial Reef or Atlantis Reef ) is an underwater mausoleum for the cremated deceased. Located 5.2 kilometers off the coast of Key Biscayne , Florida , it is slated to be the largest man-made coral reef in the world.

The reef is located in a water depth of 12 meters and in 2012 covered an area of ​​2024 m²; an expansion planned in a few years to 65,000 m² of the ocean floor or 6.5  hectares is in preparation. The design of the cemetery city includes underwater paths that lead to a central square with gates, terraces and statues.

For the first phase, an intake of 850 burials is estimated with a long-term goal of more than 125,000 burials. Although it is often referred to as an underwater mausoleum or underwater cemetery in news articles, it actually doesn't quite meet the criteria for it. Some of the cremated remains are mixed with concrete , shaped into statues and placed in the reef as special components (e.g. starfish ), along with memorial plaques . Correctly, it is therefore more of a memorial for cremations .

The Neptune Memorial Reef opened in 2007 after a series of difficulties (particularly regulatory hurdles). After extensive evaluation and an approval process, the Memorial Reef was approved by various environmental agencies ( EPA , DERM , NOAA , FWC ) and the Army Corps of Engineers . One of the structural requirements was that, in extreme cases, the Memorial Reef must also be able to withstand a storm that is equivalent to the strongest storm in the last 100 years. During the permit process, Category 5 Hurricane Andrew crossed the area and required the reef to be redesigned.

The reef was designed on the ocean floor both as a home for marine life and as a "destination for hobby divers ". It is located in a special management zone where sailors and divers are welcome, but no fishing or lobster fishing is allowed. Now that reef-forming hard corals have developed on site, the Neptune Society Memorial Reef can actually be classified as a coral reef .

Web links

Commons : Neptune Memorial Reef  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Atlantis Reef Project Announces Partnership with Neptune Society. (No longer available online.) In: American Chronicle. March 9, 2007, formerly in the original ; accessed on January 3, 2013 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / amchron.soundenterprises.net  
  2. ↑ Les Coleman: Florida's Exclusive Underwater Burial Ground. Public News Service - FL, February 6, 2012, accessed January 3, 2013 .
  3. ↑ Lisa Orkin Emmanuel: Artificial Reef Near Miami Is Cemetery, Diving Attraction. In: The Seattle Times . May 10, 2008, accessed January 3, 2013 .
  4. ↑ Lisa Orkin Emmanuel: Watery graves offer a haven for diverse. In: theguardian . May 12, 2008, accessed January 3, 2013 .
  5. ↑ Stephen Harrigan: Artificial Reefs. In: National Geographic . February 2011, accessed January 3, 2013 .
  6. ^ A b Robert Nolin: Off Florida, a cemetery under the sea. In: Los Angeles Times . July 12, 2009, accessed January 3, 2013 .

Coordinates: 25 ° 42 ′ 2.2 "  N , 80 ° 5 ′ 24.5"  W.