How to Start a Burial at Sea Service

Part 1 - How to start a Burial at Sea Service business - Background

Families and friends who lose loved ones look for memorable places to bury the deceased or scatter the deceased’s ashes. For some, there’s no place more appropriate than the sea. Burial at sea service businesses let families and friends say goodbye to deceased loved ones by burying the body or scattering the ashes at sea.

While these businesses frequently offer both full-body burials and ash scattering services, most of their business tends to be ash scatterings. With cremation rates above 50% and rising, the demand for this type of burial service is expected to increase in the near future.

(Importantly, this type of business is not a crematorium. Instead, it’s a way for people to scatter the already-cremated remains of their loved ones.)

Our guide is in 3 parts:

• Part 1 - How to start a Burial At Sea business - Background
• Part 2 - Our planner tool to see if this idea is the right fit for you
• Part 3 - Action plan to get started

What are the costs involved in opening a burial at sea service?

The costs involved in opening a burial at sea service are substantial, for business owners need a boat, maritime equipment, and a slip or mooring. An office is also needed, as many families will want to plan their loved one’s service in person. A boat and office can easily be tens of thousands of dollars, and their costs could reach six-figure sums.

Businesses owners who have limited capital, however, can significantly reduce these startup expenses by partnering with others in the area. Rather than purchasing a boat, business owners can partner with a captain who already has a boat (e.g. for harbor tours) and split the profits. Funeral arrangements can be discussed in a home office or a private office that’s rented at a shared coworking space.

A website is also needed for marketing (see below), but website costs are inexpensive compared to these other expenses.

What are the ongoing expenses for a burial at sea service?

The ongoing expenses for a burial at sea service business are substantial. They include boat maintenance, docking or mooring, and fuel costs, as well as the cost of leasing office space and paying employees’ salaries.

Who is the target market?

The target market for a burial at sea business is the families of deceased sea lovers. Families of former Navy and Coast Guard personnel, avid anglers and sailors, and anyone else who spent time on the water might want to wish their loved one farewell on the ocean.

How does a burial at sea service make money?

A burial at sea service makes money by selling on-water funeral services. Usually, families or friends attend services, but a few customers may elect to simply have the business conduct an unattended service.

How much can you charge customers?

The cost of a burial at sea depends on what type of burial is conducted. The most inexpensive service is an unattended scattering of ashes, which CostHelper reports costs between $100 and $400. A small attended scattering runs between $250 and $1,000 and larger attended scatterings can range from $1,000 to $5,000 or more. A full-body burial without any additional amenities typically is between $5,000 and $10,000.

How much profit can a burial at sea service make?

With many services running over $1,000, a burial at sea business can bring in a substantial revenue. For example, Hald’s company conducted more than 1,000 burials in its first 10 years. That’s an average of at least 100 burials per year, which would be a revenue of $100,000 annually assuming a median price of $1,000.

How can you make your business more profitable?

Some burial at sea services contract with aircraft pilots to offer at-sea scatterings conducted from a plane or helicopter. These services cost substantially more, and the burial at sea service receives a significant amount of the cost.

Day-to-Day and Growth

What happens during a typical day at a burial at sea service?

Running a burial at sea service business involves a lot of different work. On any given day, business owners might be:

• Planning burial services with family members

• Conducting burial services on boats

• Coordinating with other funeral directors and/or boat captains

• Mailing burial certificates and notifying the EPA of burials

• Maintaining boats and conducting safety checks as necessary

• Marketing the business and managing back-end operations

The burials themselves are multi-step affairs. Business owners or staff have to prep boats, welcome service attendees, perform any required safety demonstrations, leave the dock and head to sea, conduct the service itself, return to port, see attendees off the boat, clean the boat, and replenish supplies.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful burial at sea service?

Burials at sea must comply with regulations set by the United States Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and Environmental Protection Agency, along with any applicable state- or municipality-specific laws. New England Burials at Sea offers sea burial certification classes that go over these regulatory requirements.

Additionally, most business owners are either captains, funeral directors or both. If business owners don’t serve in both capacities, they must partner with someone who has the other necessary skills.

Business owners who want a captain’s license should pursue a Master License from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, for this license is required to operate boats that hold more than six passengers. Many organizations, such as Maritime Professional License, Boatwise and SeaSchool, offer captain’s license classes.

Business owners who want to become funeral directors should check the licensing requirements in the state which they’ll operate in.

What is the growth potential for a burial at sea service?

Burial at sea businesses may be small operations that have a single boat and operate out of one port, or they can be larger companies that have multiple boats and offer services in several states. Smaller businesses that have just one boat frequently offer other boating activities, such as marine tours and transportation. Larger businesses may offer other activities but don’t always.

Equinox Island Transit is an example of a typical one-boat business. Located in Rockland, Maine, the Equinox primarily offers marine transit to and from the surrounding islands. They also perform burials at sea.

Some larger businesses in the industry include Sea Services, New England Burials at Sea and Ashes on the Sea. All of these businesses have locations in multiple states and on both coasts.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a burial at sea service?

Funeral attendees appreciate having a fixed place that they can return to in the future and remember the deceased. Tombstones have traditionally served as physical markers, but there’s no tombstone for at-sea burials. Gus Hald, who arranges burials at sea, recommends having a physical monument on land that people can see during the service and return to when they want to. He uses a nearby lighthouse, but a rock formation, point of land or pier could also work.

How and when to build a team

In order to conduct services of any size, a burial at sea service business needs employees from the outset. To make sure the service goes well even if there’s a minor boat or weather issue, it’s advisable to have at least one employee on board. In many cases, businesses have a few staff members to help care for guests, handle the boat and conduct the service.

Part 2 - Is a Burial at Sea Service business the right fit for you?

Part 3 - Action plan to launch your Burial at Sea Service business in 90 days