

What is a Water Ceremony?

What is a Water Ceremony?

What is a Water Ceremony?

We are asked ‘what is a water ceremony’ almost every day so I thought I would put together an explanation. Please please ask any questions that you have that I haven’t covered in the comments underneath and we’ll always do our best to answer them.

A water ceremony is simply putting your loved one’s ashes into the water, a water burial of the ashes. It can be part of a religious ceremony such as a Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist ashes ceremony. Or it can be something that you create with your friends and family to celebrate the life of your loved one. Different cultures and religions have different ways of doing it but there are no hard and fast rules. The important thing to remember is that it is a time to think about your loved one and if possible to celebrate the life they lived and to give them a send-off that would make them proud.

Can you scatter ashes in the water in the UK?

The answer is yes you can scatter ashes in the sea, a river or a lake.  As long as you keep to the Environment Agency’s guidelines in England and Wales and SEPA’s guidelines in Scotland. You can find out more in depth information here.

Can you scatter ashes in the water in the USA?

Again the answer is yes if you want to scatter them at sea but you must go 3 nautical miles out and inform the EPA, you can find out more here.

How do I scatter ashes in water?

Scattering ashes from a boat. You can scatter the ashes from a boat. This is a good idea if you want to have some privacy. A boat can take you away from the crowds to make sure you and your family can have a dignified ceremony. Prices and size of boat vary, you can find a map of all the boats that we can provide here. All you need to do is fill in the form and the skipper will get back to you with availability. You are under no obligation to book.

Scattering ashes from the water’s edge. Bridges and riverbanks are good places to scatter your loved on’e ashes. They are free and as long as you choose your times carefully you can have a time that suits you, it can be as long or short as you like.

Scattering ashes on a beach. You can scatter ashes on a beach but do see our tips for making it safe.

What is a water urn? And do I need one?

A water urn is designed to hold some or all of your loved one’s ashes so that you can place them directly into the water without having to empty a container. Many people find them easier to use and ash particles will not blow around on breezy days or onto the boat.

Water urns must be 100% biodegradable if you want to put them into the sea, a river or a lake. Scatter Tubes ARE NOT biodegradable and cannot be left in the water.

If you decide to use  a water urn the main difference between them is whether they will float for a while, to allow you time to say some words or prayers. Or whether they will sink quickly, allowing you to put the ashes in a certain location or at a particular point in your ceremony.

Our full range of 100% biodegradable water urns are here.

We have a helpful video about choosing a water urn on our YouTube Channel here.

How do I create a Water Ceremony?

Firstly you will need to choose a location, either a boat or on a beach, river or lake. As we are an island nation we have strong links to water and lots of people have a favourite location or were employed in the Navy. You can find out more about our Navy Committals here.

Secondly you will need to think about what type of ceremony you want to have. Something religious, something formal, something informal? Whatever you decide to do it is good idea to let guests know so that they can dress appropriately for the weather and the location.

There are some people who can turn up and speak eloquently about any given subject. But they are few and far between! I think it’s a good idea to have an order of service, it can be written in note form on a side of paper. But if you have an idea of who is doing what and when it can help to reduce the stress.

We have lots of ideas in our guide book here, it is rated 5 stars on Amazon.

Water Ceremony Sets

We have created the first ever water ceremony sets. Each one has every you need to create the perfect water ceremony.

Water Ceremony Set

De-luxe Water Ceremony Set

Companion (for two sets of ashes) Water Ceremony Set

Hindu Ceremony Set

Deluxe Hindu Ceremony Set

We also have lots of beautiful items such as floating candles and petals that you can add to your ceremony to make it really memorable, see our ceremony additions.

One of our lovely customers shared his water ceremony on our Facebook page.


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