Burial at Sea Annapolis MD | Ash Scattering
LOCATION
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Annapolis, Maryland

America’s sailing capital and home of the Naval Academy, Annapolis has salt water at the center of its identity. For Navy families especially, a farewell on the Chesapeake — past the Academy’s seawall and out into the broad bay — carries profound meaning.

Sea Services has arranged burials at sea and ash scatterings from Annapolis since 1991. Our U.S. Coast Guard–licensed captains perform every service in full compliance with EPA regulations, a minimum of three nautical miles from shore.

Families who wish to be aboard can plan a private memorial charter — most last 1.5 to 2 hours dock to dock, with quiet time at sea for the ceremony. If your family cannot attend, our Captain’s Service performs a dignified, fully documented unattended scattering, available year-round. Expedited services within 24–48 hours are available for religious timelines, including Hindu ash-scattering traditions.

To plan a burial at sea from Annapolis, call 1-888-404-9880. We’ll help you choose the right vessel and time of day for your family.

Families in Maryland also depart from Solomons and Ocean City.

Explore all burial at sea locations in Maryland.

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The Service:

Compassionate, Seamless Burial at Sea Services Nationwide

At Sea Services, we partner with carefully vetted captains and crew across the United States to ensure your memorial experience is smooth, respectful, and deeply meaningful. Honor your loved one with a dignified sea burial. We offer compassionate, coast-to-coast services for scattering ashes at sea. With experienced captains and certified vessels, we ensure your loved one’s ashes are scattered at sea with care, legality, and respect.

Our Burial at Sea and Ash Scattering Services include a beautifully crafted biodegradable urn adorned with freeze-dried flowers, along with a personalized memorial certificate mailed to you after the ceremony. Every service is conducted in full compliance with EPA regulations and aboard U.S. Coast Guard-approved vessels, ensuring safety and professionalism at every step.

What to Expect During Your Memorial Charter
Each charter lasts approximately 1.5 to 2 hours, dock to dock. The journey includes:

  • 30–45 minutes traveling out to sea
  • 30 minutes at a serene location for the ceremony
  • 30–45 minutes returning to harbor

Sea Services™ provides professional burial at sea services across the United States. Whether you’re looking for charter boats for scattering ashes, or a peaceful setting to lay your loved one to rest, we’re here to help you plan a meaningful sea burial with dignity.

During your time on the water, you’ll have the space and time to reflect, pray, share stories, and release ashes in a peaceful and private setting. Our experienced captains can help guide the ceremony or offer support as needed, ensuring a respectful and memorable farewell.


Points of Interest:

U.S. Naval Academy A prestigious naval service academy founded in 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy spans a 338‑acre Beaux‑Arts campus—known as “The Yard”—on the Severn River. Home to iconic landmarks like Bancroft Hall, the Chapel, and Field House, the campus is a National Historic Landmark that trains midshipmen as officers for the Navy and Marine Corps

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  • Featured Locations
  • Family Memorial Service
  • Captain's Service
  • scattering or burial?

Featured Locations

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Palm Beach, Florida

Off Palm Beach, the Gulf Stream runs closer to shore than almost anywhere in America, turning the sea a deep sapphire blue within sight of the island's famous estates. A...

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South Portland, Maine

From South Portland, the route to sea crosses Casco Bay past Portland Head Light — Maine's oldest lighthouse, commissioned by George Washington. Islands, lighthouses, and working lobster boats line the...

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Brunswick, Georgia

Brunswick sits among Georgia's Golden Isles, where marsh, moss, and sea intertwine — the landscape Sidney Lanier honored in "The Marshes of Glynn." Families depart between the barrier islands to...

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Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The Grand Strand's sixty miles of beach have been the South's family shore for generations. A farewell in the warm Atlantic off Myrtle Beach rests a loved one in waters...

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Family Memorial Services

For families wishing to plan a personal and meaningful memorial voyage, Sea Services™ offers U.S. Coast Guard-approved vessels for scattering ashes from the port of your choice. You select the time, place, and arrangements, and invite as many guests as you wish for this private burial at sea.

We have a wide range of vessels available for scattering ashes at sea, and our experienced team will help you plan every detail. For many, this will be a first-time maritime funeral experience with a sea burial. Sea Services™ will work closely with you to make this a fitting memorial occasion, carefully evaluating your needs and desires to insure a safe, comfortable and memorable day for all.

First-class family services like these vary greatly in every detail.  Likewise, their costs also vary considerably.  Contact Sea Services today at 1-888-404-9880 for the current cost of a Family Memorial Service. Costs for a small group, larger groups, special services or trips in the height of the recreational boating season are available on request.

Whether your group is large or small (from a single guest to several hundred) our trusted captains and crews are certified to provide dignified and legal services for having a loved one’s ashes scattered at sea.

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Captain's Service

Often families cannot venture to sea or attend a scattering ashes at sea memorial service. Our captains bring the cremated remains on an ocean voyage for you.  A dignified sea scattering of ashes or burial at sea is performed and documented, with that documentation provided to you.  This is our most popular service, with prices beginning at just $325.

While the Captain’s Service does not provide for the family or guests to accompany the vessel, specific requests, such as dates or times, special prayers or simple ceremonies are often available.  Special planning, however, can add to our costs.   Many ports have seasonal demands and schedules vary at different times of the year.   You may call us for specific fees at the port of your choice.

Most often, cremated remains are received at Sea Services’ home office via priority mail express US Mail, sometimes directly from the funeral home or crematory.   For the specific “Three Easy Steps” to a Captain’s Service™. Call us anytime with your specific wishes, or just to discuss our services.  Sea Services™ will work hard to accommodate your desires while insuring the best value.

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Scattering or Burial?

The scattering of cremated remains on the sea’s surface is timeless tradition — a chosen funeral custom for thousands of years.   Many, however,  due to personal, religious or traditional desires, prefer to be placed in a burial urn on the ocean’s floor.

Sea Services has developed the Burial at Sea Service that sensitively accomplishes this timeless tradition, while insuring 21st Century protection of the environment.  Whether you choose a traditional Sea Scattering or the dignified Burial at Sea with a urn you can be assured that your service will receive our personal attention at any port, off any shore of our nation.

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