MIAMI, FL -- Just about three miles from South Beach, Star Island and the posh condos that line Miami's oceanfront, Neptune Memorial Reef comes to life. It's a brand new resting spot for the afterlife.
"A cemetery that people actually enjoy coming to versus a place they feel and obligation to go to."
That is how Jerry Norman, President and CEO of the Neptune Society, characterizes his latest endeavor. It is an idea on paper that finally made a splash last fall settling into place 45 feet deep over a sandy ocean bottom.
"I feel an attachment to the ocean but didn't have a permanent place to go," says Norman.
Columns, statues, bronze lions and gates re-create the lost city of Atlantis. Nestled into phase one of this mythological myriad of art are 800 plots assigned with plaques. Some house cremated remains, others house keepsakes bearing an image they hope to be remembered by.
"The minimal cost is a $1000 which is very inexpensive compared to traditional burial," says Norman.
In fact icons of the industry are resting comfortably like Bert Kilbride, the oldest diver on record who died in January at age 93 known as "the last pirate of the caribbean." He is one name and one lasting memory among many more.
"It's never been done before and it will probably never be done again," says Gary Levine.
For artist Kim Brandell and Gary Levine, the project encompasses years of hard work which Newschannel Five first dove into last year when the reef was being built on land. Now it has made a splash a year later with markers, memorials and plenty of marine life.
"I wonder what it is going to look like each time cause the visibility changes daily," says Norman.
Because of that the Neptune Memorial Reef has become a fixture growing in popularity not just among South Florida's dive community but across the nation. Speaking of growth this is just the beginning. Once complete in a circular wheel- like pattern, the one of kind project will span 16 acres offering 120,000 placements creating a destination for divers and the deceased.
"This is becoming part of something that is substantial and will change the Coast of Miami. This will be a site anyone can dive for free, it will be a tourist destination," says Norman.
