Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Eternally peaceful

Sea Star burials at sea.

Normally the deck hands of the Sea Star charter fishing boat are hard at work off the kelp beds of coastal North County, helping their passengers get hooked up on yellowfin, sea bass, bonito, and barracuda.

But Capt. Joe Cacciola and his crew serve another role — the memorial scattering of ashes at sea. When called upon, the scales from caught fish and the ship’s salty smell disappear and the Oceanside Harbor-based crew clean up nicely, slacks and dress shirts, as they help families that have lost a loved one.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“I’m more than just a captain piloting a boat to scatter cremains,” said Capt. Joe. “We provide families the opportunity to release their loved one’s to the sea in a dignified and memorable fashion.”

Capt. Joe first did a service at sea for his grandmother over 30 years ago, then the ashes of his father. And it hasn’t stopped since. The crew does around 100 services a year.

“I help families to understand the human connection to the sea, a source of food, water, and oxygen,” said Capt. Joe. “It’s a naturally peaceful place. Just like in life, storms come and go, but the ocean always goes back to its natural state — eternally peaceful.”

Usually anchoring his boat about one to three miles due west of the Oceanside Pier, Capt. Joe will point out to guests; the shore, the landmarks, the mountain tops, and that 3.2 million people live over there in San Diego County. “And here we are out at sea, it’s just us. It’s peaceful and calm,” said Capt. Joe.

Capt. Joe, a retried Marine, also offers extra support to families of military members. He explains and coordinates the government’s benefits entitled to deceased veterans — a flag ceremony, honor guard; and sometimes a gun salute.

From a business standpoint, Capt. Joe believes his scattering the ashes at sea services cost about 75 percent less than a traditional cemetery burial.

He also notes that although most of his memorial guests are small groups, with his large, 60-foot boat, he can handle up to 45 guests. Plus the bigger boat ensures a calmer two hours on the ocean, than often used smaller boats.

More and more people are coming around to the idea of cremation and scattering ashes at sea. Some organized religions have changed their view on cremation over the years, recognizing that the human body is just clothing for the soul.

Finally Capt. Joe reminds his families, “You don’t have to go to a specific place to remember your loved one. Go to any seashore in the world and you are instantly reconnected.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Second largest yellowfin tuna caught by rod and reel

Excel does it again
Next Article

Pie pleasure at Queenstown Public House

A taste of New Zealand brings back happy memories

Normally the deck hands of the Sea Star charter fishing boat are hard at work off the kelp beds of coastal North County, helping their passengers get hooked up on yellowfin, sea bass, bonito, and barracuda.

But Capt. Joe Cacciola and his crew serve another role — the memorial scattering of ashes at sea. When called upon, the scales from caught fish and the ship’s salty smell disappear and the Oceanside Harbor-based crew clean up nicely, slacks and dress shirts, as they help families that have lost a loved one.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“I’m more than just a captain piloting a boat to scatter cremains,” said Capt. Joe. “We provide families the opportunity to release their loved one’s to the sea in a dignified and memorable fashion.”

Capt. Joe first did a service at sea for his grandmother over 30 years ago, then the ashes of his father. And it hasn’t stopped since. The crew does around 100 services a year.

“I help families to understand the human connection to the sea, a source of food, water, and oxygen,” said Capt. Joe. “It’s a naturally peaceful place. Just like in life, storms come and go, but the ocean always goes back to its natural state — eternally peaceful.”

Usually anchoring his boat about one to three miles due west of the Oceanside Pier, Capt. Joe will point out to guests; the shore, the landmarks, the mountain tops, and that 3.2 million people live over there in San Diego County. “And here we are out at sea, it’s just us. It’s peaceful and calm,” said Capt. Joe.

Capt. Joe, a retried Marine, also offers extra support to families of military members. He explains and coordinates the government’s benefits entitled to deceased veterans — a flag ceremony, honor guard; and sometimes a gun salute.

From a business standpoint, Capt. Joe believes his scattering the ashes at sea services cost about 75 percent less than a traditional cemetery burial.

He also notes that although most of his memorial guests are small groups, with his large, 60-foot boat, he can handle up to 45 guests. Plus the bigger boat ensures a calmer two hours on the ocean, than often used smaller boats.

More and more people are coming around to the idea of cremation and scattering ashes at sea. Some organized religions have changed their view on cremation over the years, recognizing that the human body is just clothing for the soul.

Finally Capt. Joe reminds his families, “You don’t have to go to a specific place to remember your loved one. Go to any seashore in the world and you are instantly reconnected.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Now what can they do with Encinitas unstable cliffs?

Make the cliffs fall, put up more warnings, fine beachgoers?
Next Article

Woodpeckers are stocking away acorns, Amorous tarantulas

Stunning sycamores, Mars rising
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader