The Ear recently heard about an interesting venture, Twin Rocks Undersea Memorial in Rockaway Beach, owned by husband and wife Rick and Kris Young. For those of you looking for an alternative to having your ashes scattered at sea, this is it.

The ashes are put into a one-size-fits-all obelisk that in theory doubles as “a habitat for sea life,” according to the Web site (http://twinrocksunderseamemorial.com). The monument is then hauled out to sea by a local skipper and placed on the sea bottom (about 120 feet deep) with specially designed equipment. The placement area is about three miles offshore from Rockaway Beach.

Pictured above right, a monument, approximately 30 inches by 30 inches by 30 inches, crafted and ready to go. An article about the company on OregonLive.com by Laurie Tobias (http://tinyurl.com/tobias-twinrocks) says the monuments are made from a “secret concretelike recipe” that is “designed to hold up in the seawater.” Each obelisk weighs approximately 3/4 of a ton. “Once it lands, it triggers a global positioning system, which registers the exact location,” the article says.

Kris Young told Tobias, “We’re not taking up space on the Earth in cemeteries or mausoleums, and it’s more of a benefit to the ocean and the Earth to place a sea life habitat than to just scatter ashes. It’s a living memorial.” With GPS, to boot.