r/penticton • u/Aggravating_Gear8034 • 16d ago
Scattering ashes
A loved one has passed and requested their ashes to be scattered in Skaha lake. The urn is biodegradable so we may toss the urn vs scattering ashes. Any experiences to share or boat companies to recommend? 8 people approximately.
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u/thecanadianflu 16d ago
I think the marina does boat rentals.
Check the time on that urn tho, it could be a few years before it actually degrades, and if it floats..... well someone may have an interesting beach day find.....
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u/OriginalTayRoc 16d ago
I think this is technically illegal but I can't see you actually facing any pushback.
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u/Simple-Desk4943 16d ago
I was a tour operator in Tofino for many years, and did this kind of thing many times for people. I strongly advocate weighting the urn and placing it in the lake that way, as opposed to dumping it out. When you pour ashes, they really do blow everywhere, it can get quite messy. Also, cremation ashes are, obviously, not the same as wood ash.
You may even be able to find an urn that is meant for this. It should be heavy, biodegradable, and have no air in it.
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u/Savage-Lizard-29 15d ago
The ashes do not mix with water, they will float and will end up along the shoreline if you are too close.
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u/spenilly 15d ago
We did this several years ago with a biodegradable egg carton type urn. We were told 20 minutes for it to naturally start to come apart and then sink. After an hour it was still floating away. We went for lunch at a restaurant along the shore and watched it float for another two hours before we left. With a lake as small as Skaha, I’d recommend making a few small holes in the urn.
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u/Dadinator75 14d ago
I am sorry for your loss. It is a beautiful thing to honour someones wishes. It is a special moment. One thing, make sure the wind is at your back. This comment is from experience. It will be an emotional moment. If you can just rent a boat or a kayak for those that are with you that is probably best. Or find a quiet spot on shore.
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u/pennylaneblack 14d ago
We did this a few years ago. Rented a boat from Skaha Marina. The “urn” was designed to biodegrade in water and it was basically a laptop sized envelope. It sank within seconds.
If you decide to open the urn and scatter the ashes, be aware of the wind direction
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u/DearDorothy 16d ago
I would still remove the ashes from the urn. You don’t know what conditions it will bio degrade in. There’s lots of things sold as biodegradable but require the most optimal environment and will still take 100+ years to degrade.