The Sunken Cemtery - Bonbon, Catarman, Camiguin

It was always been in my list to visit the sunken cemetery. Personally I want to see the place and experience what others say about the feeling of eerie when in this place. Mostly visitors who visited this place filled with enchantment. To our dismay the place couldn’t be explored because of the bad weather condition so we couldn’t be transported by the boat. What we did was just enjoyed the sight of the place. Took pictures and talked with the locals.

Sunken cemetery is located in Bonbon, Catarman, which was the result of the volcanic eruption of Mount Vulcan (Old Volcano) that was happened in 1870s. The whole capital of Camiguin, including the cemetery sunk under the sea during that destructive volcanic eruption. Part of the sunken land and the grave stones were still visible during the low tide, but in 1948 the Mount Vulcan erupted again made the whole area deeper. The gravestones can still be thru diving. That’s why today Sunken Cemetery is considered as one of the most interesting diving sites in the Philippines.

In 1982 the Provincial Government of Camiguin erected a huge cross to mark the site of the sunken graves of their ancestors. From then on it was called the “Sunken Cemetery”.

The history of the sunken cemetery is definitely tragic. It’s the way the people of Camiguin valued this historic site and its heritage that show the kind of people they are. This incident truly defines the people’s courage, resilience and faith to survive the challenges of time. 

Too many things to do in Camiguin, take time and plan.