Camiguin · Philippines · Reef
Sunken Cemetery
Coral-covered tombs at 6 m under a white concrete cross
Area photo: Kleomarlo · CC BY-SA 3.0
A Spanish-era graveyard off Barrio Bonbon that the 1871 eruption of Mt. Vulcan put under water, marked from the surface by a white concrete cross. The tombs sit no deeper than 6.1 m, coral has grown over the tombstones, and the shallow water around them holds schooling reef fish. The National Museum of the Philippines declared the site a National Cultural Treasure in 2018.
Where it is and how deep
9.2037° N, 124.6308° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The white concrete cross standing off the shore is the marker, and the graveyard lies under it. Nothing here is deep — the tombs bottom out at 6.1 m — so the dive is a slow, shallow swim over the ground of the old Bonbon settlement, picking out the shapes of the graves under the coral that has grown across them. Snorkellers work the same water, which tells you how little depth there is to lose.
Away from the tombs the ground is ordinary reef, and it does the work of keeping the dive going: colourful reef fish and schools of tropical species over the shallows. With 6.1 m under you at the deepest, depth is not what ends this dive; how long you stay is a question of gas and patience, and the ground repays a slow pass over the graves rather than a lap around them.
Background
The cemetery served the old settlement of Bonbon, now part of Catarman, during the Spanish colonial era, and went under water when Mount Vulcan erupted on 1 May 1871. A hardwood cross stood above the surface to mark it until it deteriorated; the provincial government of Camiguin replaced it with the concrete cross in 1982. In 2018 the National Museum of the Philippines declared the Sunken Cemetery a National Cultural Treasure.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Camiguin: Nov–Apr is the dry, settled run; May–Oct rain is heavy but short and rarely stops diving, and the small typhoon risk falls in Sep–Oct.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Sunken Cemetery?+
The tombs lie under water as deep as 6.1 m, so the whole dive sits inside snorkelling and Open Water depths. Coral has grown over the tombstones, and the concrete cross on the surface marks the site.
Is the Sunken Cemetery a protected site?+
Yes. The National Museum of the Philippines declared it a National Cultural Treasure in 2018. It is the graveyard of the old Bonbon settlement, submerged by the eruption of Mount Vulcan in 1871.
Sources
- Sunken Cemetery - Scubago — Scubago
- Sunken Cemetery - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
More dive sites in Camiguin
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Shore-entry slope with a lettuce coral reef from 21 m
Current-swept offshore slope under soft coral, 5 to 25 m
Wall
Offshore shoal edge dropping past 60 m, cut with overhangs
Coral garden
Hard coral garden with a 20 m maximum and frequent sea snakes
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Wall
Volcanic cliff from 5 m and dropping past 60 m
Reef
Soft-coral slope from 2 m to 30 m beside the volcano wall
Reef
The island's Deep Diver training reef, 5 m to 40 m
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