(oceans waves flowing)
(uplifting music)
(water flowing)
- 'Bout a hundred meters off the shore of Camiguin Island
there is this giant cross that marks the site
of a graveyard sunk beneath the waves
about 150 years ago.
See, this is volcano Volcan and it erupted
knocking this section of the island
(explosion)
underwater, bringing with it an ancient graveyard.
Today we're exploring the sunken cemetery
off Camiguin Island in Mindanao, Philippines.
Let's go.
On the adventure team today.
- Hello, good morning.
- [Mike] We have Aitz, our local contact slash badass.
- Cool.
- [Mike] We have Alex, freediver.
We have Betty, freediver.
- Hi.
- And we have our guide.
What's our guide's name?
- John. - John.
Hey man.
Good to meet you.
- So crazy.
There was originally an old cross that fell
into the water when the volcano erupted
and now that's still there?
- Yes. - But they've put a marker
where it used to be?
- Yeah.
- In 1996.
- Yeah.
- 1871.
- [Mike] Over there. - Yeah.
And then.
- Yeah.
- Amazing.
(ocean waves flowing)
Let's go.
(uplifting music)
Oh, we found a sea snake.
(water bubbling)
(intense music)
Ow, ow.
Ow.
(intense music)
It's a tough snorkel out there.
It's amazing though, all around this cross,
you can see fragments and pieces of the old cemetery.
A lot of old concrete shapes
that are covered in 150 years of coral growth.
This cross they built 30 years ago, 20 years ago
to mark the site
as a memorial for those who were buried here
and then reburied and reburied from the lava.
I saw one photo of being able to get inside of
the cross itself.
Let's see if we can do that.
Oh, there's no gate.
Oh and there is a ladder.
Don't climb danger dilikad.
Well on the channel, I think a common misconception
of Fearless and Far is we like to do things
that are dangerous.
I like to make calculated risks if I feel like
I can do so safely.
Well there is a ladder.
It does say danger, not climb.
That ladder,
the steel if I can show you is almost completely corroded
by sea air and while that view up there
would be breathtaking I imagine,
it's not worth one of those pieces of ladder breaking.
I love this place though.
It's a little bit haunting and I got to say,
thinking about, if I had a grave here
that was just sunk beneath the ocean and the earth,
I don't know.
It makes me feel a little bit sad
for those people.
I guess the whole point of a gravestone
is so it lasts there forever and generation after generation
can come see.
If that happens.
If you have children of children that want
to go see your grave I guess,
but the idea of putting a lasting marker,
that's the idea of a gravestone.
Something there that people can always come see
and remember you by.
Just being lost
and buried, and sunken.
Yeah, makes you kind of feel like what's the point.
And maybe that's a more immediate example.
Because again, eventually over time
won't all gravestones be lost?
(haunting music)
If you have a gravestone that goes in the ground,
I mean it's not gonna be there forever.
Let's be realistic.
At some point it's got to be destroyed or buried or
broken.
(water flowing)
So whether it be in 50 years or 100 years, or 200 years,
still gonna be gone forever.
I don't know man.
I think we're getting a little bit too deep (laughing).
Into what it means to be a human on this planet,
but hey, sometimes we do that on the channel.
If you've seen any of my other graveyard videos,
you come to a place like this and you think about life.
And it's good that we all do that sometimes.
It's also good that sometimes we forget about it
and just jump back in the ocean.
See some corals, see some fish,
and maybe get a coconut.
'Cause we're on a tropical island,
and it's beautiful,
and there's a time and place to think too much about death
and it's not today.
Let's go.
(water splashing)
This is how I've been carrying my underwater camera
for the whole day.
We get on the scooter,
and we put it right here
and I have to hold it with my feet.
It's every time we go over a bump,
I'm afraid that it's gonna fall off.
Anyway, the realities.
Behind the scenes.
(motor revving)
Like this, ready?
(laughing)
See that?
Every single bump, I have to keep it like this, like this.
(laughing)
Anyway, we're off.
Oh shit!
I forgot to put the kickstand up.
I had the GoPro. (laughing)
Well the kickstand is very much up now.
No it's okay.
I think I just gave it you you anyway.
- [Aitz] What?
- [Mike] I think I just gave it to you.
- [Aitz] No, it wasn't a cable, so.
- [Mike] Oh okay.
So this used to be the cathedral.
- (laughing) You're sweating like crazy.
We're just looking for you. - Am I sweating too much?
I know, I know.
The thing about being.
- [Aitz] You should have asked us.
- The thing about doing this job
is you're always thinking about the shots
and what you need and who you have to talk to
and you always put things down in places.
- The thing is like we're here.
- So I put the GoPro down and I was like, I lost the GoPro!
- That's why you have her.
You have us. - Well I've got friends.
To steal things and hide them. - What would you do
without us?
- I would lose my GoPro probably.
(laughing)
I have a surprise for us.
Are you ready?
- [Aitz] Of course.
(gasping)
- Oh candles. - Yes!
- [Mike] One candle each.
- You pray for your dead families I think.
- [Mike] You pray for your dead families.
- I don't really normally do this.
(laughing)
- It looks like some of them
got a little bit too hot.
(laughing)
Look at them.
They're just drooping over.
(haunting music)
So this must have been built like 1850s or something yeah?
- 1623. - 1620.
- And it was destroyed 1871. - In the earthquake.
- Volcanic eruption.
(laughing)
- [Mike] Alright, give us a breakdown.
What's your name?
- Margie.
- [Mike] Margie, nice to meet you Margie.
- Hi. (laughing)
- So tell us a bit about it.
So you said, it was built in 1620.
- 1623, Spanish. - By the Spanish?
- Yes.
- And so it was around for about 200 years.
250?
- For now, it's 395 years.
- Now, today.
And the church obviously was destroyed in the volcano.
- Yes.
- I think it's amazing that this is almost 400 years old.
- Mm hmm.
And then this church is made with corals, limestone,
and egg white.
- And egg white? - Yes.
- As a binding agent. - Yes.
Because there's no cement before so.
- Coral, limestone,
and egg white. - And egg white.
- I never thought you could build a church with eggs.
(laughing)
You can really see the coral they used as bricks.
(haunting music)
A brief account of the Mount Volcan eruption.
May 13, 1871.
Six PM.
Cotta Bato, the capital of Camiguin Island
was a quiet and attractive town verdant
in its natural wonders.
Its peaceful shores provided strolling grounds
for its inhabitants as they bask
under the gracious moonlight. (laughing)
Suddenly.
That is a pretty dramatic start
to the story.
Tranquility came to a halt as a subterranean rumbling
sowed undescribable terror. (laughing)
You guys have, you guys have to read this.
You guys have to read this, it's hilarious.
Cotto Bato was but a dreadful pile of ruins.
The single volcanic eruption buried a beautiful town
into obscurity.
Hundreds of lives were lost while the survivors
sought refuge in the open country
that gave them hope for tomorrow.
Dun dun dun.
(laughing)
Well that's quite a story.
(laughing)
Are you ready?
Okay, I am wrapping up my trip here
on Camiguin Island unfortunately.
But I have to give this girl a huge hug.
- Yay.
- Because she helped so much planning the trips.
- You're welcome.
And enjoyed it huh?
- Yeah, we had a lot of fun.
- Of course.
- Honestly, Camiguin is a beautiful place.
There's very few foreign tourists.
Very few tourists at all.
- Yeah. - Actually.
And it's like island. - Luckily.
- Island paradise.
If you're here, make sure to come say hi to Aitz
at her cafe which is Hayahay.
They have awesome vegan, vegetarian food.
Amazing smoothie bowls.
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes.
- Bang.
- [Mike] The smoothie bowl!
- [Aitz] Enjoy.
- [Mike] It's a work of art!
- [Aitz] With edible flowers, don't forget.
- [Mike] With edible flowers.
If you haven't seen the other videos of Camiguin Island,
make sure to check those out.
They're in the bottom.
Haven't subscribed yet?
Make sure to do that and if you wanna check out
my Paetron Community, I share some stories
from the road that are a little bit too wild
for YouTube.
Experience over possessions.
If you're here, make sure to check out the cafe,
say hi to Aitz. - Yes, you're always
welcome here. - I'll catch you.
(laughing)
Next time, peace!