The sky was raging and in the process of a quick transition from intense blue to fiery red. At the edge of the sea, the sun was sliding down like curtain dropping after a circus show. Our boatman told us to hurry so we'd catch a glimpse of the last remaining cross of one of the many buried gravestones. Most of which were already covered by coral reef, the bones of the buried has since been transferred to another cemetery inland. Well, the site of what is now known as the "Sunken Cemetery" used to be above the sea. Until a series of eruptions from Mt. Vulcan Daan in the 1870's eroded the parts of Bonbon in Catarman town thereby swallowing the cemetery and tucking it underwater.
During my first trip to the island in 2010, we only caught a glimpse of the giant white cross erected in 1982 to mark the site of the former cemetery. This time, as part of the Cebu Pacific bloggers' tour of Camiguin. I got the chance to snorkel and see for myself what are beneath those waters. It's about time I get to take a peek into this strange and eerie landmark of the island.
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| Photo taken by Ferdz Decena of http://www.ironwulf.net/ |
Together with Lois, Ferdz, Lloyd, Hudson and Mitch we trudged into a small boat. It was low tide so we could easily see the corals from below. I wonder about the sea creatures I will encounter underwater. Somehow, my consciousness opened up for a small possibility of seeing a ghoulish figure. A few moments later I found myself in the water. With only the slowly blackening sky at the background, the still-light visible on the ocean bed, showed a vast and healthy coral system. It was surprisingly full of life contrary to its reputation fit for a setting of a horror movie.
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| Sole Sister Lois and the starstruck Nemo's. Photo by http://www.ironwulf.net/ |
Half an hour later the sky was reduced to that of a flickering candle. I can sense darkness any minute now and the notion of some strange and harrowing activity underneath scared me for a brief moment. I settled down and dismissed the knocking suspense and when I was starting to feel at ease, It was there that I saw it.
It was around 2 feet long, its skin is adorned with a stripe pattern of color blue and yellow. A frigging sea-snake I muttered to myself as I swallow seawater at the same time. I kicked my feet harder and adjusted my snorkeling mask. I looked down again and it was gone. I remember about how one shouldn't fear seeing a giant spider until you lose sight of it. Same with the sea-snake, I got more worried not able to spot it anymore. Around the same time I felt something in my legs and tickled up to the inside of my shorts. I panicked a bit, reached out for it, half expecting to get bitten or pulling off the body of the sea-snake.
I wish it was the snake which I pulled up underneath. It's good to survive that and blog about it. However, it was nothing but just a seaweed. I climbed back aboard our boat and like any curtain call, the dark skies took over that exact moment.
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Flight info:
The Philippines’ largest national flag carrier, Cebu Pacific Air is the only airline offering direct flights to Camiguin. It operates flights from Cebu to Camiguin every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, for as low as P588. For the latest seat sales and promos, go to www.cebupacificair.com, call (02)7020-888 or check Cebu Pacific Air’s official Facebook and Twitter pages.
Juan for Fun info:
Cebu Pacific Air is looking for five teams of three university students each, who are raring to go on the 2013 Juan for Fun Backpacker Challenge. Video entries may be sent from June 14 to July 29, 2013, and the top five teams will get to go on a week-long all expenses paid trip to six Philippine destinations. Visit www.juanforfun.com or Cebu Pacific Air’s official Facebook and Twitter pages for more challenge details.
The Juan for Fun Backpacker Challenge is presented by Department of Tourism, and supported by Canon and Wenger.
