December 27, 1735 Tsunami: E. Luzon Island, Philippines
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at E. Luzon Island, Philippines on December 27, 1735. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- December 27, 1735
- Source
- E. Luzon Island, Philippines
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 15.800° N, 121.700° E
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #414:
On February (December) 27, 1735 at 2:00 [local time]. There was a strong earthquake at Baler, after which the sea very quickly began to rise and soon flooded the entire settlement. It was completely destroyed and many residents died. A few escaped by swimming, and also on the roof of the church, which remained above water. According to another source, some of the land at Baler subsided and became a lagoon. There was no such flood tide at other settlements on the Pacific coast of Luzon Island.
Reference #3029:
1735 December 25. Baler, Province of Tayabas. Father Juan Delgado, S.J., mentions an earthquake of this date: "[Baler was made] famous in these times by an earthquake
which dropped the ground, converting it into a lake and submerging the church and house of the Reverend Franciscan Fathers, who, with a few of the people of the pueblo,
escaped to the top of the roof, which remained above the water. This happened on Christmas Day, 1735." JJD, p. 38.
Father San Antonio does not mention an earthquake, but says: "The town and our church sank on Christmas day of the year 1735, the two religious living there escaping miraculously. Attention is now being given to the :repair of the ruins." JFSA, lib. I, p. 71.
Father Saderra Maso reports that a description of this event was written by Father Jose de San Rafael, O.M.S.F., but that he could not find a copy. Father Saderra Maso has mistakenly given the date as December 27. He further says that after this disaster the town was transferred to the right bank of the river, to higher and more solid ground, having formerly been on the left bank, on the low marshy soil of the alluvial delta of the river. He expresses doubt of the actual occurrence of an earthquake, and we agree that the sinking was probably due to another cause. December
is the rainy season on the east coast of Luzon and the soft soil of the town may have been gradually undermined by the high water. MSM, p. 81.
Reference #1058:
1735, December 27. Baler, Tayabas, tidal wave.
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baler, Quezon | Philippines | 16 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1735The 1700sTsunamis of PhilippinesThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 407.