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Layang-Layang Island
 Layang Layang,
the "Swallow Reef," is an atoll in the South China Sea some 300 km north-west of Kota Kinabalu. The island is man-made and was constructed
for the Malaysian Navy and later developed for the only dive resort, the Layang-Layang Island Resort. The island location offers absolute
isolation, and the only mode of getting there, except by boat, is the regular
Malaysia Airlines flights from Kota Kinabalu. The extreme location of Layang-Layang, the pristine
reefs, excellent visibility, steep walls down to 2000 m and regular
sightings of pelagics have given Layang-Layang the much deserved reputation
of being one of the top ten dive locations in the world.
With resident
schools of barracuda and big-eye trevally, and frequently seen green and
hawksbill turtles the reef has something to offer for everyone. The
corals are plentiful and healthy with sea fans more than three meters
across, filtering plankton from passing currents. The 20 m deep
lagoon has some great macro creatures to be found, including seahorses,
cuttlefish and pipefish but it is the pelagics visiting the outer walls
that truly excite divers. Schools of scalloped hammer sharks, grey
reef sharks, leopard sharks and the occasional threshers and silvertip
sharks can all be seen.
Stingrays are also
regular visitors including manta rays, pygmy devil rays, marbled rays and
eagle rays. Rarer sightings such as whale sharks, orcas and melon
headed whales have all been reported over the last few years. Spinner
and bottlenose dolphins frequently follow the dive-boats to each location
and divers are sometimes rewarded by snorkelling and diving with these
amazing creatures!
With its pristine
reef, diverse fish life and visiting pelagics, Layang-Layang has rightly
gained world wide recognition.
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