A fifty acre artificial island built in 1985 by the Malaysian Navy; Layang Layang is one of the 600 Spratly Islands and is located 300 kilometers from the coast of Sabah in the beautiful South China Sea. Topside, the island is little more than a concrete airstrip with a few scattered buildings, along with a new resort. In contrast, below the surface this expansive coral reef atoll has thirteen connected reefs which cover an amazing area fourteen square kilometers across. With a central lagoon as well as a stunning outer rim that drops away to an incredible two kilometers beneath the ocean’s surface, this little island is an incredible place for all divers to enjoy. Let’s take a look at just five of the top dive sites Layang Layang has to offer.
Gorgonian Forest
Named for the red, orange and purple gorgonians which cover the wall here, Gorgonian Forest is the perfect place for a scenic drift dive among pristine coral and healthy marine life in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Along with the gorgonians that grow in dense profusion, the steep wall is covered in a tapestry of sponges, soft coral, sea fans and sea whips, all in colors so bright they are almost unbelievable.
With thousands of busy reef fish everywhere you look, this spectacular site is also an excellent vantage point for peering away into the blue, where you can see schooling hammerheads, including scalloped hammerheads between April and May. Along with these sleek deep ocean dwellers, you may encounter whale sharks, manta rays, silvertip sharks, and schooling tuna. Watch for giant silver trevally and big barracuda, too.
Sharks Cave
Named for the cave at 24 meters, this site also features a wall with a ledge at 30 meters. Both the cave and the ledge are excellent places to encounter leopard sharks, nurse sharks, and white tip sharks. The cave itself extends six meters into the wall, and the entrance is about three meters wide. It is possible to enter the cave, but do use good judgment!
The wall itself drops away into the abyss, and is covered in a rich and varied cloak of gorgonians, sponges, and coral that creates a fantastic backdrop for all the smaller creatures that you’ll find swimming among the area’s larger inhabitants. Watch for manta rays and hammerhead sharks in the distance, and be prepared to see big pelagic fish waiting for lunch to swim past.
The Tunnel
Fantastic for all divers, and very popular for night diving, the Tunnel is a sloping reef with a wealth of healthy, vibrant hard corals on top. With stands of staghorn and big brain and mushroom corals stacked atop plate and table formations, it is beautifully lit from above. Once you reach about 10 meters, you’ll find yourself peering away into the big blue beyond, where larger fish, sharks, and rays can be seen passing.
Atop the reef, amongst the hard coral formations, you will find thousands of small fish, including reef fish and juvenile pelagic and reef species. Anthias and damsels in different colors add brilliant flashes of color, while parrotfish, puffers and wrasse tend to their business. Schooling amberjack and snapper can be seen flying along the top of the wall, which is covered in soft coral.
Once the sun goes down, the scene changes dramatically. Arrogant mantis shrimp and lowly hermit crabs, pink squat lobsters, and gangly spider crabs come out from their hiding places, posing for photographers. Look for octopus, too!
D’Wall
Offering a vertical drop that starts at just a meter beneath the surface and that ends all the way at the bottom of the abyss a stunning 2,000 meters below, D’Wall is an incredibly beautiful site that most divers want to see again and again. Covered in a staggering amount of soft coral, and with barrel sponges and gorgonians competing for space, it is crowded with reef fish and nudibranchs, plus it is home to a wealth of crustaceans and invertebrates. It is also a mecca for larger species. Look for everything from sharks to trevally, and keep an eye out for rays and turtles as you explore. There is a ledge at 40 meters where leopard sharks occasionally park themselves, but beyond this, there is nothing but pure blue water between you and the ocean floor. Watch for oceanic sunfish, dogtooth tuna, barracudas, and turtles coming up from their own deep dives.
Crack Reef
Named for the vertical crack which begins at the surface, and which extends all the way down to depths beyond 40 meters, Crack Reef is sometimes subject to swift currents that provide for an exhilarating drift, and is sometimes simply a wonderfully dive on a spectacularly colorful wall. With a kaleidoscope of colors provided by the myriad of coral and fish species that inhabit it, this reef is a wonderful place to encounter manta rays and turtles, as well as easygoing leopard sharks and some amazingly large parrotfish. Look for moray eels and white tip reef sharks, along with a healthy population of nudibranchs and crustaceans!
Besides the Malaysian Navy base, Layang Layang boasts a single resort. The only way to get here is to come on a liveaboard or make reservations at the resort. The resort’s plane will pick you up in Kota Kinabalu and fly you back once your vacation has come to an end. Diving here is not possible between October and February, as the South China Sea is rough then. The best time to come is between April and May, when the hammerheads school. Needless to say, it is crucial to book your visit well in advance, particularly if you hope to come during peak months! Be sure to bring your camera, and work on your buoyancy control in advance of this trip. The coral that forms this remote paradise is incredibly healthy thanks to the lack of pollutants and runoff, and the only way to ensure that it stays this way is to prevent damaging it ourselves.