Layang Layang's pristine reefs, which drop down as sheer walls into the abyss, are covered with splendid examples of healthy hard corals with staghorn, tables and acropora being the most numerous. The reefs are home to a great variety of sea life where turtles, triggerfish, manta rays and more are quite common, but overshadowed by the mighty presence of the scalloped hammerhead sharks.
Package Includes:
Accommodation:
04 Nights accommodation at Avillion Layang Layang Resort
01 Night accommodation at Kota Kinabalu Hotel
Layang Layang Island Resort is the only diving operator and hotel accommodation available on this small coral atoll in the South China Sea. Numbers are very limited due to the low availability of flights, so if you want to share in this breathtaking wonder, we suggest you plan your trip well in advance - book early!
Flight & Transfer:
Return International Flight Dubai to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Return Domestic Charted Flight Kota Kinabalu to Layang Layang Island
Meal:
Daily Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Daily Itinerary for Divers:
07.00 Light Breakfast
08.00 1st Dive
09.30 Main Breakfast
11.30 2nd Dive
13.00 Lunch
15.00 3rd Dive
16.30 Tea Break
19.30 Dinner
*02 dives on arrival day, 03 dives on subsequent days & 01 dive on day before departure
Excludes:
Dive equipment (rental available)
Own expenses and visa fee (if applicable)
Famous Dive Sites:
Shark’s Cave 5 - >40 m
This is one of Layang Layang's most famous dive sites and it has an abundance of sharks of various varieties. Diving in Layang Layang is mostly about big fish action and this site is a good bet for plenty of large pelagic fish. The first and deepest of 2 large sandy ledges is an overhang, running in depth from 30 to 40 metres, down an incredible sheer wall. Schooling jacks often congregate here, forming loose balls of shimmering silver. Moving on westerly with the wall on your right, you'll move past purple fans and some giant barrel sponges. Take a close look on the walls as giant frogfish and green painted frogfish can be found hanging in the black coral bushes, and painted lobsters stare out from the cracks in the wall. After about 5 more minutes you'll come to second ledge at 25 to 30 metres deep. Giant trevally and dogtooth tuna patrol the entrance way. This ledge is much larger and can be penetrated for about 5 or 6 metres. Within the cave, you'll find whitetip reef sharks asleep on the floor. Make sure that you don't block their exit out of the cave though, as you don't want to become the object of an attack from these otherwise docile creatures. Heading back out again into the open sea, you may encounter sightings of hammerhead sharks, grey reef sharks, manta rays and eagle rays, all gliding past you in the open waters.
D’Wall 5 - >40m
There is a large shelf in the wall at about 40 metres, which it would be wise to use as the maximum depth marker to your dive. Making your way down to this level, you'll witness the tremendous colours of the wall, peppered with colourful nudibranchs, some enormous barrel sponges, large drooping fans of red, blue and purple, and the radiant violet of large tropical anthias. But don't keep your head wedged in D'wall at all times. There may be sharks here too. Grey reef sharks and, at the right time of year, schools of hammerhead sharks will be cruising past the Layang Layang atoll. Back at 25 metres you'll first come across a small triangular cove, which a dozen or so giant trevally use as their lair. A little further on is another larger shelf, adorned by black coral bushes, and also inhabited by trevallies, groupers and emporer angelfish. Examine the orange gorgonians to the left of the entrance as here you will find pygmy seahorses, and sometimes giant frogfish nearby.
The Valley 5 – 30m
It is a gentle scope with large formations of hard corals, Groupers, sweet-lips, large schools of surgeon fish and fusiliers roam the site. Trigger fish have their nests here so mind your manner! Though the depth stays shallow – 10 to 15 meters, until it drops-off into the deep blue, there are many areas to explore. Schools of barracuda and skinner swim in the area with the occasional reef shark cruising the length and breath of the dive site, Turtles tend to settle in this area to rest in the shallows.
Snapper Ledge 5 - >40 m
It is a safe and easy dive with magnificent corals and colourful reef fish. For photographers, its a good spot for wide-angle, macro and close-up, when the sun is directly on it. One can simply drift along with the current and relax.
The Tunnel 5 - >40m
The Tunnel is located just to the south of Layang Layang Island Resort, is rather sheltered, and as a consequence offers few of the opportunities for diving with pelagics which other dive sites in Layang Layang can boast. Instead, it posesses a tableau of hard coral formations of staghorn corals, plate corals, table corals, mushroom corals and brain corals. The site gets its name from the vertical fissures that the coral colonies make, forming 'chimneys' which divers can examine close up for moray eels and macro marine life in the form of molluscs, squat lobsters and small crustaceans. This is a great site for a night dive, watching the nocturnal antics of mantis shrimp, crayfish, crinoids, starfish, hermit crabs and sea urchins. Additionally, there are the usual reef fish like the pufferfish, parrotfish, boxfish, scorpionfish and turkeyfish.
