|  Layang
Layang
Layang Layang , known as ‘Swallows Reef’ is an atoll situated in
the South China Sea 300km 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, Layang Layang Island Resort.
The island location offers absolute isolation, luckily there is
an airstrip with regular flights from Kota Kinabalu, which is the
only mode of transport for guests visiting Layang Layang.
The extreme location of Layang Layang, the pristine excellent visibility,
steeps walls down to 2000m and regular sightings of pelagics has
given Layang-Layang a 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 everyone. The corals are plentiful
and healthy with sea fans more than three meters across that filter
plankton from the passing currents. The 20m 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 hammerhead sharks, grey
reef sharks, leopard sharks and the occasional threshers and silvertip
sharks can all be seen.
Stingray are also regular visitors including manta rays, pygmy devil
rays, marbled rays and eagle rays. Rare sightings such as whale
sharks, orcas and melon headed whales have all been seen over the
last few years. Spinner and bottlenose dolphins frequently follow
the dive boats to each location and divers are sometimes rewarded
with snorkeling 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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