About Layang Layang
Pulau Layang Layang - translated means the island of the swallows - is an atoll that is made up of 13 connected reefs. It is part of the Spratly Islands, that are under huge territorial debate. The small piece of inhabitable land in the South China Sea is largely man-made. The Malaysian government has filled the canal between two reefs in order to provide space for an airport, army base and dive resort. Layang Layang is home to a few dive professionals, some resort personnel and about 70 military personnel. It is a safe haven for many migratory birds. Palau Layang Layang is about an hour’s flight from Kota Kinabalu.

Diving Layang Layang
Layang Layang is surrounded by steep walls which reach a depth of about 2000 metres. You can take your pick of dives spots, reached by short boat trips from the island. The visibility is very good, about 30 to 50 metres. If you like to dive drop-offs, then you’ll really enjoy it here. The reefs have never been fished. The walls are covered with hard and soft corals. Along the reefs manta rays and reef sharks cruise. Schools of hammerheads visit Layang Layang in order to mate. The diving here is still in its infancy and there is still a lot to discover.

For advanced divers
Diving near Layang Layang is far from straight forward. The dives spots are deep and the circumstances oceanic. The wave motion can be huge as can the currents. Many dives are therefore drift dives. Even the overwhelmingly good visibility can be misleading: you quickly go deeper than you think. A dive computer and a decompression buoy are far from superfluous. To make it more exciting: there is no decompression chamber on the island.

Layang Layang summary
A special, exclusive and adventuresome destination, where as a beginner you best not visit.