Diving Lankayan Island, Borneo

Lankayan scuba diving features

weedy scorpionfish

blacktip sharks

shipwrecks

DESTINATION OVERVIEW
An hour and a half out from the city of Sandakan in the Sulu Sea, Lankayan is a tiny spit of land ringed by a white sand beach and covered in a labyrinth of tropical green forest. Hidden under the pandan trees and palms is a simple resort whose charm lies in it's healthy respect for the natural environment.

Surrounding the island is a system of flat plateaus that gradually drop off into a shallow reef system. There are no great walls but the slopes are covered primarily in hard corals. These are a haven for many species who take refuge in the cracks and crevices. There are baby nurse sharks, leaffish, giant jawfish, all sorts of crustaceans and even the rare and elusive weedy scorpionfish.

A special feature for divers are three small shipwrecks including one that is just below the jetty and is a fantastic night dive. The slopes leading to it are covered with marine creatures even though the powdery sand means that visibility tends to be a little milky.

Seasons
Year round.
Visibility:
5 – 25 metres
Water temperature:
25 – 29º C
Deco chambers: Labuan, Singapore

Flights to Kota Kinabalu then to Sandakan followed by a short road transfer and one hour by speed boat
Accommodation
Just the island resort.

SCUBA DIVING
The underwater topography between Lankyan and the Borneo coast is very flat so there can be a lot of river run off during the rainy season – and visibility becomes reminiscent of a quarry dive on a bad day. Whalesharks are sometimes seen around May.

OPINION
Elements of Lankayan were delightful and we are glad to have dived there, but we would probably only go back to see the orang-utan sanctuary again. After that, a few days on the island would be wonderful.