Layang Layang Island Resort
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Booking by Tour Leader Club
1 room type · 12 dive sites
Layang Layang Island Resort stands on the Layang Layang atoll in the South China Sea, about 300 km north-west of Kota Kinabalu in the Malaysian state of Sabah. The atoll rises from 2,000 metres of deep blue — hence its nickname, the Jewel of the Borneo Banks.
There is only one resort on the island: the site calls it “One Island One Dive Resort”. The buildings are designed along the concept of a traditional long house.
Underwater there are walls that start in a metre of water and fall away into two kilometres of blue. Visibility runs from 30 to 60 metres year-round. The headline residents are hammerhead sharks, along with pygmy seahorses, schooling jacks and barracudas, and the occasional manta ray.
The site names twelve dive sites. Gorgonian Forest is one of the main hammerhead areas, with a dense forest of gorgonian sea fans lining the drop-off. Navigator Lane has coral so dense you cannot put a hand down, and hammerheads in numbers on a regular basis. Wrasses Strip brings turtles, jacks, barracudas, sometimes a small school of mantas — and hammerheads in their hundreds. D’Wall is a straight-down free-fall starting in a metre of water. Sharks’ Cave has a sand ledge where leopard sharks rest and a cavern with white tips. Dogtooth Lair has stingrays asleep next to white-tip reef sharks under the ledges, and sunfish have been seen at the drop-off.
Above water the atoll has an attraction of its own — the bird sanctuary on Bird Island. With no land predators in the lagoon, terns, egrets, brown-footed boobies and crested terns breed here; there are hundreds of birds at any one time.
Access is by air from Kota Kinabalu — an hour each way.
No markup
You pay exactly the rate the resort publishes. On top of that, only the actual bank costs of currency conversion and the international transfer — no commission of ours.
We run the deal
Correspondence with the resort, holding the room, the contract, booking confirmation and all paperwork are on our side. There is nothing for you to arrange yourself.
Card payment
We accept payment by card through Stripe and issue an invoice. The transfer to the resort is our job — you do not have to find a way to pay abroad.
Support all the way
We help you choose the room and dates, work out the dive package, answer questions about flights and gear, and stay in touch until you are home.
The exact amount is confirmed when we hold your booking: it includes the resort's rate at the day's exchange rate plus the actual transfer costs. No hidden fees.
About the resort
- Country
- Malaysia
- Location
- Layang Layang atoll, South China Sea, Malaysia
- Nearest airport
Kota Kinabalu — the island flight leaves from there, about an hour
- Transfer
- Flight Kota Kinabalu — Layang Layang and back
- Dive sites
- 12
- Dive centre
- Dive centre on site; the site lists PADI courses
At the resort
Diving
The sites named on the website are Crack Reef, D'Wall, Dogtooth Lair, Gorgonian Forest, Navigator Lane, Sharks' Cave, Snapper Ledge, The Runway, The Tunnel, The Valley, Wrasses Strip and Wreck Point. Almost all are wall dives: the drop-off starts in one to three metres of water and falls to two thousand. The depth limit on the sites is 40 metres, and the descriptions warn outright how easily you can exceed it. Currents can be strong and help you cruise the wall. Wreck Point and The Tunnel are described as good night dives, and Wreck Point also as a snorkelling site. Details on the dive centre, policies and equipment are unavailable: the site's own links to those sections lead to missing pages.
Things to do
The bird sanctuary is the atoll's second attraction after the diving. There are no land predators in the lagoon, so terns, egrets, brown-footed boobies and crested terns settle here after long journeys; hundreds of birds are present at any one time, and you can catch terns in courtship and boobies feeding their chicks. The resort also takes corporate groups, from meetings to coral conservation projects.
Rooms
Room
Beds: Two oversized single beds
The only category listed on the website. The beds are oversized Hollywood twin size, and the resort singles out the mattresses and pillows as part of its "ultimate promise" — a good night's rest before diving.
When to go
- Visibility
- 30–60 m year-round
The site gives visibility only — 30 to 60 metres year-round. Water and air temperatures, seasons and the resort's operating calendar are not published.
Getting there
The Layang Layang atoll lies in the South China Sea, about 300 km north-west of Kota Kinabalu in the Malaysian state of Sabah.
Flights run from Kota Kinabalu: departing 05:30, landing 06:30; the return leaves at 07:10 and lands at 08:10. Flights are sold as returns. The fare is not stated on the site.
Price on request
Layang Layang Island Resort
Availability for your dates will be confirmed before any payment. Estimated wait time — 24 hours
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Room
The only category listed on the website. The beds are oversized Hollywood twin size, and the resort singles out the mattresses and pillows as part of its "ultimate promise" — a good night's rest before diving.
- Beds
- Two oversized single beds
- Size
- 28.33 m²
Layang Layang Island Resort
Dive resort
