Lankayan Island is located a 1 hour fast boat ride from Sandakan, off the east coast of Sabah. A tiny island fringed by white sand beaches it's a little gem in the Sulu Sea. There is one eco resort on the island which has been responsible for discovering the dive sites in the area, and they'll found some great sites. You can dive reefs or wrecks and Lankayan. You can see the biggest whale shark or the smallest goby. 
Lankayan can be dived all year round although visibility drops considerably in the off season. The best diving conditions are between April and September when the sea should be calm. April to May brings regular visits from passing whale sharks.
Although whale shark sightings are a possibility at Lankayan it is really a macro diving destination with a wonderful selection of smaller reef critters to find and photograph. The most popular subject is the jawfish, especially when it is holding it's eggs in it's mouth. There are also various nudibranch species, frog fish, leafy scorpionfish, cuttlefish, morays and crustaceans.
There are over 20 dive sites around Lankayan island, most of them just a short boat ride away and one wreck is even excessible directly from the jetty. These dive sites were recently protected by marine national park status. Currents are normally mild at Lankayan and most dives are no deeper than 30m making this a dive destination for all levels of diver. There is also excellent snorkelling from the beach and baby blacktip reef sharks often come in the shallows close to shore.
The most popular dive site is Jawfish Lair. Lankayan also has some wreck dive sites |
