Last Updated on Tuesday, 07 August, 2018 11:16:45 PM
ISLANDS OF BORNEO >
Sabah Islands > Lakayan Island
Lakayan Island
(Lankayan Island)
a new diving frontier in the Sulu Sea
a Robinson-Island in Sabah / Borneo
Lankayan Island Dive Resort
|
A small tropical coral resort island in the Sulu Sea, 15 km
from Sandakan Lankayan Island from just off shore
[The only resort on the island, Lankayan Island Dive Resort, was built in 1997 Divers are attracted by myriad macro marine life, coral and sunken wrecks. Lankayan Island is known for its whale shark sightings.
Other fauna include blacktip sharks, giant clams, claw anemone fishes, decorator and spider crabs, coral shrimps, nudibranchs, prawn gobies, seahorses, ghost pipefish, flying gurnards, parrotfishes, rays and guitarfish. The indigenous plants include casuarina trees and pandan screwpine.
The turtles are banded by the local marine preserve staff,
the eggs are retrieved and counted, and then reburied in a
fenced off nursery area to prevent poaching and predation, and
to assist in documenting turtle productivity. After hatching,
the live birth count is recorded and then the young turtles are
safely released to sea. |
One of Sabah's many jewels is
none other than Pulau Lankayan (Lankayan Island). An hour and a half boat
ride's north of Sandakan, Lankayan is one of the hottest diving spots in
Sabah. Lankayan Island is located in the Sulu Sea north west of
Sandakan on the north east coast of Sabah. This small paradise island, with
stretches of white sandy beaches, swaying casuarina pines and beautiful sunsets
is another island with only one dive resort, Lankayan Island Dive Resort. The
resort was built in 1997 and since then tourists have slowly been discovering
the serenity and tranquility of this remote peace of paradise. Lankayan offers a
fantastic variety of macro marine life, a muck-diving arena that rivals both
Mabul and Kapalai Island. However, with new protection from local fishermen, the larger marine creatures such as leopard sharks, marbled stingray and giant grouper have returned to the surrounding reefs. Schools of hump head parrotfish, yellowtail barracuda and scads also appear at many dive sites. Among the 40 dive sites is 'Lankayan Wreck', an ocean going fish
poaching vessel that demised in the area of its illegal activities. This wreck
now hosts many different species of fish from small glassfish, harlequin ghost
pipefish, painted frogfish to giant grouper and marbled stingrays.
good fortune of bumping' into large rays,
guitarfish and even dugongs. |
A jewel- like tiny island in the Sulu Sea and hour and a half boat ride's north of Sandakan, Lakayan is soon to be declared part of an immense Marine Protected Area. Unpopulated and covered by think tropical island vegetation on its topside, this peaceful, untouched title bit of paradise is ringed by an endless pure white sandy beach, offering simply elegant and exquisite accommodation in a handful of wooden, roomy and perfectly appointed seafront double-occupancy chalets. Meals are informally served at the central open building, which boasts at amazingly beautiful open-air wooden terrace, the ideal spot for after dinner relaxation and chatting, all the while admiring the dozens of juvenile blacktip sharks swimming leisurely a few feet beneath. While the ideal destination for who search tranquility and relaxation in a virgin natural setting and for families with children, Lakayan Island is also one of the hottest diving destination on the map today: its dive sites - all just a few minutes away - boast unbelievably colorful macro fauna, fascinating wrecks and, in season from March to May, regular sightings of gigantic and harmless whale sharks, the "dream date " of every diver in the world. |
|