Pulau Lankayan
The new diving frontier in the Sulu Sea
Lankayan Island is located in the Sulu Sea north west of Sandakan on the north east coast of Sabah. It is a jewel-like tiny island in the Sulu Sea, an hour & a half boat transfer's north of Sandakan. The normal route to the island is through Kota Kinabalu International Airport. From there, a connecting flight takes the diver to Sandakan where transfers can be arranged from the airport.
This small paradise island, with stretches of white sandy beaches, swaying casuarinas pines and beautiful sunsets is another island with only one dive resort, Lankayan Island Dive Resort (LIDR). 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.
Lankayan is soon to be declared part of an immense Marine Conservation Area. Unpopulated and covered by thick tropical rainforest on its topside, this peaceful, untouched little 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 an 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 those who search tranquility and relaxation in a virgin natural setting and for families with children, Lankayan 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.
