Layang Layang Diving

Shark's Cave

This is one of Layang Layang's most famous dive sites and it has an abundance of sharks of various varieties. Diving in Layang Layang is mostly about big fish action and this site is a good bet for plenty of large pelagic fish.

The first and deepest of 2 large sandy ledges is an overhang, running in depth from 30 to 40 metres, down an incredible sheer wall. Schooling jacks often congregate here, forming loose balls of shimmering silver.

Moving on westerly with the wall on your right, you'll move past purple fans and some giant barrel sponges. Take a close look on the walls as giant frogfish and green painted frogfish can be found hanging in the black coral bushes, and painted lobsters stare out from the cracks in the wall.

After about 5 more minutes you'll come to second ledge at 25 to 30 metres deep. Giant trevally and dogtooth tuna patrol the entrance way. This ledge is much larger and can be penetrated for about 5 or 6 metres. Within the cave, you'll find whitetip reef sharks asleep on the floor. Make sure that you don't block their exit out of the cave though, as you don't want to become the object of an attack from these otherwise docile creatures.

Heading back out again into the open sea, you may encounter sightings of hammerhead sharks, grey reef sharks, manta rays and eagle rays, all gliding past you in the open waters.

This is one site where you're sure to be pushing your "No Deco" limit, so pretty soon you'll need to work your way back up the wall and onto the reef flat at the top of the atoll. Hundreds of pyramid butterflyfish swarm off the wall as if in greeting, and some big schools of whitemargin unicornfish circle the reef edge.

Into the shallows for your deco stop, you find lots of triggerfish - clown, pinktail, and redtooth - squirrelfish, Japanese surgeonfish, and various types of brightly coloured parrotfish, amongst the brown soft corals. Orange-fringed arc eye hawkfish make good subjects to study, as they perch proudly on the fingers of the finger or table corals.

Shark's Cave Reef Basics: Cave and drop-off
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 20 - 50m
Currents: Gentle - moderate
Surface conditions: Calm
Water temperature: 25 - 30°C
Experience level: Intermediate - advanced
Number of dive sites: 2
Diving season: February to October
Distance: 7 km (15 mins) west from Layang Layang Resort pier
Access: Layang-Layang dive resort

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