Layang-Layang · Malaysia · Wall · Reef
The Runway
Hundreds of hammerheads in the blue in April and May
Area photo: matthew lee · CC BY 2.0
The Runway sits between the atoll's two channels and is dived along a wall covered in hard and soft coral at 10 to 25 m. Whitetip reef sharks and the bigger grey reef sharks patrol and hunt the site, dogtooth tuna and barracuda work the same edge, and a manta ray sometimes drops in for a look.
Where it is and how deep
7.3695° N, 113.8380° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
You start on the reef and follow it in the 10 to 25 m band, keeping the wall on one shoulder. Current is typically moderate, so the coral passes at a steady pace and the shallow profile leaves room for a long dive. The reef is only the reference, though: the reason to be here is the open water off it, so most of the dive is spent looking out rather than down.
Reef sharks are the constant, with whitetip reef sharks and the bigger grey reef sharks patrolling and hunting the area. Dogtooth tuna and barracuda pass along the same edge, and a manta ray occasionally comes in to say hello. In the right season, April and May, hundreds of hammerheads can school in the blue all around you.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Hammerheads
- Tuna
- Barracuda
- Manta rays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Layang-Layang: The single resort opens roughly March to August and the atoll is unreachable otherwise; hammerhead schooling peaks Mar–May.
Questions divers ask
When are the hammerheads at The Runway?+
April and May are the months called out for schooling hammerheads here, when hundreds can pass in the blue. Reef sharks, dogtooth tuna and barracuda are around outside that window.
Sources
- The Runway Dive Site - Map & Review — Divezone
- Best Diving sites in Layang Layang — Divezone
More dive sites in Layang-Layang
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Pygmy seahorses in the sea fans on the north wall
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A vertical face into 2,000 m, with pygmy seahorses in the fans
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Shoals of dogtooth tuna on a wall that drops to 2,000 m
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A northern wall from 15 to 40 m where current draws the big fish
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A long northern wall with hammerheads in the current below
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An undercut at 25 m where reef sharks rest through the day
Reef
Drift the ledge in around 50 m of visibility
Wall
Leave the reef at 30-35 m and watch open water for hammerheads
Similar dives elsewhere
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The sheltered Lekuan site, and Bunaken's night dive
The corner where Cabilao's sharks are seen, wall to plateau to wall
Fissured wall with pygmy seahorses, and a night-dive standby