Wrasse Strip

Unlike most of the diving at Layang-Layang, this one stays over reef: the profile runs between 10 and 25 metres and there is structure under you for the whole dive. A medium current moves along the strip, so it is usually run as a drift with the reef below and to one side, covering ground steadily rather than working one patch. The shallower ceiling means bottom time is long by the atoll's standards.

The reef itself is a coral garden of hard and soft corals, with sponges and gorgonians through it, and it holds colour along the length of the strip. That makes the swim between features worth slowing down for, and it is the part of the site that keeps working when nothing large is around. Macro subjects and reef structure sit close enough together that a single pass covers both.

The other draw is a cleaning station. Whitetip reef sharks, turtles and eagle rays come in to be worked over, and manta rays turn up there too, so the sensible approach is to settle at a distance, keep low against the reef and wait rather than swimming in for a closer look. With the current running, that means picking a spot early and letting the animals come to it before you carry on along the strip and ascend over the coral.