Best Hammerhead diving in SE Asia?

This is a video from Layang Layang. I worked there for 9 months in 2001-2002 (a while ago admittedly) and I reckon it's the most reliable hammerhead dive in SE Asia. Not guaranteed of course but if you take a five day trip you'd be very unlucky not to see a few. Best time to go is March or April. Enjoy....

Roo, I have been wanting to dive Layang Layang for a while but every time I go home it's not the right season. Next year I will be in Asia between late March to mid April, so I think it's a right season.

Just want to check with you, I read/heard that the hammerhead there do not come up to more shallow area anymore, normally around 130ft due to the water getting too warm etc. I also heard that the dive resort forbid divers to go below 115ft other wise they make you sit out diving for one day as punishment. What do you know about all these especially the most recent news?

Thanks!

Moses

Very good to know - I've been looking for a hammerhead site nearer to my location. How is the best way to get there?

Roo, I have been wanting to dive Layang Layang for a while but every time I go home it's not the right season. Next year I will be in Asia between late March to mid April, so I think it's a right season.

 

Just want to check with you, I read/heard that the hammerhead there do not come up to more shallow area anymore, normally around 130ft due to the water getting too warm etc. I also heard that the dive resort forbid divers to go below 115ft other wise they make you sit out diving for one day as punishment. What do you know about all these especially the most recent news?

 

Thanks!

 

Moses

Hi Moses. The resort are definitely very strict on enforcing a 40m depth policy. They have to as they are in the middle of the South China Sea and have no chamber. As far as the warmer water goes, my take would be that it can vary. I always found March and April to have the thermocline a little higher at 20-25m. It wasn't always the case, sometimes we would see them at 30m sometimes 15m and sometimes down deep at 60m+. I guess you'd need to get some feedback from divers who have been there at the start of this season or contact the dive centre directly.

Very good to know - I've been looking for a hammerhead site nearer to my location. How is the best way to get there?

There's a resort on the island. They have a charter flight from Kota Kinabalu. Google 'Avilion Layang Layang resort' - that should get you the info you need.

Thanks Roo, I will definitely hunt for review and blog to see the situation. If I miss the hammer head, I can always go back since I visit my family in KK every other year. Next year I might bring a small group of friends from USA to go diving at Sipadan and perhaps Layang Layang, just want to make sure they get the best experience they could get.