Lankayan is a beautiful island with white sandy beach and clear blue water. It is situated on the East Coast of Sabah in the Sulu Sea. Lankayan is one of the island within Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA). The 2 other islands within SIMCA are Tegaipil and Billean.
Photo: Lankayan Island Sunset Bar @ Sunrise by Sal
My first time snorkeling in Lankayan is an exciting and a little bit scary experience. The sandy bottom of the shallow was quite devoid of marine life but only a few meters into the deeper water, I encountered a shallow reef (during low tide, this reef is exposed, so the best time to go is during high tide). The visibility on that day was superb. I could see until about 10m ahead of me. The view on Lankayan house reef was spectacular. Butterfly fish in pairs, moorish idols, triggerfish, parrotfish and angelfish all put on a show for me.
Photo: Batfish by Lan
As I swam to the reef’s egde, I could see a small green turtle passing by. I swam quickly towards it to get a better view. Watching a turtle swim is like watching a ballerina dancing gracefully. They have an air of serenity and peacefullness about them. It was truly amazing!
The reef edge is an intersting area. This is where you can see marine predetors waiting to catch careless reef inhabitants. As I was enjoying the scene blow me, a white tip reef shark swam by. I was a startled, but only a little bit (LOL). After a few seconds to get my composure back, I carried on with my snorkeling. And then, because I can see 10m ahead of me, I saw the shark coming back again. I stopped short for a bit and kinda prayed a little. The shark wasn’t so big, it was slightly more than 1m but its teeth are still scary looking. The shark circled once and swam away.
My heart had enough exciment for one day and I couldn’t appreciate the scenic view after that. So I went back to shore….. still satisfied, still happy =)
Thanks for the welcome Mr Shark!
How to get to Lankayan Island? Click me!
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