Langkayan Wreck - Sipadan
Forget the Sipadan hype for a minute. While everyone else is jostling for Barracuda Point, we often sneak off to Langkayan Wreck, and honestly, we think it’s a brilliant contrast. It’s not some grand, intact vessel; this is a smaller, steel-hulled fishing boat, lying on its starboard side in about 30 metres. The bow points west, and you can swim through the holds – they’re fairly open, letting the light filter in, which always feels a bit eerie but in a good way. What we love here is the absolute profusion of glassfish and schooling yellow-snapper that blanket the wreck. Seriously, sometimes they’re so thick you have to fin through them. Look closer and you’ll spot crocodile fish camouflaged on the deck, and we’ve had some fantastic encounters with giant moray eels peeking from beneath twisted metal. It’s a proper wreck dive, for sure, but the marine life makes it sing. Best explored as a second or third dive, when the crowds are elsewhere, giving you the wreck almost to yourself. Just keep an eye on your bottom time.
- Location
- Sipadan, Malaysia, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- 6.522389, 117.908020
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 10-30m
Marine Protected Area: Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area
Best Time to Dive in Sipadan
The warmest water temperatures in Sipadan occur in August, averaging 30.6°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 28.3°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 28.5°C
- February: 28.3°C
- March: 28.9°C
- April: 29.7°C
- May: 30.3°C
- June: 30.3°C
- July: 30.2°C
- August: 30.6°C
- September: 30.5°C
- October: 30.4°C
- November: 30.0°C
- December: 29.3°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Sipadan
- AH KONG TONGUE - 19m
- Ah Long Rock - 18m
- Alternative Reef (reef)
- American Wreck (wreck)
- Arthur Reef, Sapi Island (reef)
- Asmarqa Point
- Australian Wreck (wreck)
- Bakkungan Kecil
- Barracuda Point (reef)
- Barracuda Point (drift)
- Barracuda Point Udar Besar - 18m (drift)
- Blue Water Wreck - 15-30m (wreck)
- BUNGA LAWAS - 50m (wreck)
- Centre Point
- China Town
Nearest Dive Centres to Langkayan Wreck
Marine Life in Sipadan
Home to 147 recorded species including 111 reef fish, 11 sea snails & nudibranchs, 9 sharks & rays, 5 seagrass & algae, 4 other, 4 hard corals.
Notable Species
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Small-eyed Squirrelfish (Myripristis murdjan) - Reef Fish
- Hound Needlefish (Tylosurus crocodilus) - Reef Fish
- seagrass (Halophila ovalis) - Seagrass & Algae
- Staghorn coral (Acropora millepora) - Hard Corals
- Crazy Fish (Butis butis) - Reef Fish
- Staghorn coral (Acropora tenuis) - Hard Corals
- Herring Scad (Alepes vari) - Reef Fish
- Branch coral (Acropora florida) - Hard Corals
- Jack (Selar crumenophthalmus) - Reef Fish
- Black Spinecheek Gudgeon (Eleotris melanosoma) - Reef Fish
- Yellowstripe scad (Selaroides leptolepis) - Reef Fish
- Blue-lined Rock Cod (Cephalopholis formosa) - Reef Fish
- Spotted Lanternfish (Myctophum nitidulum) - Reef Fish
- Silver Javelin (Plectorhinchus gibbosus) - Reef Fish
- Peacock wrasse (Halichoeres argus) - Reef Fish
- Fig cone (Conus figulinus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Delicate Feather Star (Phanogenia gracilis)
- Bar-tailed Flathead (Platycephalus indicus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Langkayan Wreck
Based on average water temperature of 29.7°C, currents 12 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 30°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories