Spratly Islands, South China sea

[PeterL]

Have any body been diving or have information about Spratly Islands?
Location: Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines.
The whole area has more then 600 islands and atolls coming up from the seabed at more then 1000 meters. From all maps that I have found the area has to be very good for diving, strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs.
Disputes – international: all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands, but has not publicly claimed the island; in 2000, China joined ASEAN discussions towards creating a South China Sea "code of conduct" - a non-legally binding confidence building measure.
Any body know more about this Islands? Have you been diving there?

 

[Zept]

I think Layang Layang is part of the Spratly group. It's claimed by Malaysia and houses a small naval base as well as a dive resort. Access is via Kota Kinabula in Malaysian Borneo.

I haven't been there, but a friend of mine went last year and saw hammerhead sharks, among other things. There are a couple of articles about it on the Divernet Web site, in the travel section. There's also a Web site for the resort.

Hope that helps,


Zept

 

[Rick Murchison]

From the air, the Spratleys look like diving paradise.
They are in general dispute, to varying degrees depending on which island, with communist China, Vietnam, The Philippines and others claiming ownership. The commies come out and build something every now and then, as do others. Filipinos fish them, as do others.
If you could get someone to take you, the diving's probably pretty good - where the reef hasn't been dynamited - but the political situation makes it a little risky.
Rick