Whale Shark Cleaning Station
Lankayan Island · Malaysia
A shallow sandy plateau ringed by coral bommies acts as a natural aggregation point for whale sharks, which circle in to be groomed by clouds of cleaner wrasse throughout the year. Reef whitetips rest on the sand while bumphead parrotfish cruise the coral heads, and the sheer predictability of whale shark encounters here is unmatched in Malaysian Borneo. Visibility regularly exceeds 20 metres on calm mornings, making wide-angle photography both practical and spectacular.
Conditions
Depth
5 to 22 m
Open water and up
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
18 to 25 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
27 to 31°C
3mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Vis (m) | 10 | 12 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Current | Gentle | Gentle | Still | Still | Still | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Green Sea Turtle
Last confirmed Sep 28, 2025 · 3 records
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Whale Shark
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Bumphead Parrotfish
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Reef Whitetip Shark
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Painted Sweetlips
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Willan'S Chromodoris
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Blackfin Sweetlips
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Copperband Butterflyfish
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Gear