Layang-Layang (Swallow Reef)

Malaysia

A remote oceanic atoll in the disputed Spratly Islands, roughly 300 km northwest of Kota Kinabalu, known for sheer walls and seasonal schooling scalloped hammerhead sharks; diving is currently suspended following the resort's 2025 closure.

Layang-Layang (Swallow Reef) is an oceanic atoll of the Spratly Islands administered by Malaysia, with sovereignty also claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. Roughly 7 km long and 2 km wide with a central lagoon, its emergent reef rim hosts a Malaysian naval station and, until recently, a single dive resort, reached only by a dedicated charter flight from Kota Kinabalu (no regular liveaboard access). Walls plunge into roughly 2,000 m of the South China Sea; hammerhead sharks are most reliably sighted March-May. As of early 2025 the resort's operating licence was revoked, closing the region to tourism pending any future reopening. Source: Wikipedia (Swallow Reef), dive-the-world.com.