Monday 30 October 2017

Awesome October at the Marine Park

The first St John's Island public walk was held, while rainbows brightened up the intertidal walks at the Marine Park! Dive surveys give us a glimpse of life underwater.
Photo by Kar Mun.
The Friends of the Marine Park met again, while more information about the sea turtle hatchery being set up at Small Sisters Island.

Sea turtle hatchery at Small Sisters Island

From My Green Space Issue 35 Vol 4. NParks Senior Manager Collin Tong shares:

"Singapore’s first sea turtle hatchery will be located at the southern lagoon on Small Sister’s Island.

Due for completion in 2018, the facility will provide a dedicated in situ facility to receive, nurture and hatch rescued turtle eggs assessed to be at risk from other coastal areas in Singapore, in an effort to increase their survivability. It will be constructed with a $500,000 donation from HSBC.

“We hope that we can establish ourselves with the hatchery and rehabilitate our coastal areas well so that turtles will choose to come back to Singapore, year after year, to lay their eggs here,” Collin said.
“We want to continue what we’re doing now and do this consistently for the next 10 to 20 years. The goal is to be successful in outreach, education and conservation, and hopefully we can see our hatching success rate as high as that of Mon Repos and elsewhere.”

First St John's Island walk

St John's Island houses the Marine Park Public Gallery, and the western shore of St John's is part of the Marine Park. You can join a free guided tour every first Sunday of every month. Led by volunteers, the 2.8 km St John’s Island Trail has 15 stations highlighting the diversity of flora and fauna as well as the island’s colourful history.
First St John's Island public walk.
Photo by Ng Juat Ying.
You can also do the trail on your own, download the DIY trail e-guide or grab a copy of the DIY trail guide at the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park Public Gallery.

The next walk is on 3 Dec and registration opens 12 Nov. More about the St. John's Island tour and how to sign up.


Intertidal walks at Big Sisters Island

Lots of visitors continue to get a glimpse of life at the Marine Park through guided walks.
Photo by Richard Kuah
The walks are suitable for all ages! And conducted by experienced and enthusiastic volunteer guides.
Photo by Lisa Lim.
Rainy weather gives us rainbows!
Photo by Koh Kwan Siong.
Volunteers and NParks staff make the intertidal walks possible!


Here's some of what the visitors saw, shared by one of the volunteer guides Lisa Lim

More about guided walks at the Sisters' Islands Marine Park on the NParks website.

More about what to expect at a guided walk.

Why should I visit with an experienced and trained guide? Why are places limited on a public walk? Which other shores are accessible to the public? and more in this wildsingapore page.

More about volunteering with the Sisters Islands Marine Park.
Diving Sisters Islands

Volunteers and NParks staff conducted night dives at the Marine Park to check for coral spawning. Although spawning was not seen, lots of other marine life were spotted.

Photos by Lisa Lim


Photos by Heng Pei Yan


Photos by Toh Chay Hoon



Friends of the Marine Park

Stephen Beng, Chair says: " Our ocean environment wins when all stakeholders are willing to work together for the longterm survival of our coral reefs. Collaboration at the Marine Park Friends network meeting last Friday evening moved forward with positive discussions on how we can all contribute towards making our first marine park vibrant, cherished and protected. 
Photo by Stephen Beng.
Thankful for the commitments from a wide range of representatives; boating, kayaking, scuba diving, fishing, education, research, media, NGOs, gov agencies and resource managers. Most of all, for the support and vision of Minister Desmond Lee."


Catch up with all the happenings at the Marine Park through the Sisters' Islands Marine Park facebook page. You can share your encounters, ideas and thoughts for the Marine Park here. Photos in this blog post are from those who shared on this facebook page. Thank you!

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