Celebrating our Marine Park volunteer guides!

Introducing the newest volunteer guides of the Sisters Islands Marine Park!

It was a busy year end for the Marine Park volunteers as they helped train new volunteers, held their first volunteer retreat, all while carrying on with the usual public walks.

Sisters Islands Marine Park land access closed 16 Dec 2015 - 1 Apr 2016

As the floating pontoons at the jetties of both Sisters’ Islands will be removed for inspection and maintenance. So land access is temporarily unavailable.

The floating pontoon allows visitors to disembark from the ferry.
Photo by Tan Soi Hong.

But don't fret, you can still visit the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park Public Gallery on St John’s Island!

First public dive at the Marine Park!

The first public dive on 8 Nov was in the news!

With lots of interesting sightings! Check out the great video clip on Channel NewsAsia!

Open now: Public registration for Dive Trails at the Sisters Islands Marine Park

Register now for dive windows on 8 and 22 November 2015 at the new Sisters’ Islands Marine Park Dive Trail.

Interested divers can sign up by contacting the approved dive operators listed on the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park website. The minimum requirement for those who wish to dive the trails is a certification beyond entry level from reputable international training organisations and relevant dive experience. More details on the NParks press release below.

Public Gallery closure in Oct/Nov 2015 during the Kusu Island Pilgrimage season

From the NParks website: "The Sisters’ Islands Marine Park Public Gallery on St John’s Island will be closed during the weekends on 17, 18, 24, 25 and 31 October as well as 1, 7 and 8 November, as the daily scheduled ferry services to St John’s Island will be temporarily stopped during the Kusu Pilgrimage season (13 October to 11 November 2015). Please visit us on weekdays during this period or on weekends from 14 November onwards.”

Footprints leading to the Public Gallery
on St John's Island. More in this old post.

If you would like to visit the Public Gallery on a weekday during this period (13 Oct-11 Nov), you will need to charter your own boat as the public ferry is suspended.

If you are departing from Marina South Pier, expect a parking crunch and boarding delays during this period. More details about the Kusu Pilgrimage season impacts on the wild shores of singapore blog.

2015 training for volunteer guides at the Sisters Islands Marine Park

Want to volunteer to guide at the Marine Park? Then this FREE training programme is for you!

Volunteers at the 2014 training session.

Places are limited and filling up fast! Pre-registration required online here http://tinyurl.com/SisGuideTrg2015

[Update 30 Sep: Registrations are now closed as all 60 places for the Classroom Workshop have been taken up. But you are most welcome to attend the Public Talks on 22 Oct (Thu) and 30 Oct (Fri). No registration required for the talks.]

September happenings at the 'Mother Reef'

"The Sisters' Islands, home to Singapore's first marine park, are also Singapore's "mother reef" of sorts, researchers have found. The waters around the two islands are the likely source of the country's impressive coral diversity, thanks to currents which can pull coral larvae in to take root there."

New life explodes from Singapore corals during mass spawning!
Photo by Karenne Tun on facebook.

Thanks to Chiang Ai-Lien for featuring the work by researchers in The Straits Times. Volunteers were also busy in September helping out at public intertidal walks and trial dives.

Jubilee Jubilations at the Sisters Islands Marine Park

Despite the wet weather, happy happenings continued at the Marine Park!

Photo by Stephen Beng shared on facebook.

In Jubilee August, there were trials of the newly launched dive trail at the Marine Park, lots of visitors to the newly opened Public Gallery, and more public walks. Thanks to the volunteers and NParks officers who made these possible.

Launch of the Sisters' Islands Marine Park Public Gallery

Hurray! Today we launch the Sisters Islands Marine Park Public Gallery. This is located at the St. John's Island Marine Lab of the Tropical Marine Science Institute.

NParks, TMSI, volunteers of the Sisters Islands Marine Park were gathered this morning for the VIPS who came to launch the Public Gallery.

11 Jul (Sat): FREE screening of "Birth of a Marine Park" by Victor Tang for Discovery Channel

Come for the FREE public screening of "Birth of a Marine Park" by Victor Tang for Discovery Channel's "Singapore Stories"

Thank you Victor for sharing with Singapore and the world about our amazing marine life. And the awesome story of how Singapore's first Marine Park came to be. Don't miss this special screening to meet Victor and some of the people who were part of this story.

Joyful June at the Sisters Islands Marine Park, with a tinge of sadness

It has been a busy joyful June! New dive trails at the Sisters Islands Marine Park were announced at the Festival of Biodiversity last weekend!

Photo by Ria Tan

Lots of happy families visited during the June school holidays for the public walks at the Park. Alas, this is tinged with sadness. We are heartbroken that the Giant clam on the public walk trail has died.

Sisters' Islands Marine Park happenings: May 2015

Thanks to volunteer guides, more visitors got a first-hand look at the marine biodiversity at Singapore's first marine park!

Photo by Richard Kuah Boon Tiong

Even though the islands are in one of the world's busiest ports, there are amazing marine life to enjoy here. Thanks to the photos and video clips shared on the Sisters' Islands Marine Park facebook page, here are the highlights of the May walks.

Sisters' Islands Marine Park happenings: April 2015

Happy visits to the Marine Park in April, thanks to the volunteer guides!

Volunteer guides and NParks officers at another public walk!

Alas, we are also sad to report the death of one of the Giant clams at the Park.

Sisters' Islands Marine Park happenings: Feb-Mar 2015

Sunrise intertidal walks have begun at the Park!

Photo by Ian Siah on facebook

Because this is the time of the year when the low tides have switched to the morning! Here's a glimpse at some of the public walks, thanks to photos shared by visitors and guides!

Sisters Islands Marine Park home for salvaged corals

The Sisters Islands Marine Park is the forever home of corals salvaged from the Semakau Landfill. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources was at Sisters Islands to mark the relocation and nature groups were invited to the event.

Here's Eugene Goh from DHI, which conducted the relocation, briefing the Minister about the marine life being relocated to the Sisters Islands.

January walks at Sisters Islands Marine Park

Enthusiastic visitors enjoyed exploring the Sisters Islands Marine Park during the public walks held over two days in January.

Photo by Johnson Ong on facebook.

As usual, lots of exciting encounters on Singapore's first Marine Park! Bravo to the NParks staff, volunteers and the visitors who make our visits so enjoyable.

Sisters Islands Marine Park plans for diving, walkways

According to Today, "in the coming years, Sisters’ Island Marine Park, which is home to rare species of seahorses, clams and sponges, could feature recreational diving spots and improved walkways and shelters."

Corals in the big lagoon at Big Sisters Islands.

"There are plans to install fixed and floating coral nursery tables off Small Sister’s island, and to incorporate research and conservation elements in landscaping works. Structures could be built in the big lagoon of Big Sister’s island to allow access to intertidal areas, and recreational dive trails could be installed there."

"Dr Karenne Tun, deputy director (coastal and marine) at NParks’ National Biodiversity Centre said the feasibility studies would begin next month and are expected to wrap up at the end of the year."

More in Three marine, coastal sites to be enhanced for recreation by Neo Chai Chin Today Online 9 Jan 15;