Happenings at the Marine Park as the year turns

2015 ended with a special whale of a find at the Marine Park! Also, the last intertidal walks for the next three months as the pontoons are being maintained until Apr 2016. While spectacular dives continue underwater!

Photo shared by Koh Kwan Siong.

Meanwhile, it was a relief that the Marine Park was not affected when a freighter sank in the area in December.



Whale of a find!

In Nov 2015, during a public intertidal walk at the Sisters Island, Chay Hoon found a tooth. Scientists believe it belonged to an adult male sperm whale. How did it end up there? What does this mean about Singapore's marine biodiversity? More in this paper at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum and these media articles.

Photo by Toh Chay Hoon.

No oil spill, thankfully

A freighter carrying 560 metric tonnes of bunker fuel sank in Indonesian waters in the Singapore Strait. The Sisters Islands were among the Singapore shores nearby. Fortunately, so far, there has been no news of oil spills affecting any of Singapore's shores. More about this incident on the wild shores of singapore blog.

From Vessel Finder.

Fun intertidal walks

Visitors on the last intertidal walks of 2015 were lucky to avoid wet weather, and to see all kinds of interesting marine life.

Photo shared by Richard Kuah.

The tour begins at the jetty where all kinds of colourful marine life has settled on the legs.

Photo shared by Tan Lay Eng.

No need to swim, no need to dive. Even ordinary people can take a look at our marine life through a guided walk at low tide.

Photo shared by Victor Toh.

Some of the colourful marine life found on the intertidal, thanks to volunteer guides and volunteer seekers.

Photo shared by Lisa Lim.

Visitors shared some of the awesome sightings during the intertidal walk.

Photo shared by Chia Wei Wei.

Among the special finds is this Moon-headed sidegill slug!

Photo shared by Le Min.

It was great to have new volunteer guides join in the December intertidal walks. Here is Victor Toh sharing about the intriguing Sea Poison tree that grows on the island. It has large square fruits!

Photo shared by Ng Juat Ying.

Intertidal walks resume in April 2016

There will be no intertidal walks in Jan-Mar because the pontoons at the Sisters Islands are being maintained so it is not possible to land on the islands. Look out for new public walk dates in April 2016!


Awesome diving at the Marine Park!

But diving continues at the Marine Park! Here's an awesome video clip by Sea Hounds.

Thanks to divers who shared their photos, the rest of us get a glimpse of what we can see underwater. Kelvin Low shared sea stars, feather stars and more!

Photos shared by Kelvin Low.

Kathleen Ng saw wondrous nudibranchs!

Photo shared by Kathleen Ng.

Ng Boon Leong saw all manner of amazing creatures.

Photo shared by Ng Boon Leong.

Related links

• More about the Dive Trails: who can dive? how to register?
• Volunteers testing out the Dive Trails
• Sisters’ Islands Marine Park dives open for registration fromToday Online 29 Oct 15

As usual, it is thanks to volunteer guides and dedicated NParks staff that we can enjoy the wonderful Sisters Islands Marine Park. Here's to more in 2016!

Photo shared by Vincent Choo.

MORE about the Marine Park

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!

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.