Marine park offers closer look at marvels

Boardwalk, lagoons beckon at Big Sister's Island after 3 years of upgrading works

- Shabana Begum and Chin Hui Shan

After three years of rejuvenation works, the biodiversity-rich Sisters' Islands Marine Park reopened to the public on Oct 28, with lagoons to swim in, corals to see up close, and a coastal forest trail that offers panoramic views of Singapore's southern islands.

The jewel of the 40ha Sisters' Islands Marine Park, Big Sister's Island, is the only place in the marine park that is open to visitors. Small Sister's Island is zoned for research and conservation, while the western reefs of both St John's Island and Pulau Tekukor are submerged.

In 2021, Big Sister's Island underwent upgrading works to make it more visitor-friendly and a place for people to learn more about Singapore's marine life, which is often invisible to the city dweller.

Now, the spruced-up island, located about a 30-minute boat ride from the mainland, has features that allow visitors to get closer to underwater marvels.

To the right of the jetty is a new floating boardwalk that rises and falls with the tides. Visitors would not even need to get wet to see corals. They just have to look over the boardwalk to see clusters of corals growing on submerged panels.

The boardwalk also has five openings carved into it to create pools for researchers to conduct marine experiments.

At the heart of Big Sister's Island is a coastal forest. A new 230m trail runs through it, allowing visitors to take a quick hike while looking out for the lesser dog-faced fruit bat and paradise tree snake.

The trail culminates in a two-storey-high viewing deck where visitors can enjoy views of the marine park and other nearby islands such as Pulau Semakau and Pulau Jong.