The Sisters’ Islands Marine Park lies close to busy shipping lanes, with challenging currents and low visibility by tropical standards, so the two dive trails are only suitable for more advanced scuba divers. But muck divers and macro photographers will be rewarded with colorful sea slugs and nudibranchs plus other weird and wonderful critters. Intertidal walks offer sight of crabs, sea snails, flatworms, and sea stars. The turtle hatchery on Little Sister’s Island (Pulau Subar Darat) is not open to visitors.
A ferry runs to St. John’s Island, whose western reef forms part of the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park. The only way to visit the Sisters’ Islands is by chartering a boat from West Coast Pier or Marina South Pier to the jetty on Big Sister’s Island (Pulau Subar Laut) or joining an organized tour.
Plan your visit to Sisters’ Islands Marine Park around the tide times. Low tide is better for intertidal walks; high tide is better for snorkeling. Local dive operators know how the currents interact with the tide and plan trips around them.
Compared to nearby Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore seas can be on the murky side, making snorkeling a disappointing experience with kids. Artificial reef at Adventure Cove Waterpark on Sentosa Island lets kids snorkel among tropical fish, including rays; older children will thrill to the chance of a shark encounter in the aquarium.
