Sisters' Islands

SG neighbourhood
image

englishname=Sisters' Islands
chinesename=姐妹岛
pinyin=Jiěmèidǎo
malayname=Pulau Subar Laut, Pulau Subar Darat
tamilname= Sakotharigal TheevuThe Sisters' Islands are two of the Southern Islands in Singapore and are located to the south of the main island of Singapore, off the Straits of Singapore. Big Sister's Island, about 39,000 square metres in area and also known as "Pulau Subar Laut" in Malay, faces the open sea, while Little Sister's Island, about 17,000 m² in area and also known as "Pulau Subar Darat" in Malay, faces the mainland. The two islands are separated by a narrow channel. Currents through this channel can be very dangerous to swimmers and divers.

Legend

Legend tells of a poor widow who had two pretty daughters, Minah and Linah, who were very close to each other. After their mother died, the sisters left the village to live with a distant uncle.

One unfortunate day, Linah met a group of pirates while she was fetching water from a well near the sea. Frightened, she ran home while the pirate chief gave chase. At the uncle's home, the pirate brandished a dagger and made known his wish to marry Linah. That night, the two sisters wept bitterly in each other's arms. When dawn broke, the pirate chief and 16 of his men came to take Linah away. Clinging to each other, they were torn apart by the pirates and Linah was forced to leave with the pirates. Just then, the sky turned dark and a storm broke out. Desperate, Minah swam after the boat but drowned. On seeing this, Linah freed herself from her captors and jumped into the sea to join Minah.

The storm subsided but nowhere can the sisters be found. The next day, the villagers were shocked to see two islands at the spot where the two sisters had drowned.

The two tranquil islands, called "Pulau Subar Laut" and "Pulau Subar Darat", was henceforth known as the Sisters' Islands. It was said that every year on that very day when the sisters turned into islands, there will always be storm and rain.

Another version of the legend stated that the sisters were being blown away by the storm and each landed on one of the island, and hence the name "Sisters' Islands".

Present

The Sisters' Islands' beaches and warm blue waters make snorkeling a favourite activity at the islands. The islands are also popular with picnickers and campers.

The islands are home to some of Singapore's richest reefs. A wide variety of corals can be found in the waters surrounding the islands. Common sea life that can be found include the giant clam, the seahorse and the octopus.

Big Sister's Island is home to some long-tailed macaques.

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?om=1&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=1.214939,103.833761&spn=0.003851,0.008025&t=k Satellite image of Pulau Subar Laut and Pulau Subar Darat] - Google Maps
* [http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/sisters.htm Info for visitors] on wildsingapore
* [http://www.google.com/reader/shared/user/12355670525022093752/label/sisters Blog posts about Sisters Islands] from various blogs compiled on the wildsingapore google reader
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildsingapore/sets/72157594587608805/ Photos of marine life at Sisters Island] from wildsingapore
* [http://coralreef.nus.edu.sg/survey/sisters_data.htm Sisters Coral Reef Survey Data] on the Coral Reefs of Singapore website