Sentosa’s Palawan Beach reopens for water activities
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Palawan Beach is the second of the island’s three beaches to reopen to visitors.
ST PHOTO: LUTHER LAU
SINGAPORE – Beach lovers can now dive back into the waters of Sentosa Island’s Palawan Beach, which had been closed for about two months in the aftermath of a major oil spill.
“We are excited to announce that water activities have resumed at Palawan Beach. Dive back into paddleboarding, wave dipping or sun-soaking adventures,” the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) said in a Facebook post on Aug 17.
It added that water activities at Tanjong Beach will resume once the water quality there returns to normal levels.
Palawan Beach is the second of the island’s three beaches to reopen to visitors, with the first being Siloso Beach, which welcomed the public back on Aug 3.
Water activities at beaches on Sentosa, the Southern Islands and East Coast Park were suspended after a boat hit another vessel at Pasir Panjang Terminal on June 14, resulting in the oil spill that affected large swathes of the sea around Singapore.
The incident involved the Netherlands-flagged dredging boat Vox Maxima and the Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour, which was stationary.
While the clean-up of the beachfront at East Coast Park is complete, not all water activities have been given the green light to resume there.
The National Parks Board (NParks) said in a Facebook post on Aug 11 that the park’s visitors can resume “non-primary contact water sports” – which involve minimal contact with water – such as kayaking in these areas.
But NParks advised against swimming and primary contact water activities such as wakeboarding and stand-up paddling in the beach waters.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment Baey Yam Keng said in a Facebook post on Aug 11 that swimming can only take place once the water quality stabilises.
He said: “If you’d like to swim, head to Changi Beach, Siloso Beach or Kusu Island.”
People enjoying the day at Palawan Beach on Aug 17.
ST PHOTO: LUTHER LAU
The National Environment Agency has also allowed for sea sports to resume at Kusu Island, he added.
Meanwhile, swimming and all water activities at Eagle Bay Beach on Lazarus Island resumed on Aug 13.
To mark the reopening of the beach after clean-up operations, complimentary boat rides for visitors between Sentosa Cove and Lazarus Island are available on weekends between Aug 17 and Sept 1. The boats will run at 20-minute intervals between 9am and 11am, and at 40-minute intervals between 2pm and 6pm.
