Sisters' Islands
Encyclopedia
The 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 (9.6 acres) in area and also known as Pulau Subar Laut in Malay
, faces the open sea, while Little Sister's Island, about 17,000 m² (4.2 acres) 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.
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.
A third version of the legend said that there were two sisters who drowned at sea. The elder sister tried to save the younger sister but both drowned. The gods were touched by their love for one another and transformed both into two little islands so they can be together forever.
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.
Southern Islands
The Southern Islands are an urban planning area in the Central Region of Singapore, along with the eight major islands of Kusu Island, Lazarus Island, Pulau Seringat, Pulau Tekukor, Saint John's Island, Sentosa and the two Sisters' Islands. The islands encompass a total land area of about...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and are located to the south of the main island of Singapore
Pulau Ujong
Pulau Ujong or Singapore Island is the main island of the island country of Singapore. It forms the majority of the island country in terms of area and population...
, off the Straits of Singapore. Big Sister's Island, about 39,000 square metres (9.6 acres) in area and also known as Pulau Subar Laut in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, faces the open sea, while Little Sister's Island, about 17,000 m² (4.2 acres) in area and also known as Pulau Subar Darat in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, faces the mainland
Pulau Ujong
Pulau Ujong or Singapore Island is the main island of the island country of Singapore. It forms the majority of the island country in terms of area and population...
. 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.
A third version of the legend said that there were two sisters who drowned at sea. The elder sister tried to save the younger sister but both drowned. The gods were touched by their love for one another and transformed both into two little islands so they can be together forever.
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
Giant clam
The giant clam, Tridacna gigas , is the largest living bivalve mollusc. T. gigas is one of the most endangered clam species. It was mentioned as early as 1825 in scientific reports...
, the seahorse
Seahorse
Seahorses compose the fish genus Hippocampus within the family Syngnathidae, in order Syngnathiformes. Syngnathidae also includes the pipefishes. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek hippos meaning "horse" and kampos meaning “sea monster”.There are nearly 50 species of seahorse...
and the octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
.
Big Sister's Island is home to some long-tailed macaques.
External links
- Satellite image of Pulau Subar Laut and Pulau Subar Darat - Google MapsGoogle MapsGoogle Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
- Info for visitors on wildsingapore
- Blog posts about Sisters Islands from various blogs compiled on the wildsingapore google reader
- Photos of marine life at Sisters Island from wildsingapore
- Sisters Coral Reef Survey Data on the Coral Reefs of Singapore website
- Singapore Island Cruise information site