Sailing, Dinghies and Dive Boats

If you want to be on a sailboat once, DBS Sailing at the Bay is our pick: the sails are free, they leave from a pontoon beside Customs House, and the skyline is all around you. The catch is the booking window, because sessions open one week before each month starts, and the sail itself is short. If you'd rather learn to sail, the courses at Changi come next, followed by kayaks, dive boats and fishing trips from Tuas, Sembawang and Marina South.

A free sail on Marina Bay

Each session lasts 30 to 40 minutes, including a 10-minute safety briefing and an indemnity form, so arrive 10 minutes early. Latecomers can't board and food stays ashore, though capped water bottles are fine. Sailors must be at least 7 and under 70, young children show photo ID, and life vests are provided. Rain, lightning risk or unhealthy haze can delay or cancel a session at short notice, and an orange flag on the pontoon means the current session is off, while a red one means the day's sailing is cancelled.

Learning to sail at Changi

Changi Sailing Club's dinghy course is four full days over two weekends, from 10am to 5pm, and it's open to non-members. You must be 12 or older and able to swim 50 metres without a flotation device, and the club needs five students to start. It costs S$626.75 for non-members and S$446.90 for members, and passing the proficiency test earns a Level 1 certificate from the Singapore Sailing Federation. For people who already sail, the Keelboat Competent Crew course is also four days over two weekends. It costs S$648.55 for non-members, takes ages 15 and up and asks for a Basic Sailing Course first, with three students needed to start.

Constant Wind Sea Sports Centre, also at Changi, teaches a basic course in three sessions of four hours at S$480 including GST. On East Coast Park, Aloha Sea Sports Centre runs a two-hour windsurfing taster for S$200 for ages 12 and up.

For something newer, wingfoil lessons run off East Coast Park from April to November and move to Changi Beach from December to March, during the north-east monsoon. A private two-hour lesson is S$200, all equipment is provided and you'll fall a lot.

Paddles on flat water

Kayak Orientation at The Kallang is a three-hour introduction on Marina Reservoir. It costs S$30 for adults and S$25 for children, students and senior citizens, takes 10 people a session and is open to swimmers aged 7 and up, with an adult for under-14s. A single closed-deck kayak, a paddle and a life jacket come with it, and you finish with a mini tour of the reservoir.

For a longer paddle, Kayak Asia's Sungei Khatib Bongsu Kayak Trail goes up one of mainland Singapore's largest mangrove rivers. You paddle 12 kilometres between 7.15am and 12.30pm, through a mangrove tunnel and three flooded forests, and a late breakfast is included. It's S$135 for adults and S$85 for children under 12, and the best season runs from October to February. Kayaks, Ketam and a Lighthouse covers the rest of Kayak Asia's trips.

Dive boats from Tuas to Sentosa

Divelab takes eight divers at a time on its own 10-metre boat from Raffles Marina in Tuas, for S$195 to Pulau Hantu or S$220 to Pulau Jong, with three tank dives and lunch. It says visibility at Pulau Hantu is usually 2 to 3 metres, sometimes 5 or 6, so it's a macro dive, with small creatures up close rather than big views. Pulau Jong has strong currents and suits divers with 20 or more logged dives. Jurong West to Tuas: Kilns to Breakwater covers getting to the marina.

Marlin Divers lists weekend morning and afternoon trips to Pulau Hantu, with a day trip of two guided dives from S$125 a diver, and it names nudibranchs, flatworms and tiger tail seahorses among the sights. For a private boat, Cuddlefish charters its 12.5-metre Cuddle 12 from Marina at Keppel Bay for up to 16 people, at S$650 for 4.5 hours from Monday to Thursday and S$850 on Fridays and Saturdays. You can snorkel or swim off Lazarus or Pulau Hantu, and diving is an add-on at S$20 a tank.

If you haven't dived at all, Discover Scuba is a pool session that doesn't certify you. ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove sells non-member Fun Dives at S$109 and Discover Scuba Diving at S$164, and its PADI Open Water course with White Manta Diving School is S$1,069 for two students to an instructor, with the open-water dives at the marina. Dates are agreed when you enquire.

Fishing boats and water taxis

King of Boat fishes from Sembawang Yacht Club between Pulau Ubin and Changi. Sharing a classic boat for up to six is S$100 on weekdays and S$110 at weekends, with fuel and the captain included. Day trips run from 8am to 5pm and night trips from 8pm to 5am, and rods rent for S$20. Back in Tuas, breakwater fishing at Raffles Marina is a day pass for adults.

The Marina South Water Taxi is booked by the boat, for up to 12 people, at S$130 one way to one island and S$260 return. It runs around the clock, though Kusu and Big Sisters' Island are open only from 7am to 7pm, and you book at least 48 hours ahead. The scheduled Kusu Island Ferry runs one loop from Marina South Pier, to Lazarus and then Kusu and back, at S$18 for adults and S$12 for ages 1 to 12, with early-bird fares from S$15 on the booking page.