More excitement awaits wakeboarders

SINGAPORE — After a two-year hiatus, the cable-ski park at East Coast Park has finally reopened after a change of hands.

The Singapore Wake Park (SWP), which reopened its doors on Oct 29, has revamped its nearly 94,000 sq ft space at the East Coast Lagoon to cater to wakeboarders of all skill levels, and is also able to accommodate other water sports such as kneeboarding and cable-skiing.

Improvements at SWP include an upgrade of its cable-ski system, which would allow the park to offer water sports to everyone, from beginners to experienced riders.

Ekanaga Saputra Hatta, director at Island Lifestyle Group, told TODAY: “As the only cable-ski park in the country, we wanted to create a place that is both easy for newcomers and challenging for wakeboard enthusiasts.”

The park has a two-tower cable-ski system that allows riders to choose their distance and speed, based on their skill level, as well as a larger six-tower system for advanced wakeboarders.

On the smaller tower, for example, first-timers can choose to cover a distance of 70m whereas the more experienced riders can go for System 2.0 to wakeboard for 140m. Built to accommodate one rider at a time, System 2.0 will allow the instructor to focus fully on his or her students — from beginners to novice riders.

This System 2.0 cable-ski tower, Hatta assured, is safe and easy use as its speed is controlled manually, and the acceleration from 0 km/h to a maximum of 31 km/h is gentle. As such, it is safe even for children as young as six years old, or for seniors, according to Hatta.

But for more hardcore wakeboarders, there is the full-size cable system comprising six towers and six evenly spaced carriers. The new system will be able to take more experienced wake boarders around the cable-ski park.

Digital marketer Bernard Tan, 36, who has been wakeboarding for eight years, said that he is looking forward to return to SWP. Tan, who had to do his wakeboarding sessions in countries such as Thailand and Taiwan while SWP was under redevelopment, said: “It is something that has been a long time coming and I feel great that my weekly Saturday session can get back to its normal routine.”

Similarly, digital consultant Natasha Zhao, 30, who also had to do her wakeboarding at other countries, is happy about the reopening. ”The pursuit of one of my favourite sports no longer requires me to travel overseas for it,” she quipped.

The set-up at the cable-ski park can accommodate other water sports such as kneeboarding or cable-skiing for users to try out.

Besides catering to watersports enthusiasts, the new SWP will also feature a new cafe and bar, Coastal Rhythm.

Singapore Wake Park opens from 10am to 10pm on weekdays and 9am to 10pm on weekends and Public Holidays. Tickets are priced at S$40 (weekdays) and S$60 (weekends).