Kayaking at Singapore Sports Hub

Singapore Sports Hub is located on the eastern shores of Kallang Basin. Its Water Sports Centre is one of the places in Singapore which offers kayak/canoe rentals. Kayaking in the calm waters of Kallang Basin offers a great view of Singapore’s CBD, Tanjung Rhu district, National Stadium and Indoor Stadium. The following is a brief write-up on our kayaking experience at Singapore Sports Hub in Dec-2020.

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During the Dec-2020 school holiday, we decided to have a kayaking session at Singapore Sports Hub mainly due to the scenic backdrop and affordable pricing. As local residents, we paid S$12 (adult) and S$8 (child) for a standard non-peak 2-hour kayaking session.

Water Sports Centre offers a variety of sit-on-top (no certification required) and closed deck (certification required) kayaks for rental. The rental typically comes in fixed 2-hour morning (start 9am-10am) and 2-hour afternoon (start 1pm-2pm) sessions. (Refer to Singapore Sports Hub’s website for the exact schedule of the current month)

Unfortunately, online booking is not available (as of Jan-2021). The reservation office opens approximately 2 hours (refer to the website for exact timing) before the morning session to allow participants to make SAME DAY reservations (with payment). All participants are required to be present in person during reservation due to the need to sign health declaration and indemnity forms.

Our Review

The staffs at the Water Sports Centre are extremely helpful and professional. Knowing that many of the participants are beginners they helped to demonstrate, and in some instances, assist the participants in moving the kayaks into the water. They also teach the participants how to get onto the kayaks from the platform.

The only negative feedback that we have is the lack of online booking and the resulting long queuing time at the reservation office. Participants typically have to start queuing outside the reservation office up to 1-hour PRIOR to its opening to secure a slot in the morning session.

During our visit, despite arriving on time for the reservation office’s opening, we were lucky to be one of the last few participants who managed to get a morning slot after queuing for close to an hour. In fact, the entire day’s slots were taken up before the morning session began.

Having said, we must mention that the long waiting time is of no fault to the staffs who can be seen trying their best to help participants make their reservations as quickly as possible. They were simply let down by the reservation system and the lack of manpower.

*For more info (pricing and timing), refer to Singapore Sports Hub website.

[Information here is correct as of Jan-2021]