From the age of 12 right thru 22, every weekend we went water skiing at the Kim-Kim River (in one of the islands off Johor) from Singapore Ponggol boatel. A group of us would hire a boat with skilled driver (who is an accomplished skier himself) and he would take us to this site. We would get there at 10am and return back to Ponggol for 4pm. By the we were exhausted and worked up an apetite for sea-food at Ponggol. At the time we went it was not a popular site for expatriates or tourist. We would have the whole island to ourselves. It was quite and no danger of smashing into another skier. In those days hiring a boat was cheap. It could set us back S$25 per hour and the hire of the skies was S$10 per person for the whole day. The boat ride to this river was about 30mins. Sometimes the sea was choppy that you wished to go back thinking if the capsizes on the way there I do not want to have to fight off the sharks! Of course there are no sharks off the coast of Singapore - I was just stupid ignorant. Oh yes you are always given life jackets (you had no choice). That did not do any good to my wild imagination in the event... What did not help our driver (who became our friend ...) would suddenly stop the boat in the middle of the sea and say that he had run out of petrol! Bastard!!!! He looked so serious and the look of worry was plastered all over his face (he was a good liar). This would go on for at least 10 minutes until I started to throw up! His joke was over as he did not want to have to have the smell of my vomit in his boat. I now wish I had puked in his boat. I liked him but he is such a 'wind up merchant' (prankster) that he would frighten me at the best of times. When I was 19 I got quite good at water skiing that I could ski with one ski instead of two. However my showing off sessions stopped completely when one bright sunny day a 5 year old Aussie kid just whizzed past me in his one ski - jumping and holding the rope with one hand. Little shit!!! That most certainly humbled me. The tiny little island off Kim-Kim river was so small and is deserted. No inhabitants that you need to bring your own refreshments and food. There was no shelter so you most definitely get sun-tanned or even burnt. When my husband was wooing me we took him there. He could not ski and just a beginner so he was on the beach most of the time but as there is no shade from the scorching sun he got burnt - and badly. Bearing in mind he is pale skinned - and I mean really really paled skinned. I had just never thought of that as not of us are. Even our Aussie skiing friends were tanned so warning him and asking him to take precautions did not even enter our minds. He suffered for 3 days after that and could not even take a shower as the water felt like stones thrashing on him. Poor sod! So word of warning - get hats and plenty of sun tan cream of the highest factor. Skiing in Singapore has become more expensive but you can do it on a cheaper version on the East Coast beach where instead of a boat on the sea there is a lake with motorised skiis and you have try out one round for S$9 or S$35 for an hour. There is a lovely cafe catering for skiiers or people who just want to watch.