This island is situated between Kusu Island and St John's Island. For a long time, people were forbidden to land on its shores and so while the neighbouring islands were developed, Lazarus Island remained untouched and one of our last bastions of nature. Naturalists still go there to study rare plants! There were even rumours, including one told to me by a former inhabitant of the island, that there is a hot spring on the island! After a causeway was built to link this island with St John's in 2003, it is now possible to go across and explore Lazarus Island. After the founding of the port of Singapore by the British in 1819, a flag was placed by the British on the hill on this island to point out the way to the Singapore river (then our port) to trading ships. Thus, the island was earlier known as flag hill island.
Mysterious origins of the name - Why should an island in Singapore be named after the man whom Jesus raise from the dead?
Its a mystery why the British later name the island "Lazarus Island". Lazarus is a man in the Bible, who died and was resurrected (raised to life) by Jesus. This act as recorded in the Bible, is one of the many miracles that Jesus did to prove that He had supernatural powers (who was in nature God) and was sent by God the Father, to save humans from the punishment of their sins and give eternal life to those who trust and follow Him. Anyone who knows why the British named the island after Lazarus, please contact me for more information!
Lazarus Island Round One 21/6/08 (as part of St John's Island trip)
With Chiw Foong, Yvonne, Jesslyn, Ting Hui, Jiaen, Yiting, Yiling, Jason, Zhi Hao, Roy, Nik & Teck Seng
Lazarus Island Round Two: 6/7/08 (as part of St John's Island trip)
With Jet, Philip, Foo Koon, Xin Yuan and Alvin
Most photos are taken by me but a few are by Jason whom I would like to acknowledge. Looking at the photographs, you won't believe that the island is part of Singapore!
Lazarus Island as seen from St John's Island.
Posing along the causeway built to link St John's Island with Lazarus Island. When it was first built, the island was relatively unexplored by most people and it was exciting for me to cross over to see what the island had to offer!
One of many galleries perchd on the causeway which attracted many avid lovers of fishing to spend one night here. Pink dolphins have been sighted in the waters off here several times as reported in the press in 2005. Big groupers, small sharks and even lobsters have been caught here by some people.
The off-shore high-tech kelong set up by the NUS Marine Research Centre between the two islands to look into high yield, space-saving and high technological methods to boost fish farming in Singapore
View of St John's Island from the top of the hill on Lazarus Island where a radar exists to navigate aircrafts and ships around Singapore. We counted 18 Brahminy Kites (a type of hawk) in all soaring above here. They even nests on tall trees on this hill and we were lucky to pick up two of their huge, long feathers that had dropped off from these big birds. We eveb saw one of these birds swooping down to take a fish out of the sea here! What a sight! Hard to believe that such nature can be appreciated in bustling Singapore!
The coastline on the other side of the island looks so pristine and untouched that it resembles that found in Desaru, Malaysia! I have heard from my dad that the coastline along Bedok (now reclaimed as part of ECP and Marine Parade) was rocky and sandy as like that in the 1960s.
Crystal clear waters at high tide! No where else in Singapore can you get such clear waters! This is more like the quality of the sea water in Singapore before independence!
The contrast between an undeveloped Lazarus Island natiural coastline and the reclaimed and developed Kusu Island coastline in the distance! This is the difference between pre- and post-independent Singapore!
The sand bar off Lazarus Island where the water never gets above my waist-level at high tide! It is possible to walk 500m out to that rocky breakwater out at sea even at high tide!
It was really nice to just lie back and float on the waters here and watch the waves break against the shallow beach here. Unfortunately, we did not take photos of that for fear of getting our cameras wet, so we did not take a photo of that RSAF Chinook helicopter flying past with our national flag as part of national Day Parade rehearsal!
The sand here is really very soft and therapeutic to walk on! Many of us jumped from the rocks and onto the sand to leave our footprints behind as momentos. Some of the boys even built sand castles here. It was like we were playing in a by-gone era! Look at the impact of the waves in creating these series of wavy lines on the sand here!
The large numbers of intact sea shells and sea snails of many varieties, shapes and colours that we picked up at the sand bar! You won't get these in such large quantities anywhere on mainland Singapore!
A snake perched on a tree trunk near the sand bar during Round Two.
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The super low tide of 0.2m on the same coastline on Lazarus Island on the morning of the 6th of July during Round Two. It was as if the sea dried up!
Like Tanjong Chek Jawa at Pulau Ubin during low tide, the natural coastline of Lazarus Island at low tide exposes many sea organisms, rocks, sea weeds and sea grass. Its a self-supporting ecosystem of which very few are left in Singapore! Hopefully, the authorities will never develop this island and allow its natural treasures to be conserved for future generations to enjoy!
Sea cucumber (I think). Some are edible and are delicacies during Chinese New Year!
The brain-shaped features of a life coral! What a sight! The seas and islands off here used to be popular with divers and snorkellers.
The water is shallow and the coastline so natural that small fishes swim around our legs during low tide! We manage to catch some of them for photography before releasing them into the sea again!
Lazarus Island where the sand bar and the untouched coastline is at high tide as seen from the return ferry. At high tide, with its natural treasures hidden, it looks so different from the photos above. 
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