Outside of Singapore’s urban sprawls lies a trove of outdoor adventures, which is what award-winning kayaking experience Fever specialises in.

Fever started as a side hustle by its founder, Aaron Ang, who was inspired after a kayak fishing trip to the Everglades in Florida, US. He journeyed there in the hope of snagging an elusive snook. Instead, he caught five catfish.

Despite not landing a beautiful snook, the five catfish were more than enough to get him hooked onto the sport.

Having caught fishing fever, he bought a fishing kayak on the same day he returned to Singapore from his trip. It has been a love story ever since, as his fleet of kayaks now totals 30.

Now, Fever conducts kayak fishing, kayak sailing and kayak tours in various locations around Singapore.

The company has also won a slew of awards, including Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Award in 2022 as well as the Best Tour Experience in Singapore Award at the Singapore Tourism Awards earlier this year. It is also the number one rated outdoor activity on Tripadvisor in Singapore.

Diplomatic Network (Asia) chatted to Founder & Chief Fishing Officer Ang about Fever’s fishing fervour and the unique flavours which come with it.

With Singapore being a city-state, could you tell me about the importance of its natural habitat and how that has affected your business ethos?

Natural habitats are home to a wide range of plant and animal species. They provide essential ecosystem services such as pollination, water purification, and nutrient cycling. Tourists are often attracted to destinations with rich biodiversity, as they offer unique wildlife experiences and opportunities for nature-based activities like birdwatching, hiking, and of course fishing tours. Protecting and preserving natural habitats ensures the conservation of these species and maintains the ecological balance.

Natural habitats like the mangroves of Pulau Ubin and Khatib Bongsu often possess breath-taking landscapes, scenic beauty, and unique geological features. They provide visitors with a sense of wonder, tranquility, and connection with nature. 

Tour companies like us have a responsibility to minimize our impact on natural habitats and promote sustainable practices. By operating in an environmentally responsible manner, such as our catch and release policy (CPR= catch, photo, release), and adhering to sustainable tourism guidelines, tour companies can help protect fragile marine ecosystems. This ensures the long-term viability of the natural habitat such as our coral reeds and allows future generations to enjoy its beauty and fishery. 

As we all know, Singaporeans are massive foodies. Apart from sailing, kayaking and fishing adventures, you have also incorporated a “culinary adventure”. Can you explain how this ties in with your mangrove experience?

On the tour, our guides will double up as chefs to prepare a delicious seafood lunch for our guest at a rustic kampong house along the seaside of Pulau Ubin. The fish, mussels and clams are harvested directly from a floating fish farm, or kelong, along the sailing tour route. To ensure the highest quality and freshness, the fish and mussels are harvested and prepped only on the actual day of the tour. 

The novelty of Fever’s business idea has drawn the backing of the Singapore Tourism Board. What make Fever’s offerings so unique?

We are the first and only company in Singapore to offer kayak sailing as a tour that anyone of any skill level can join. You do not need any kayaking or sailing experience to participant in the tour. Even kids as young as 3 years old can come on the trip. 

On a windy day, the sails will give your kayaks a boost in speed, making the journey a little easier and faster.

Even if there’s no wind or if the wind is slow, our leg-powered hobie kayak will still rocket our guests though the water, so they will be sailing no matter what.

This sailing route takes you from mainland Singapore to the island of Pulau Ubin. Once there, we will navigate through the magnificent mangrove forest. If you look around, you may spot an otter, monitor lizard or even a wild boar swimming beside your kayak.

This is also the first kayak tour in Singapore with a culinary aspect as one of the top highlights of the tour.

We have exclusive access to the private kampong house at the seaside for our seafood lunch break.

There, guests will enjoy the freshest seafood meal that they can find in Singapore, locally farmed barramundi, snapper or grouper as well as mussels, all caught and harvested right in front of you.

Our guests do not need to bring anything, they just need to show up, even if they forget to bring sunscreen and hat, we provide that for them.

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Fever’s current offerings are kayak fishing tours, kayak sailing tours, corporate and large group kayak tours, nature tours in the Punggol Waterway, and a kayak fishing school for families.

Fever operates tours at 10 locations around Singapore, namely, Sentosa, East Coast Park, Changi and more.

Recently, Fever has also partnered with Singapore Armed Forces support organisation SAFRA as well as national water agency Public Utilities Board to conduct the first guided kayak tours of Punggol Waterway and reservoirs.

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