Avid surfer Haridzal Arshat was in his 20s when he first heard whispers about a "secret" surfing sanctuary tucked away in Singapore. This fabled spot was where waves didn't just ripple, but could actually be surfed – something practically unheard of in local waters.Mr Haridzal, now 47, recalls how the "OG surfers" – a tight-knit group of lifeguards and seasoned surfers who first discovered the break – kept mum about the location, only dropping cryptic hints about its existence.After some diligent sleuthing, Mr Haridzal and his friends eventually found the spot where waves break right at the mouth of a concrete storm drain, just off Changi Coast Walk. It was affectionately dubbed "Longkang Point", using the Malay word for drain or canal.
Unlike popular neighbouring surf destinations such as Indonesia's Bali or Malaysia's Desaru, Singapore is sheltered by landmasses that block major ocean swells, leaving the nation's coastal waters mostly flat. While the waves at Longkang Point are modest by international standards, to surfers like Mr Haridzal, their rarity makes them feel far more special than any swell he has to travel off-island to reach. "To see waves breaking on our shores ... we were ecstatic," said Mr Haridzal, who works as a lifeguard and swimming instructor. "We are in Singapore, and we get to surf!" The spot remained a closely guarded secret for years before word finally spread during the COVID-19 pandemic, when borders were closed and surfers were unable to travel to beaches abroad to catch a wave. Today, Longkang Point is regularly visited by a community of roughly 100 people, ranging from curious novices to seasoned veterans like Mr Haridzal.
