SINGAPORE: A new outdoor paintball park at Orchid Country Club is ready to invite its first customers after its soft launch last week, but the weather has rained on its parade.
Red Dynasty Paintball Park has seen hardly any take-ups so far at its new venue, with many enquiring about indoor options during the current rainy season.
Customers are afraid that if they book a session for the group activity and it rains, they would have to find an alternative day to return, said the firm’s assistant manager Siti Nurhanizah.
“(They do not like the) the idea of rescheduling to another date, since it's a little bit hard to get everyone back for a new date,” she told CNA.
While the company has an indoor space at Kallang, Ms Siti said the game format there is different and players are restricted.
The company said 60 per cent of customers have requested an indoor venue, compared with 10 per cent during the same period last year.
Wetter conditions are expected till the end of the year due to the La Nina phenomenon. The weather pattern involves tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures that usually persist for months to about a year, meteorological experts previously told CNA.
This also coincides with the northeast monsoon, which typically runs from December to March, and brings with it more rainfall.
The rain also means that plans for some sea sports activities - and business for some operators - are temporarily gone with the wind.
Constant Wind Sea Sports Centre close to East Coast Park, for instance, has seen a 90 per cent drop in sea sports equipment compared with last month. During the same period in the past few years, the dip was 60 per cent.
Mr Tony Lee, a stand up paddling trainer at the Academy of Surfing Instructors, said the rough weather has also made it hard for students - especially beginners - to learn.
The sport, which is a cross between canoeing and surfing, involves standing on a board and using a paddle to move through the water.
“Unfortunately, we are teaching them in the open sea. Ideally, of course, we should be in a reservoir, in a lake or where the water is calm and is enclosed,” Mr Lee said.
“So, we are very careful that when the weather is not right, we don't really bring our students out.”
Mr Lee now offers sessions at 8am when the sea is calmer. At times, they need to wait 45 minutes for bad weather to clear up before they can continue, he added.
Sports that depend on the wind have also been affected.
For instance, during a Singapore Sailing Federation competition held earlier this month, only one race was completed across two days due to the rain.
Rain disrupts wind patterns and affects visibility, said president of the Windsurfing Association of Singapore Lemmy Teo.
“Once the rain comes, basically there is going to be zero wind for the next half an hour or one hour, depending on the severity,” he said.
If the skies open when sailors are out at sea, it will be difficult for them to get back to shore without wind, Mr Teo noted.
The unpredictable weather also means that the community has to move its events, he said.
“If the wind is not going to be too favourable around this time, we will have to postpone our events towards the end of the year, or maybe even towards the beginning of next year,” Mr Teo added.
“In the event that we really do not have good winds, then we may have to go to some other places to catch better winds."
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Red Dynasty Paintball Park has seen hardly any take-ups so far at its new venue, with many enquiring about indoor options during the current rainy season.
Customers are afraid that if they book a session for the group activity and it rains, they would have to find an alternative day to return, said the firm’s assistant manager Siti Nurhanizah.
“(They do not like the) the idea of rescheduling to another date, since it's a little bit hard to get everyone back for a new date,” she told CNA.
While the company has an indoor space at Kallang, Ms Siti said the game format there is different and players are restricted.
The company said 60 per cent of customers have requested an indoor venue, compared with 10 per cent during the same period last year.
Wetter conditions are expected till the end of the year due to the La Nina phenomenon. The weather pattern involves tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures that usually persist for months to about a year, meteorological experts previously told CNA.
This also coincides with the northeast monsoon, which typically runs from December to March, and brings with it more rainfall.
SEA SPORTS ACTIVITIES AFFECTED
The rain also means that plans for some sea sports activities - and business for some operators - are temporarily gone with the wind.
Constant Wind Sea Sports Centre close to East Coast Park, for instance, has seen a 90 per cent drop in sea sports equipment compared with last month. During the same period in the past few years, the dip was 60 per cent.
Mr Tony Lee, a stand up paddling trainer at the Academy of Surfing Instructors, said the rough weather has also made it hard for students - especially beginners - to learn.
The sport, which is a cross between canoeing and surfing, involves standing on a board and using a paddle to move through the water.
“Unfortunately, we are teaching them in the open sea. Ideally, of course, we should be in a reservoir, in a lake or where the water is calm and is enclosed,” Mr Lee said.
“So, we are very careful that when the weather is not right, we don't really bring our students out.”
Mr Lee now offers sessions at 8am when the sea is calmer. At times, they need to wait 45 minutes for bad weather to clear up before they can continue, he added.
Related:
LACK OF WIND A PROBLEM
Sports that depend on the wind have also been affected.
For instance, during a Singapore Sailing Federation competition held earlier this month, only one race was completed across two days due to the rain.
Rain disrupts wind patterns and affects visibility, said president of the Windsurfing Association of Singapore Lemmy Teo.
“Once the rain comes, basically there is going to be zero wind for the next half an hour or one hour, depending on the severity,” he said.
If the skies open when sailors are out at sea, it will be difficult for them to get back to shore without wind, Mr Teo noted.
The unpredictable weather also means that the community has to move its events, he said.
“If the wind is not going to be too favourable around this time, we will have to postpone our events towards the end of the year, or maybe even towards the beginning of next year,” Mr Teo added.
“In the event that we really do not have good winds, then we may have to go to some other places to catch better winds."
Related:
Related:
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