Is it safe to enter the sea in Egypt if you’re not a confident swimmer and need to be able to stand on the seabed at all times?

The key warning is that shallow water can still be dangerous: travelers noted that during a rip current, even knee-deep water may pull you out to sea. Feeling the bottom under your feet is not a safety guarantee.

If a swimmer needs to be able to stand at any moment, do not treat ‘walking out until the water reaches neck level’ as a reliable option. The first thing to assess is sea state and current strength, not just depth.

A practical takeaway for nervous swimmers: even if you plan to stay shallow, it’s important to know how to react to a rip current, because the risk depends not only on depth but also on near-shore water movement.