SWIMMING RACES

Few countries offer this range of swimming options. The Red Sea at Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh stays between 22 and 29 degrees all year, with clear visibility (often 20 to 30 metres) and well-known reef sites. For pool and masters swimmers, Cairo's main sporting clubs (Gezira, Maadi, and Wadi Degla) have 50 m Olympic pools and structured training programmes. Egypt has also become a regular host for international open-water racing; Soma Bay has opened the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup season every year from 2023 through 2026.

It depends on where you swim. The Red Sea is swimmable all year. Water temperatures sit at about 22 degrees in January and February and rise to about 29 degrees in July and August at Hurghada, so a wetsuit is not needed for most of the year. The most comfortable months for open-water swimming are March to May and September to November, when the sea is calm and visibility is good. On the Mediterranean coast, Alexandria's swimming season is best between June and November. For pool swimmers at Cairo's clubs, winter mornings (October to March) are pleasant for training.

Whether you are heading for a pool or open water, a few simple rules apply.

The Red Sea is generally safe for swimmers if you follow your operator's briefing. Shark incidents are very rare. Jellyfish stings happen mainly in late spring and summer after onshore winds, and are usually mild. Currents can pick up at reef drop-offs, especially around Dahab's Blue Hole; always swim with a buddy and stay in the marked area. Stonefish and stingrays live in shallow sandy zones, so shuffle your feet instead of stepping down hard, and do not walk barefoot on a reef flat. Do not touch or chase marine life; it protects both you and the reef, and inside protected areas like Ras Mohammed it is the law.

The World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup at Soma Bay is the biggest fixture, held every year since 2023 near Safaga on the Red Sea. Oceanman El Gouna runs each September with distances from 500 m for children up to 10 km for elites, and counts as a qualifying race for world championship events. Aquaman Soma Bay covers similar open-water distances and has a popular relay category. On the North Coast, Swim to the Island at Ras El Hikma offers a 2 km island swim and shorter distances for all levels. Egypt Masters Swimming has 12 affiliated clubs and runs national and international competitions through the year.

In Cairo, swimming is club-centred; on the coast, it is resort-centred. Cairo's main sporting clubs have produced top swimmers for decades; the pool complex at Gezira Sporting Club is named after Abdellatief Abouheif, an Egyptian marathon swimmer who is regarded as one of the greatest of the 20th century. Early mornings are the most popular training time at the clubs, and many academies have structured adult programmes that make it easy to join. On the Red Sea, swim tours head out at 7 to 9 am while the water is calm, before the afternoon wind picks up. Fridays are the quietest day for pool sessions at most Cairo clubs.