Can you swim in the open sea at Sharm El Sheikh hotels or only in the lagoon, and are guests allowed to swim along the reef from the pontoon?

One traveler shared that at a different hotel guests can freely swim up to 2 km along the sea with no one stopping them, and there are none of the usual boat-restricted zones — though the hotel itself is worse in service, the reef is excellent.

At one hotel, swimming freely between piers is not allowed: staff whistle and sometimes even chase swimmers by boat, but if determined, guests can still swim toward the neighboring Rotana hotel.

One guest regularly swims from the Blue hotel's pier to Quin Sharm hotel and back — a route of about 5 km round trip. It's important to always watch the current, or you may not make it back.

For long swims, early morning (7–9 am) is better — the water is clearer, though currents are stronger. However, you can't enter from your own hotel's pontoon at 7 am, as security won't allow it that early; you have to enter from other hotels' pontoons.

If the reef is decent and you are a strong swimmer, some Sharm El Sheikh hotels allow long swims along the reef: to the right from the pontoon toward the neighboring hotel and to the left from the pier. This is useful if you are choosing a hotel mainly for open-sea snorkeling.

Not every hotel allows free swimming in the open sea: some tour operators warn that guests can swim only inside the lagoon. When choosing a hotel, it is important to check not just whether there is a reef, but also the actual sea-swimming rules.

Some travelers return to certain hotels specifically because the lifeguards are more flexible: they allow swimming between the pontoon and the pier along the reef, and also farther left from the pier or right from the pontoon up to the next hotel. This is usually allowed at the swimmer’s own risk.