Is it worth going to Sharm El Sheikh’s “Maldives” spot or El Fanar for snorkeling: how far is the swim, can you actually see rays, and are there time limits from the pier?

On El Fanar beach, travelers wrote in September 2026: it is paid, with a pier and a ladder into the sea; in February the wind blows from that side and there can be waves. They also mentioned a neighboring hotel beach without toilets, which they said had been closed for renovation from September for about six months; further right is the Jaz Fanara hotel beach. Check what is open before you go.

From a video a participant shot in August 2025 from a beach bar (shared in July 2026): the water out to the sandy spit is ankle-deep, waist-deep at most at high tide, and there is nowhere to swim from the shore. Swimming is possible only from the pier, where the depth drops straight to about 25 meters.

A July 2026 review of the local 'Maldives': about a 100 m swim for 20 minutes on crowded sand, in the midday heat with sun glaring off every surface. The author came for the sea and the fish and saw them; his hotel already had sand and a lagoon, so he considers the trip a matter of taste.

Keep expectations modest for rays: in July 2026 a snorkeler wrote that after 7 days of swimming he had seen a ray in person only once. Spotting one is a matter of luck.