Swimming with all their bodies submerged in the sea is considered a dream for many blind and visually impaired. On July 4, El-Mandara beach on Egypt's Mediterranean coast became the first beach in the region designed for blind and visually impaired people. 

An entryway surrounded by cork buoys allows the individual to move and swim in a restricted area, learning the paths of movement within safe depths and under close supervision of the lifeguard team. 

Gamal Rashad, head of the central administration for tourism and resorts in Alexandria Governorate, told Al-Monitor that the beach gives the blind and visually impaired "the chance to swim freely alone, to be confident and to enjoy the water like other people." Some swimmers were not comfortable alone, he said, and needed "a companion from their families to protect them from any collision, drowning or any other damage.”

The project was a collaboration with the Alexandrian Blind Society, Rashad said, "and it turned out to be a very successful, nice experience and they were able to swim happily. Everyone has a whistle around the neck to blow if he/she felt any danger, this is an extra safety measure. Also, the area they are swimming in is not deep at all.”