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Certification required
AOW
Panorama Reef, Safaga
Egypt · reef · advanced
15–30 madvancedAOWboat entry
Panorama Reef, Safaga
The main Panorama dive: a mooring on the sheltered southwest corner, an anemone field and a gorgonian drop-off on the south plateau, and a wall under it.
Max depth15–30 m
Required leveladvanced
Entry typeboat
Visibility20 m
The dive
Panorama Reef, charted in Arabic as Abu Alama, is a single offshore seamount about 60 to 90 minutes by boat east of Safaga, past Safaga Island. It runs roughly a kilometre on a northwest to southeast axis, rises from water several hundred metres deep, and carries a plateau at each end with near-vertical walls down the east and west flanks. This pin is the main dive on that reef: boats pick up a mooring on the sheltered southwestern side and the dive works the south plateau and the drop-off beneath it. The north plateau is a separate route on the same reef, run as its own dive and held in this catalogue as Panorama Reef North, about 600 m away.
From the mooring the plateau starts somewhere between 15 and 20 m depending on which operator you read, and breaks over the edge at around 30 m. Two things on it are worth planning the dive around. The anemone field on the south side holds on the order of fifty to sixty large anemones with twoband anemonefish in them, shallow enough to sit over at the end of the dive. On the eastern side of the plateau, giant gorgonian fans stand on the drop-off at about 27 m beside a crack that falls well past 50 m. Below that the wall keeps going past 80 m; the recreational dive stays on the plateau and its lip. Napoleon wrasse are close to a fixture here, with giant morays, crocodilefish and scorpionfish on the coral heads, blue-spotted stingrays on the sand, and fusiliers and trevally hanging off the edge.
Current comes from the north about 95 per cent of the time and ranges from mild to hard. The south plateau sits in the lee of the reef, which is why the mooring is on that corner and why this is the more forgiving of the two routes; the north end is where up-currents and down-currents get reported. The crossing itself is open and can be rough. Operators do not agree on who should be diving it: one Safaga centre rates the whole reef advanced to expert, another sets an Open Water minimum for the sheltered side. We have taken the conservative reading, because 30 m of plateau over an 80 m wall with a northerly current is not a place to be learning buoyancy.
- Anemone field on the south plateau, roughly 50 to 60 anemones full of twoband anemonefish
- Giant gorgonian fans on the eastern drop-off at about 27 m, next to a crack that falls past 50 m
- Near-vertical wall below the plateau, sounding past 80 m
- Napoleon wrasse are a near-permanent presence on the south side
- Mooring on the lee corner, so the dive starts out of the current
Please note before you go
- Northerly current that can run hard, with up- and down-currents reported on the reef's north end
- The wall under the plateau sounds past 80 m, so depth creeps if you follow the gorgonians over the lip
- Scorpionfish and crocodilefish sit still on the plateau and are easy to put a hand on
- Open water on every side and 60 to 90 minutes from Safaga port; losing the reef in current means a blue-water ascent
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Day boat or liveaboard out of Safaga, 60 to 90 minutes each way depending on the weather, east of Safaga Island. Boats tie to a mooring on the sheltered southwestern corner of the reef rather than anchoring, and the reef gives enough shelter for several boats to sit there at once.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Rules and permits
Egyptian Red Sea reefs are moored rather than anchored: HEPCA has installed over a thousand mooring buoys along this coast in cooperation with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, specifically to stop anchor chains being dragged across reef. HEPCA states that it receives no money from any national-park, marine-park, environmental-tax or reef-protection fee.
Season
September to November gives the warmest water still paired with the better visibility numbers and fewer boats than mid-summer, and April and May offer the same conditions on the way up. Mid-summer is hot and crowded; January and February drop the water to about 21 to 23 C and make the exposed 60 to 90 minute crossing less pleasant.
Conditions
Visibility20 m
Currentmoderate
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range15–30 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsbusy
One Red Sea liveaboard operator puts visibility at this site between 20 and 40 m and water temperature between 22 and 28 C; regional month-by-month figures for the Hurghada and Safaga coast run 21 to 30 C water with 25 to 40 m visibility depending on the season. A normal day is a moored boat on the southwest corner, a light to moderate northerly on the plateau, and clean blue water off the wall.
On current: Sources agree the current sets from the north roughly 95 per cent of the time and that it varies from mild to hard. The south plateau is described as normally calm because it lies in the reef's lee, which is where the mooring is; the reef's north end is where up-currents and down-currents are reported. Sources disagree on the rating: one Safaga operator calls the site advanced to expert, another lists Open Water as the minimum qualification for the sheltered route. We have recorded the conservative one.
Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov
Questions & answers
How deep is Panorama Reef in Safaga?
The south plateau, which is what this dive works, starts between 15 and 20 m depending on the operator you read and breaks over the edge at around 30 m. The gorgonian cluster on the eastern side sits on the drop-off at about 27 m. Below the plateau the wall keeps falling past 80 m, and the reef itself rises from water several hundred metres deep, so this is a site where you set a hard depth limit before you get in.
How do you get to Panorama Reef?
By day boat or liveaboard out of Safaga, 60 to 90 minutes each way depending on the sea, heading east past Safaga Island. There is no shore access of any kind. Boats tie to a mooring on the sheltered southwestern corner of the reef, and there is enough shelter there for several boats at once.
Is Panorama Reef good for beginners?
We would not send a new diver here. One Safaga operator rates the reef advanced to expert and another sets an Open Water minimum for the sheltered south route, and we have recorded the conservative reading. The plateau bottoms out at 30 m over an 80 m wall, the current sets from the north on nine days in ten, and the nearest help is an hour away by boat.
Can you snorkel Panorama Reef?
Not usefully. The reef top by the mooring can be snorkelled if a boat brings you out, but the anemone field, the gorgonians and the wall all sit well below snorkelling depth. The reef is an isolated seamount an hour offshore with a northerly current running past it, so this is a boat dive rather than a surface swim.
Is there current at Panorama Reef?
Almost always. Operators put it at roughly 95 per cent from the north, varying from mild to hard. The southern plateau lies in the reef's lee and is normally the calm side, which is why boats moor there; the north end of the reef is where up-currents and down-currents get reported, and the corners are where it accelerates.
What will I see at Panorama Reef?
The two set pieces are the anemone field on the south plateau, with roughly fifty to sixty anemones and their twoband anemonefish, and the giant gorgonian fans on the eastern drop-off. Napoleon wrasse are a near-permanent presence on the south side. Around them expect giant morays, coral hind, blue-spotted stingrays, lionfish, crocodilefish and scorpionfish on the coral heads, and fusiliers and trevally working the edge of the drop-off.
What is the difference between Panorama Reef and Panorama Reef North?
They are two routes on the same reef, about 600 m apart. This entry is the main dive off the mooring on the sheltered southwestern corner: south plateau, gorgonian drop-off, anemone field and the wall beneath. Panorama Reef North is the plateau at the opposite end, dived separately, where the northerly current is stronger and the bigger animals are more often reported. Many boats do both on the same day.
When is the best time to dive Panorama Reef?
September to November and April to May. Those months pair warm water, the better visibility figures for the Egyptian Red Sea and fewer boats than mid-summer. January and February drop the water to about 21 to 23 C and make the exposed 60 to 90 minute crossing harder work, though the diving itself still runs year round.
Life recorded at Panorama Reef, Safaga
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISGymnothorax javanicusoccasional · 9 recordsTaeniura lymmaoccasional · 9 recordsHexabranchus sanguineusrare · 3 recordsSynanceia verrucosarare · 2 records
Amphiprion bicinctusoccasional · 11 records
Epibulus insidiatoroccasional · 9 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Amphiprion bicinctus | occasional | 11 |
| Epibulus insidiator | occasional | 9 |
| Gymnothorax javanicus | occasional | 9 |
| Paracirrhites forsteri | occasional | 9 |
| Taeniura lymma | occasional | 9 |
| Coris aygula | occasional | 8 |
| Pterois miles | occasional | 8 |
| Chaetodon semilarvatus | occasional | 7 |
| Naso unicornis | occasional | 7 |
| Genicanthus caudovittatus | occasional | 7 |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | occasional | 7 |
| Thalassoma rueppellii | occasional | 6 |
| Dascyllus trimaculatus | occasional | 6 |
| Chaetodon austriacus | occasional | 5 |
| Fistularia commersonii | occasional | 5 |
| Chaetodon melannotus | occasional | 5 |
| Naso elegans | occasional | 5 |
| Tridacna maxima | occasional | 5 |
| Priacanthus hamrur | occasional | 5 |
| Cephalopholis argus | occasional | 5 |
| Bodianus anthioides | occasional | 5 |
| Parapercis hexophtalma | rare | 4 |
| Arothron diadematus | rare | 4 |
| Pardachirus marmoratus | rare | 4 |
| Cheilinus lunulatus | rare | 4 |
| Pomacanthus maculosus | rare | 4 |
| Heniochus intermedius | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon auriga | rare | 4 |
| Chaetodon fasciatus | rare | 4 |
| Zebrasoma xanthurum | rare | 3 |
| Callyspongia (Callyspongia) siphonella | rare | 3 |
| Crella (Grayella) cyathophora | rare | 3 |
| Asthenosoma marisrubri | rare | 3 |
| Caesio striata | rare | 3 |
| Caesio suevica | rare | 3 |
| Cephalopholis miniata | rare | 3 |
| Chlorurus sordidus | rare | 3 |
| Epinephelus fasciatus | rare | 3 |
| Flavocaranx bajad | rare | 3 |
| Hexabranchus sanguineus | rare | 3 |
| Myripristis murdjan | rare | 3 |
| Ostracion cubicum | rare | 3 |
| Parupeneus forsskali | rare | 3 |
| Pseudochromis fridmani | rare | 3 |
| Amblyglyphidodon indicus | rare | 3 |
| Monotaxis grandoculis | rare | 3 |
| Parupeneus cyclostomus | rare | 3 |
| Epinephelus tauvina | rare | 2 |
| Pygoplites diacanthus | rare | 2 |
| Sargocentron caudimaculatum | rare | 2 |
| Synanceia verrucosa | rare | 2 |
| Theonella swinhoei | rare | 2 |
| Abudefduf sexfasciatus | rare | 2 |
| Macolor niger | rare | 2 |
| Echinometra mathaei | rare | 2 |
| Octopus cyanea | rare | 2 |
| Lutjanus bohar | rare | 2 |
| Hemimycale arabica | rare | 2 |
| Pomacentrus sulfureus | rare | 2 |
| Pseudanthias squamipinnis | rare | 2 |
Nearby sites in Safaga
Explore all sitesPanorama Reef North0.6 km
SafagaThe north plateau of Panorama Reef: a one-way drift off the beacon end, with a northerly current that decides whether the dive happens at all.
Middle Reef Safaga5.6 km
SafagaA big circular reef east of Safaga dived for its hard coral, with a plateau of sand lanes and coral ridges running half a kilometre east toward Hal-Hal.
Um Hal Hal (Shaab Quais)6.4 km
SafagaTwo ergs at the edge of a plateau 400 m southeast of Middle Reef, with a wall dropping away at 30 m and a current that keeps divers out of the water most days.
Shaab Taminah8.1 km
SafagaA minor reef in Safaga Bay that almost nobody has written about - listed here honestly rather than filled in.
Safaga Soraya9.1 km
SafagaGamul Kebir9.9 km
SafagaA U-shaped reef half an hour out of Safaga with three pinnacles off the north end and seagrass in the lagoon.
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