Panorama Reef

Also known as Abu Alama

A large reef off Safaga with sheer walls on three sides and some of the healthiest soft coral in the northern Red Sea. The best day-boat dive on this stretch of coast.

Depth

5–40m; the walls continue well beyond recreational limits

Access

Day boat from Safaga, around 45 minutes

Best season

March to November; winter northerlies cancel more days here than close inshore

Level

Intermediate

Conditions

• Steep walls dropping into deep water on the north and south sides
• Current is usual and sometimes strong, particularly at the plateau corners
• Typically excellent visibility

What you are likely to see

• Dense soft coral, especially on the northern wall
• Large schools of anthias, fusiliers and snapper
• Napoleon wrasse, and reef sharks along the deeper edges
• Dolphins occasionally on the crossing

What to watch out for

• The wall goes far deeper than you need to. Set a hard depth limit before you descend — the deep blue on a healthy wall is where divers quietly overshoot their plan.
• The southern plateau catches the current first. If the briefing says "we may have to abort the crossing", believe it.

This is planning information, not a dive briefing or a substitute for one. Conditions change; your guide on the day is the authority. Diving emergency numbers and the coast’s recompression chambers are on our emergency contacts page.