Panorama reef

Panorama Reef lives up to its name — a massive offshore pinnacle 15 kilometers east of Safaga whose elongated elliptical shape, vertical walls, and crystalline visibility offer some of the most breathtaking panoramic vistas in the entire Red Sea. The reef is a liveaboard and day-boat classic, famous for its dense hard-coral cover, schooling pelagic predators, and frequent encounters with large reef sharks on its deeper walls. The reef runs roughly 800 meters north-south with walls on both sides dropping past 50 meters into the blue. Divers typically drift along one of the long walls at 20-30 meters, observing a superb display of gorgonian fans, black coral trees, and soft corals. The coral cover on the shallower tops is among the best in the Safaga region — massive table corals, staghorn fields, and pore coral heads create a dense three-dimensional landscape. Marine life includes resident grey reef sharks, giant moray eels, Napoleon wrasse, and regular schools of barracuda, bigeye trevally, and tuna. Summer months bring hammerhead schools to the north end and occasional manta ray sightings. The shallower reef top hosts anemone gardens with clownfish, abundant butterflyfish, surgeonfish, and parrotfish, while nudibranchs, pipefish, and shrimps reward slow observation. Panorama is an Advanced Open Water dive — currents can be strong and depths significant, though sheltered corners on the leeward side allow Open Water divers in gentler conditions. The site is reached by day boat from Safaga (45-60 minutes) or as a standard stop on central Red Sea liveaboard itineraries. Visibility typically exceeds 30 meters, and best conditions run March through November with calmest seas in spring and autumn.