For Safaga I remain based in Hurghada and commute by taxi. At last, my first ride of the trip in one of the classic Peugeot estates. The dashboard is decorated in purple velour and gold braid, protected from dust by a fitted polythene cover. Egyptian music wails from the tape player.
The main pier at Safaga is crowded. Rudi, Easy Divers' local manager, explains that the usual 6 or 7 boats has been bumped up to 23 to cope with a French public holiday. Amongst all the traffic Easy Diver's boat is one of the last to depart. It turns into a blessing in disguise because at Panorama reef we have the dive site to ourselves. Other boats are tied to the moorings, but their divers are already finishing by the time we get in the water.
I can easily see why it is called Panorama. Healthy and dense coral covers the reef to well past 30 metres. One corner near the moorings is splattered with anemones and the obviously resident clown fish.
On the opposite side of the reef we are looking into the blue for big critters when I look round to see a small turtle swimming towards us. I move in then make a point of drawing away as the turtle gets close. My tactic works and the turtle's curiosity results in him chasing me.
Later on the boat Rudi recants a tale of a turtle trying to eat a guide's silicone mask. It must have confused it for a jellyfish, like so many plastic bags we hear about.
The other site I really wanted to do from Safaga was the wreck of the Salem Express, a ferry which struck the reef when returning from Saudi Arabia in December 1991. Water cascaded onto the car deck and the ferry capsized and sank in minutes, coming to rest near on the starboard side in just under 30 metres of water. There were only 180 survivors and no one really knows just how many were lost.
Setting out late again works to our favour. As we arrive above the Salem Express the mooring on a long daisy chain of boats breaks loose. Another boat on a mooring by itself finishes and we take its place.
It's a strange and interesting wreck. Virtually intact with a litter of loose fittings on the seabed below. Small clumps of thorny corals are growing well on the upper side of the hull and superstructure. A clear indication of how fast some coral species can grow.