Molasses Reef Reviews

Whether snorkeling, diving or taking a tour on a glass bottom boat, this reef is a natural and national treasure.

We took the Key Largo Princess Glass Bottom Boat out to the reef.

About a 45 minute ride to the reef from the Holiday Inn dock.

The boat was great and we saw fish, a shark, lots of sea turtles and jelly fish.

It appears to have survived Hurricane Irma reasonably well with returning corals , sponges and fans. Plenty of reef fish here and other sea creatures

I was shocked how beautiful that water was. This is a protected water sanctuary, and was my first time there. I’m not a diver, but after this trip I know what my new hobby is.

the travel out to the reef was wonderful. the weather, the narration, truly enjoyable. I expected more time at the reef. I expected bigger windows to see the reef. The trip was less expensive than another on Key Largo to the same reef. I liked the boat out of John Pennakamp State Park the best. I just expected to see more than i did.

So, you don't dive the the Florida Keys for marine variety or for fantastic coral formations - most of the reefs are pretty beaten up and can suffer from bleaching. That said, since our last visit we were agreeably surprised by the life and growth on Molasses Reef where there is always the chance of a pelagic passer by (this time a decent sized shark). We dived from ball 15 from which there is a sand channel to winch hole, which can also be reached by ducking off left through a short swim through a little beforehand. It's a shallow dive (bucket and spade needed to go deeper than 30 feet) with enough to explore without being too exciting.

Three of us went on the glass bottom boat to see the fish, etc on the molasses reef. It was very interesting and the naturalist was very good at describing what we were seeing. It was well worth the money.

Great dives unless its windy, then it can turn into a washing machine. So much sea life, sharks, rays, lobster, many kinds of fish. A must see!!

We did a snorkeling trip to Molasses reef on a June 27th, and it was wonderful. Water was crystal clear, not too shallow, and teaming with all kinds of marine life!

We visited a couple of other areas during the day, but Molasses was by far our favorite...... lobster, hogfish, grouper, countless other fish, and even a bull shark were seen in just the first 30 mins we were there!

I got out for a great dive at Molasses Reef with the people from Amy Slate's Amoray Dive Resort and had a great experience. The aquatic life there is amazing. I saw about every kind of fish you can imagine. Depths hit maybe 30 feet at maximum so its a good spot for snorkelers also.

The reef is filled with brightly colored fish, schools of hundreds and sometimes thousands. Often see nurse sharks, reef sharks, turtles, and large green eels. Some swim throughs make the dives fun and entertaining. The dives are shallow, 15 to 35 feet, so they are great for all levels of divers.

Damage from hurricane Irma made this an average dive. Water was very rough and murky as well. Hope it returns to its former glory.

We took the glass bottom boat excursion out of John Pennekamp coral reef state park and this is the reef we were taken to. The reef was named Molasses because a ship wreck long ago dumped it's cargo which was Molasses. Nice boat ride to the reef, our tour guide who I believe was also a captain(Caitlyn) was very knowledgeable and informative, adult price was $24 plus tax and was a tour hour tour. On the way out we saw many green sea turtles and once we arrived to reef we saw many different species of fish, coral, turtles etc. Seas were calm the day we went and a side note you might get a headache as I did from constantly staring down the glass bottom.

Irma did some damage but all-in-all, it was still an enjoyable dive. We actually dove off of our waverunners this time! Great trip. Water was calm and clear. Vis was about 60ft. As a bonus, we saw a few Turtles.

We took a snorkel/dive boat with a local outfitter and it only took 35 minutes to reach the reef. Beautiful coral, tons of fish, turtles, even a shark! Crystal clear water!! Highly recommend!

Shallow dive - 30 ft. Max. Some surge at depth, vids about 40 - 45 ft. Green moray, lion fish, barracudas, queen angels and other common reef finish. Patchy coral in pretty god shape.

Would make a great dive spot. Only had my snorkel gear with me on this trip. Some areas were a little deep to enjoy for the novice snorkeler, but made up with the amount of fish seen.

I've dived. I've been diving in the coral triangle in the Philippines, and while the reefs there may have better corals, "Mo" as it's known by locals here has the best concentration of animals I've seen. Don't shy away from returning to the same dive sites over and over again as you never know what kind of stuff you'll see.

It’s funny to me that a Reef in the Keys would be on Trip Adviser. Nevertheless I’ve been there many times and it never gets old and it’s very beautiful and the water is as clear as glass. Bring the entire family and have a blast.

I went snorkeling and saw more lobster than I had ever seen before. It makes me want to go back during lobster season.

Reasonable amount of fish, but the coral is mostly dead even if it is in a protected sanctuary. Key Largo's coral situation is sad.... the state should do more to protect its natural environment.

This is a beautiful dive site with high coral heads and lots of sandy finger areas between. Teaming with sea life. We even had 5 dolphins and a baby swim right by us at the end of our dive. We have dove 6 sites on this trip in John Pennekamp and this was clearly the best site.

We took the Glass Bottom Boat from John Pennekamp State Park out to Molasses Reef. The captain cruised over the reef for 45 minutes. We saw dozens of different types of fish and coral. We saw a sea turtle and several nurse sharks. On the way out we dozens of varieties of sponges on the canal bottom. It was also great to ride on the bow on the way in and out to have the wind in your hair and smell the salt water.

We went with some friends to a night dive and was really nice. We saw a lot of baby squids, squids, lobsters, eels and a lot of fishes.

Molasses Reef has many dive sites on it, it is a big reef with lots to see. Amazing sea life great visibility because it is mostly shallow 20-50 feet. You need to do several dives to the many different parts of the reef, Rainbow Reef divers knows them all, let them keep track of your dives and you just enjoy the dive site of Molasses Reef your diving that day.

Most reading this will be on a chartered boat. This review is for boaters/fishers/divers.
We tow our boat from Maryland to enjoy boating/diving for our vacation.
Molasses reef has many, MANY, places to hook up. Diving or snorkeling is great here.
There is one buoy left just outside the sanctuary area (#28) you can fish from (it can be really good, from sailfish to yellowtail ) if you have brought your boat to Key Largo, GO!

The Glass Bottom Boat took us out on the 11 am tour. It was a great day, perfect weather for a boat ride. Our narrator was so great and he pointed out many different corals and fish while we were there. So FUN - there were dolphins racing side of the boat on our return trip! Quite exciting!

While Molasses Reef is not the most colorful, it is very interesting and full of organisms to view. Definitely worth a look!

There are a lot of different snorkeling spots along the Pennekamp Coral Reef, but I would recommend this one for beginners who have no experience in deeper waters yet or those who just want to look down from the surface without diving. There is a lot to see, hundreds of different coral and fish species, barracudas (no fear, they do not attack) and with a bit of luck a stingray or even a reef shark. A safe trip with Key Divers (Marina del Mar - Key Largo)

Molasses Reef has a lot of wild life, beautiful colors, and not too deep. Great place for underwater photography.

This is a great area for beginner divers to learn skills and get certified. Horizon Divers was an excellent shop to take us to the reef.

Plenty of fish, and coral to see with not a very deep dive for those least experienced divers. Even experienced divers can have a great time with UW Photography

Fantastic diving, excellent photo ops and tons of marine life. Put this place on your bucket list.
If you dive, go with Rainbow Reef, the crew there are very knowledgeable and know the best spots to venture to.

My son and I went on a diving trip with Rainbow Reef, doing 6 dives in 30 hours, and on the last trip we did 2 dives at Molasses Reef, by far the best spot we visited in our 2 day marathon! Moved across a very varied terrain, with swim throughs and open water, encountered a great variety of marine life: a nesting sea turtle, several nurse sharks, some black tip reefs hanging by the wall within 5-10 feet of our group, a lobster, 2 eels, and a school of small barracuda. Along with the variety of coral and small fish, Molasses Reef offered the most engaging and inspiring experience of our weekend!

Wow a great reef lots of sharks fish and coral. Immediately we saw fish after getting off the boat. It was highly recommended and met our expectations

This was my first Key Largo diving and sadly, I was disappointed. I was told that prior to Hurricane Irma it looked no different so unfortunately, you can't blame the storm. Since the reef is protected, I did see a lot of the traditional cast of characters. However, our dive group did not see any turtles, eels, sharks, lobsters, crabs. Maybe it was the particular location on the reef (Eagle Ray Alley) otherwise, conditions were favorable. Visibility was around 40 feet and there was a fairly decent current.

Beautiful reef system. Easy access. No need to scuba to enjoy this place, though it's nice to dive it. 20ft+/- deep. Loooong bottom times.

I've done a few dives on Molasses Reef and have yet to be disappointed. The water quality and temperature are fabulous and there is a varied quality of sea life. This area proves that you do not have to dive past 50 feet to have a wonderful dive. Can't wait to return next year!

Took a trip with Rainbow Reef and discovered Molasses reef. Variety of Corals and Sea Life the best.

The reef was ok. We saw nurse shark, turtles, fish, eel, and lots of fans. Water temp was perfect. Water had 100' visibility.

Good trip out to the Reef, we saw. Dolphins, Rays,sargent majors, nurse sharks, and on. friendly staff at reservations and aboard ! Keep protecting for generations more to visit,!

Been here many times, and it never fails to deliver.

While not a deep reef, the spur/groove diving is great. We recommend a SMALL dive group (e.g. Blue Water Divers), so you can see the reef in a relaxed atmosphere.

On our dive (Sept 3), we saw lots of fish, including spotted eagle ray, a nice reef shark, a nurse shark, and lots of nice coral formations. This is a " don't mist it " dive in Key Largo.

As part of obtaining my open water diving certification my last dive was on Molasses. I felt like I entered a whole new world. The reef is unquestionably beautiful. The colors and the number of fish was incredible.

I'm hoping to come back this summer and dive again when water visibility exceeds 100 feet.

You've got to dive this site.

Molasses Reef to me is the prettiest of all the reefs in the keys. It's brimming with marine life and not to shallow but not to deep. Perfect for beginners and divers wanting a nice relaxing dive.

I dove here in 6 foot waves with heavy currents so wildlife was not the best but still present and amazing. @ dives we saw, Barracudas, Sting rays, Parrot fish, angel fish, Lobsters, Groupers, and Turtles. I can not wait to dive here again when seas are a bit calmer. We chose Eagle Ray Alley and Wellwood. There is a reason this is one of the best dives in north America.

Molasses reef is an amazing work of art by Mother Nature, so many colors and crystal clear water. I guarantee you will see more marine life large and small than you will believe possible. I saw several turtles, nurse and reef sharks and 1 11 foot hammerhead what a trip. Thanks

Molasses Reef is a beautiful collection of reefs south east of Key Largo. It is part of the protected reefs. Fantastic shallow diving, teeming with fish. A great experience

After a few days of current keeping people off the reef it finally opened and everything came out! We had a series of nice dives including 2 coming in from the Southeast. Excellent drift dives from Permit ledge up Logan's run and into Winch Hole. Fantastic time!

Molasses Reef is so cool. I could spend hours here and look forward to returning again next summer!!

Must see reef. Slow current here which is probably why we spent 3 dives here. Amphitheatre area was the best part of the reef. Great area to go to if you are diving with snorklers as it is pretty shallow diving, less than 30 feet.

This reef is one of the best in the Key Largo/Tavernier/Islamorado area. Amazing coral heads jumping up 10 to 12 feet, teeming with fish and crabs and eels and all kinds of amazing little creatures. Dove with Rainbow Reef and had a fantastic experience. There are many individually named reefs that make up what is called Molasses so the spots are never ending.

We took two snorkel trips. One we were not happy with sun diver. The company on Marriott bay resort was excellent. Visited two different locations on molasses reef. Both very different! One was called the aquarium and it is just as it sounds. Tons of fish. We saw Rays, reef sharks, tons of fish and a small octopus! Best place to go in the keys

We spent about 2 hours at this reef. The reef was nice and we saw lots of coral, conch, fish, sting rays, barracuda, and an eel. It was great but it was also sad to see so much damage. Lots of people were standing on the reef and even touching the conch and coral. It is still beautiful but I was a little disappointed at how much had been trampled on. It is definitely still worth a trip but if you have snorkeled in many other places - especially more secluded, exotic places, you might feel a little disappointed. We went with a tour group and the captain/first mate did a wonderful job educating our group and emphasizing correct "behavior" for snorkeling but many other boaters did not act the same. We also went on a REALLY crowded day so there were so many snorkelers and not a HUGE area to snorkel. 2 hours is definitely plenty.

went out with Rainbow Reef dive center and have a super awesome time with the boat and the diving was perfect

Have dived Molasses Reef a few times and really enjoy the fish and coral in the area. One of the rare places in the US where you can see such beauty!

Pretty dive. Would place it in the top 5 of my 40 years of diving.
Going on this dive with Buddha was the best.

I've done some great dives here and always see an amazing array of fish and other sea life. Last dive it was eagle rays and reef sharks.

Educational and fun trip out to the Molasses Reef. Once we reached the reef the guide pointed out various fish and coral, and talked about the many ship wrecks.

There are several sites around the reef and it is abundant with fish, sea fans and corals. Not as dramatic as some of the more tropical reefs but still very good and close to home.

Molasses always seems to have clear water and is a great dive spot. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a shallow and easy dive.

Great amount of life on the reef. Highly recommend to visit! Saw turtles, sharks, fish and lobsters.

Healthy Coral & tons of schools of fish. We saw turtles, barracuda, trumpets, white tips & nurse sharks & much more

We dove several reefs along Key Largo. Although it is often the busiest reef, for a reason, Molasses Reef has the most abundant fish life.

Nice dive, not a lot of large fish but I was snorkeling when the captain who was in the water with me pointed out what he thought was either a young green or hawksbill turtle. I followed all around the reef until I had to go back. It was like I had a turtle tour guide

We went all over this large reef while we were down in 2015. Loaded with fish and a great ocean/reef environment.

Molasses reef is my idea of a quintessential tropical reef, There is so much to see here with abundant fish and all kinds of coral including some large Brain Coral. This is a nice easy shallow dive so no rush and plenty of time to take in the sites.
To be recommended and I dive here every year.

I saw my first hammerhead there!! The coral is in good shape overall, the site is beautiful, and there was a lot of macrofauna to be seen.

Average Reef good for a shakeout dive if you have not been diving in a while. Shallow dive site (about 15 to max 25 feet). We were able to see turtles (x3) on a 2 tank dive, Lobster, barracuda-several and a couple of larger ones, and 1 nurse shark (about 3-4 feet). The visibility was good but not great. Water temp in December was @72 degrees so shorty -but be advised if you do have exposed skin there was a bunch of jellyfish while waiting in the queue to re-board the dive boat you were surrounded by them and will get them on you- I would recommend a long shirt or rash guard.

We had an enjoyable drift dive along Molasses Reef. This site offers colorful corals, many varieties of tropical fish, sharks and turtles, the water temp was perfect. The current was swift on our dive, we traveled over a mile. Would love to dive there again!

This reef is gorgeous! We snorkeled and saw so many kinds of coral and fish. Next time we will bring our tanks.

If you're looking for a relaxed dive that is not too deep or challenging, the Molasses Reef area is great. Plenty of sea life around to see and enjoy such as moray eels, turtles, many species of fish, and spiny lobster.

I dove this site plenty of times with Rainbow Reef and had a great time every time.

Because of the overcast conditions, the colors were even less vibrant than usual. These conditions, however, increased fish viewing along the efges of the coral.

This was one of our favorite dive sites with beautiful untouched live corals. Very colorful with lots of fish.

Great snorkeling area with beautiful corals and tropical fishes, baracudas etc. I ran into a 8' very friendly nurse shark. Other people in our snorkeling boat spotted a ray.

We had a superb snorkelling trip to Molasses. Quite wavy when we got there but great visibility. Children (12 and 8) loved it.

have you never scuba dived or snorkeled? want to take the kids or pics? THIS IS THE SPOT!

great for beginners, I prefer the middle of the day for the clearest views!

We saw everything that molasses reef. We saw sharks, we saw stingrays, we saw beautiful coral and huge schools of fish.

Molasses Reef is the best-preserved reef in North America. I've been diving it once yearly (multiple trips) since 2013, and it's hung in there. You'll see awesome coral formations and SO many great critters. Do your part and keep it clean <3

It looks like the reef has taken a hit in some areas from the hurricane. We were here 18 months ago and it seemed in better shape. We saw some good fish but there has been damage to the soft corals.

amazing like swimming in aquarium crystal clear water tons of fish corral our first time and can't wait to scuba dive here again

The recent diving was surprising. The visibility was over 100 feet! And multiple encounters with real sharks are a testimonial to the health and diversity of the area. And 80 degrees I just wear a dive skin - awesome.

Went to Molasses Reef with Sea Dwellers. We did multiple dives on different locations and even did my AOW! Saw sharks, turtles and tons of fish!

Amazing views from the glass bottom boat, even more amazing how shallow and close up to the reef we were. We saw colorful fish, Barracudas in abundance and a sand shark along with nautical artifacts, (anchor, rail ties and rails from Henry Flagler's overseas railroad construction) that had wrecked on the reef in times past. It is about 8 miles out from the dock to the reef. A really unique experience with million dollar canal and ocean front homes ringing the exit and entry into the harbor.

Conch Republic Divers - - took my whole diving family to Molasses and we were not disappointed. The water was crystal clear the reef was beautiful , the marine life ( including Lobsters ) - - was incredible. Nurse sharks, moray eels , barracuda ( all very used to divers and don't bother you - but beautiful ) thousands of yellow fin tuna - - just gorgeous.

My wife and I have 20+ years of diving experience and hundreds of logged dives. This was my first experience in the Keys (only because it was a 25th anniversary return trip). Not really impressed with the diving here. Corals are beat up, bleached, and not impressive. Lots of plumes and fans, but not a ton of fishes. The divers that I went out with were sloppy and careless, and likely contributed to the degradation to the reef. If you can't get to other, less beat up locations, then it's better than sitting at home in the snow and cold. But my wife and I will not ever dive this reef again. There's much better, and cheaper, opportunities out there.

It is a great reef. Nice coral with plenty of fish and coral.
I would really recommended the dive if you are in the Keys. When visibility is high, this is very comparable to the Tropics.

Visited the reef using the glass bottom boat. Our guide from the state park explained a lot about the reef and the fish that we saw. The three foot waves made the time at the reef uncomfortable for some because of motion sickness kicking in. I took medicine that they sell on board and was just fine. This reef had more to show than what we saw in Key West

This reef is quite large and there were dozens of different types of fish to see. Definitely a great place to see native fish of South Florida.

We dove for two hours on molasses Reef. The visibility was great and we saw thousands of fish. It was a shallow dive, only about 30 feet. Great color.

The reefs that are near Key Largo, i.e. Molasses Reef, are typically the first place and, often, the only place that divers and snorkelers might stop on their way through the keys. There is no doubt from our visit that it is apparent that the reefs are coming back, though like anything in nature, it doesn't happen overnight. However, you will see a large variety of fish, including moray eels, different sharks, stingrays and turtles. Just keep your eyes open and you may see it.

The diving on Molasses Reef is ok a month after the hurricane. I never dove it prior, so I cannot compare. Although all the DMs commented that the reef has changed and they are having to relearn it to guide. We did see a few sharks, nothing big, a turtle and an eel or two. There are still fans and sponges, but I went for macro photography and was struggling to find something to take picture of.

Depending on the mooring site, there can be a descent current, but there are spots to stay low and "canyons" to stay between reef systems to avoid most of it. You will most likely be swimming into the current and drifting back half way through the dive. We did do one drift dive.

There's a lot of stuff to see...vivid coral formations and lots of wildlife. Highly recommend this spot.

The reef wasn't as colorful as my 1st visit 40 years ago nor were the fish as big or plentiful. I am sure this is a sign of global warming and our allowing chemical runoff into our oceans. It is still worth seeing. The lady Rangers on our vessel gave a great commentary the 40 minues or so we were over the reef. The catamaran from the park ($24 plus tax for adults) is a bargain and you have much more time to observe the reef than if you took a slower more expensive vessel. Enjoy the reef while you can. I worry what it will be like in another 40 years.

Molasses Reef was great. We went with Pennekamp. Captain ZZ Top and Hot Surfer Dude were great! Local people were telling us to avoid Pennekamp because there are too many people on the boats. But when you are not that experienced, you feel so much better having people around you as you explore the reefs. Investigate where you are going first and start shallow, then work your way to deeper as you gain more experience. The Reefroamer Catamaran at the Sheraton was great for a first experience. Pennekamp was a super next step. Don't forget you can start learning at the Cannon Beach first. Great for families.

This is an excellent dive.... easy...tons to see....no, Keys may not be Gardens of Queens, Cuba, BUT if you’re going to dive, THIS is a MUST...

Scuba Dove at many sites on this reef and each has its own character and diverse animals. From Octopuses , Puffer fish EEL's, Nurse sharks, soft and hard corals. Shallow dives make for extended bottom times,

Other reefs have more color. These are mainly browns and purples, white and yellow. Good variety of fish. We went out to the reef in glass bottom boat, but snorkelers and scuba divers were also in the area and would have had the same views.

Dove a couple of sites on Molasses Reef. Two notable sites were the Winch Hole and Northstar. Plenty of reef life The usual characters were there and plentiful. Parrot and Trigger fish abound in variety as well as Tangs and Angels. Saw the biggest French Angel I have ever seen at Winch Hole. At Northstar, checked a Green Morey and a Blacktip Shark off my list. The traveling Firefighter Highly recommends diving here and gives five flames.

We took a glass bottom boat out to this reef. The fish were abundant. so glad to see living corals, too.

Great reef, not a massive amount of coral but unlimited sea fans are definitely present. The quantity of fish is outstanding even for the Caribbean region! One thing I did note was the lack of lionfish. These reefs are so frequently visited by dive masters and instructors who nearly all carry spears that the reef is devoid of these tasty yet destructive fish. Excellent job to the local dive shops. You can definitely see the impact they are having!

Beautiful! Great place for beginners and divers just wishing to chill and watch the abundant fish :)

What a beautiful piece of nature. We had such amazing views of fish and coral. Not crowded and peaceful place to snorkel.

Reef is showing signs of damage and reef health problems. It is still an easy place to dive and there is still much fish life to see. During the summer there are too many dive boats on the reef and too much diver traffic underwater.

Went out with Rainbow Reef dive center. This is a nice shallow dive. You can expect to see lots of fish, the occasional shark and, if you're lucky, a spotted eagle ray. You will get about an hour of bottom time on air. The sites are all close together so time between dives is minimal. There is a reason Key Largo is considered to be the dive capital of the world.

Going for a nice swim on this reef is always an adventure. You never know what you might find as far as fish and sealife.

We were out to dive the Keys for the first time and started with Molasses Reef, going out with the Rainbow Reef Dive group. The wandering little canyons were full of all kinds of fish, rays, turtles and lots of coral structure. There really didn't seem to any damage from the hurricanes as the mooring balls are all well established anchorages. The nice thing about this dive is that it seems like you have covered an huge amount of area, but it is really a group of compact winding channels of corals so you are never far from the boat. Depth is under 60 ft, so its a easy dive program and you can stay long enough to see it all. It's close to Key Largo too, so no long boat rides. We loved it and are going back in May!

There is so much to see on molasses reef that there is no way to have a disappointing dive. The coral is top notch and the sea life is abundant with fish, sharks, turtles, etc! The dive shop we went through, Rainbow Reef, told us this was the best reef in the country and I don't doubt they were right about that!

We visited the reef on the Spirit of Pennkamp, a glass bottom boat sailing out of the state park. It was a two and one half hour round trip. It is a great way to find out about the reef and the coastal area.

Will definitely dive here again as I was so busy testing out that I missed what I should have been seeing.

Of all the reefs off the Upper Keys, Molasses Reef is probably the most visited.

It is easy to find because of the reef tower. Fortunately, there has been a great coral restoration effort and placement of mooring buoys to prevent anchor damage.

The Key Largo glass bottom boats target Molasses because of its proximity to the docking facilities near town and South Sound Creek.

Try snorkeling at the dry rocks areas north of Grecian Rocks and the Statue for an even more colorful coral experience.

Enjoy your visit to the Caribbean of the U.S. Pick a cam day to go offshore.

I was looking for a particular boat and found one for sale in key Largo . Being from Texas it was quite the undertaking but since my kids are distance learning on line I said what the heck . Let’s do it . Boat turned out perfect and when I asked the seller what was the one thing we needed to see in Key Largo he said “MOLASSES REEF”. No doubt this local knew what he was talking about . We snorkeled the shallower areas of the reef and saw thousands of fish including the benevolent nurse sharks and menacing but just curious barracudas . One week of non stop snorkeling in my new boat with my family at molasses reef , definitely a priceless dream come true .

Beautiful reef preserve... abundant sea life. Key Largo Princess is a great way to see the reef with multiple generations. Also work a scuba trip!

Molasses Reef is a beautiful site to dive and see the different types of fish and coral... lots of interesting things to see... lobster, eel, tropical fish.

Fantastic trip out to this reef. Lots of fish and beautiful coral. Water is so beautiful! GreAt day trip out on your boat. Or rent one!

Molasses Reef is a great spot for any diver. A large reef made up of several moring spots it is the ideal place to see an abundance of marine life. From reef sharks to turtles to barricuda and spotted eagle rays , Molasses Reef will astonish you each time you dive it. With its shallow depth it’s a great for beginners as well as the more experienced individual who may want to perfect their buoyancy or learn to ID fish species. This is my go to Dive site. I give it 5stars.

We went out to the reef on a glass bottom boat tour. The reef was gorgeous and worth the visit. However, I kind of wished we would have went out on a snorkeling tour instead....I think it would have made it an even more spectacular visit!

This is by far one of my favorites! So much life and so many mooring balls. My favorite fish are the Midnight Blue Parrot Fish and so many large species of snapper. I reccomend going out with Amoray dive charters.

Excellent! We saw so many types of fish, including barracuda. We also saw a turtle from the deck. Very informative guide

Not sure if it was remnant of the storm or just not a lot to see. We didn't see hardly any fish. Saw some coral but everything was very murky.

We usually see a decent amount of barracudas and reef fish at Molasses. It's also a good bet for seeing sea turtles. The water is not very deep or terribly far off shore making it a nice spot for first timers. There are a bunch of snorkeling boats that go here, try to get a boat with no more than 20 people if you can't go independently.

Beautiful coral reef with lots of life! Perfect for Diving or snorkeling. This is a must see in Pennekamp park!

This reef is absolutely beautiful...we had not been there in along time...the children , ages 8-12 enjoyed it tremendously...it is like being in a giant aquarium...visit it on a non-windy day...we had great weather and recommend it highly specially if you have children to entertain....

We dove on this reef a few years ago while getting our PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Certification. On this most recent trip we visited it in a glass bottom boat. Still beautiful with many types of coral and fishes. The weather and our timeline didn't allow us to dive here this trip. I can't wait to go back again and make a few dives here.

Took my newly certified 13 year old on their first ocean dive here. Great coral growth, colors very vivid, extremely diverse fish species, and a couple of unique "artifacts". Minimal current, 60+ ft of vis. Greatest part of this feature is the 2 youngest (4 & 6) got to see it too because of a glass bottom boat that goes out to the reef. Truly a wonderful treasure with easy access and only a short boat ride.

Went diving here to several sites including “the aquarium” which was AMAZING!! The amount of fish and variety of species was nothing short of breathtaking. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced, there’s something for all types of divers and snorkelers.

Fantastic wildlife! In addition to all the typical salt water variety of reef fish, we saw logger head turtles (one each day), two nurse sharks, and a sting ray partially buried in the sand. It is deeper than some of the other snorkeling reefs at Key Largo (10' to 20' depending on tides, waves, etc), so you could scuba dive (we did not) as well as snorkel. Caution: I recommend that you be a comfortable swimmer (as sometimes the current, wind, & waves make it more challenging) before venturing to this area. This is my husband's favorite place in the Keys to snorkel.

I have been diving and snorkeling all over the world and this is by far one of my favorite places. The reef depth ranges from a few feet to about 35' which make it great for snorkeling and shallow water dives ( my favorite ) . If you want to snorkel plan on two hours before or an hour after the low tide. This allow you to float over the reef in a few feet of water and look down on the incredible sea life and coral structure, like looking down through a huge picture window. At dead low it's too shallow to float above so keep that in mind when planning your day. Its a nice shallow water dive site with coral structure starting from 35 feet and rising up to the surface in a series of large caves, swim throughs and mushroom heads. Sea horses , tropical fish of every kind and the occasional sea turtle will keep you company for hours. The entire reef system very large, too explore in a single day . This means its always easy to find a little piece to explore on your own, and is rarely over crowded. Nearby is Penekamp Park, and the statue of Jesus , but Molasses is the real gem !

This is a great reef dive, lots of fish, rays and sharks - there are a number of turtles and I found the biggest logger head I have ever seen ! Really good diving with lots of good reef life - well worth a visit.

This is a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. I purchased the tickets over the website, thereby saving $5 a ticket and guaranteeing accomodation onthe 1 PM tour. Even without the views through the glass bottom, the trip is worthwhile to view the looming majesty of the sights of Key Largo, gorgeous yachts and stately homes and lovely canals.
Kate and Andrea were our hosts on board and they did a fine job explaining the safety features, preparing snacks and drinks (fine Margueritas!) and describing all the different fish, sharks and corals on view.
There wasn't quite as much colour on the reef as I hoped but the view was still worthwhile.
I will let you find out for yourself why it is called Molasses Reef. If you get Kate and Andrea as your guides, they will do a fine job of telling you the fascinating story!

Our family visited Molasses Reef on two dive boat trips. We dived two sites on the reef and loved the variety of fish and coral there. I could spend hours there watching the fish and would not hesitate to return.

Beautiful day out on the reef. They have buoys to tie your boat lines up to apron arrival. It was crowded with boats but we found a spot and enjoyed a great time snorkeling. The water was clear and fish were plentiful. I enjoyed swimming on top and watching the scuba divers cruise by along the bottom. It's about a 30 minute boat ride off Key Largo. And

I've been to Molasses Reef 5 years in a row through Sea Dweller's Dive shop (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) and never tire of the variety of sea life. A nice shallow dive that won't disappoint!

Visibility was poor the day we dove Molasses, but the experience was still fun. We had a great guide with Corey from Amoray Dive Resort.

Dove it through Conch Republic Divers (also HIGHLY recommend)
Lots to see, nice easy (our day) dive.
Not deep but a really good place where new divers can build confidence and experience the underwater world first hand.

It's nice to see a living, natural reef.
I'm glad to see it begin protected.
Absolutely worth a trip to dive the reef, or even take a glass bottom boat out to it on a calm day.

This was a great area with many dive sites. It deserves its reputation as one of the most beautiful reefs in the keys.

There’s very little coral - it’s all dead. So mainly you’re going to see fish and the occasional sea turtle. So your diving at 15-25’ around rock formations - very disappointing so if this is the best there is to see (according to the boat captain) then set your expectations rather low!

A gem. Visit any way you can. I am petrified of deep water and swimming near animals. I don't even go in the beach. When you see the clear water and beauty there's no way to resist. Will certainly return!

Fantastic Reef well worth diving on - went with Rainbow Reef - don't miss it when you are in Key Largo.

Never been to see a reef before....great trip. Lots of fish, corals and even saw a spotted ray....mangroves we're beautiful!

We reserved an Intro to scuba and refresher course for the entire family through Scuba-Fun, and received first class treatment through the entire day. From the pool sessions to the perfect day on the reef, the dive guides and crew were amazing. The weather was near perfect, and the reef was full of various marine life, with great visability.

We went here just recently, saw 2 sharks, 4 eels, lobsters, and fish galore! We loved it so much we bought a go pro, but the second trip didn't have as much going on. If we ever come back, we will have to return to Molasses again! AMAZING! Went with Pennekamp, Capt Dan and Amanda and Chris!

We took the glass bottom boat out to see this reef!! It was beautiful! Saw huge sea turtles, lots of colorful fish, jellyfish. And the landscape was great!! Loved it!!!

Not a bad reef but not exceptional. Did get to see quite a bit of fish, barracudas and nurse sharks.

from John Pennekamp state park in July. Boat trip was good, but we did not see many fish, coral looks like it is dying! I guess through "climate change" that others say is fiction~well, the coral was mostly brown and used up looking~I went years ago and there were indescribable blues, oranges, purple, all colors of healthy coral that just took your breath away, but not on this trip.

If you end up on Molasses Reef because you wanted to dive there (not as a substitute for a blown out site), I would give it 4 stars. Beats French Reef.

went with emocean sports out of the Marriott resort, great group working there, very personable and aware that this is special family time. They want everyone to walk away with great memories. Also conservation focused

If you are an avid Diver, this is not the place to travel from far away. It’s far from World class, far from bucket list. Almost all of it is with an under 20 feet of water with no current and there’s just not a lot to see. The reefs have seen better days for sure, but I doubt it ever was that great. I’m not trying to be a negative Nancy, but I have a lot to compare it to around the world. It’s just not that great.

I wanted my wife to see what it is like to go snorkeling. On the way out they informed us that recent storms made visibility poor. That was an understatement. We saw one or two fish and could barely see the coral most of the time.
The storm had been a week earlier so you have to be ready to ask very pointedly. If you want a nice boat ride it's OK but you need clear water to see anything through the glass bottom.

We had a perfect day! Lots of beautiful coral life to explore loved the diversity and being a shallow dive relatively worry-free with lots of time to be in total delight!

Took the boat out from John Pennekamp, The crew was great and worked hard to make sure everyone had a good trip.

Mollasses Reef is beautiful. Alot of see life and alot of places to explore.

Saw 2 nurse sharks, lobster and large turtle on my latest dive at Molasses Reef. Always clear water and lots of reef fish. Great dive site.

Visited December 2017, weather was not cooperating much. Seas very rough, 3-5 feet waves. Not much visibility, obviously due to the approaching storm. First Keys dives in a couple years, but the usual suspects were lurking...nice big Scorpionfish, large sleeping nurse shark, very large baraccudas, some French Angelfish...I would love to come back when the conditions were better. I was somewhat surprised by the lack of overall color....just not much pop.

There's a lot to see at this reef. It's a beautiful area and you can tether your boat to dive buoys or take it in via glass-bottom boat. The wildlife is beautiful. The tour out to the area is brief compared with the travel time, though, so be aware that you will probably spend most of your time riding in a boat to get here.

I spent the week with Rainbow Reef Diving. Can Not say enough about all the captains Mates and Guides. Special shout out to Indy Michelle and Bill The best captains ever And mates/Guides J, Diver Dina, Haley and Alana( she was our guide for my first ever night dive) Overall great experience
Can not wait till my next trip

Lots of wildlife. This is a finger reef, so you really feel like you are exploring. Will go back for more. It was a bit crowded that's why only four stars.

Went to two different sites on this reef and saw many spectacular sights. It was like watching a Plant Earth or National Geographic video. Everywhere you look is just breath taking. Nothing like looking down on a 9+ foot reef shark hunting in the grooves! Returning to the boat was unreal as 4 massive Eagle rays glided slowly by. One turned, slid below me and stayed right there for about 2 minutes as I just drank in it's beauty.

I have nothing against ecotourism but I had planned other more serious dives. Plenty of life to see, even saw a few sharks, just prefer wrecks.

This is a nice reef to dive. There are some swim thoughs, lots of fish and a good bit of coral. A lot of the reef was brown but there was a good bit of new growth.

We dove with the park service. Easy 20 minute boat trip. Nice ride through the mangrove inlet. It was 10-15mph wind that day with a little underwater surge but visibility was 60-80ft. The water was 78F. We say large ray, moray eel, spotted eel, hogfish, grouper, barracuda and other reef fish. Reef was in good condition. Other people on the boat saw black tip reef sharks.

Really enjoyed diving on Molasses Reef! Nice visibility, warm temperatures, a little bit of surge when we were there but it doesn't get much better than that! Saw tons of trumpet fish (my favorite), sting rays, nurse sharks, and even some manta rays. Reef is pretty shallow too (we stayed around a max of 35ft), so great for new divers too... and experienced!

Molasses Reef lies just a few miles off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. It's one of the most popular dive sites in the US. On a good day, visibility seems to go on forever. On a bad day, visibility may be down to 20-30 feet. Go with a dive company like Rainbow River Dive Center, which provides free dive guides (underwater tour guides) for free. The guides will show you all the cool aspects of the reef, from nurse sharks to lobsters, eels, tiny shrimp, etc. Fish are abundant here, so bring your camera if you're so inclined.

beautiful ocean viewing of the coral reef. well worth the side trip.

would've liked to have two hosts one one each side, because we couldn't often tell what she was talking about when they saw something on the other side of the boat.

We dove this site four times our first day. It was a good starter dive but when compared to the Speigel Grove and the Duane, it didn't compare.

If you're travelling to Key Largo for diving or even snorkeling, this is the reef to see with so many different sites and an abundance of marine life.

I went snorkeling with my family, and it was decent, but I found that the reef being 20+ feet below the surface made seeing anything up close difficult. I’m sure this would be a fabulous site for divers, since they can go deep and see everything up close, but as for snorkeling, I was a tiny bit disappointed. Besides that, we were able to see a turtle at the surface and some fish which was great!

Oct.11th about a month after Irma the reef is sandy and full of new things to see. the hurricane moved tuns of sand uncovering parts of old wrecks and moving things around.

I prefer the wrecks, but the diving here can be spectacular. Easy to spend an hour here. Nurse sharks, turtles...

It was a great place to snorkel, even better than key west. The guides from Amy's dive shop were excellent

Informative but it was pretty choppy the day we went out. We saw lots of different tropical fish and the reef. it wasn’t as colorful as we hoped it would be.

Loved this reef. Not too deep, nice and colorful, teeming with fish, sharks, turtles, lots to see! Ask your dive shop where the goliath Grouper is!

In comparison to other worldly dive spots (Bonaire, Great Barrier Reef, Turks & Caicos, Manado) we found Molasses Reef to be disappointing. Granted, the day was overcast so that definitely had influence. Nonetheless, the corals were generally 3 shades of brown and the variety of fish was limited. An advantage of this reef is that it isn't very deep but still, we expected more.

Nice easy dive. Very colorful coral. Abundant fish and other sea creatures. Navigation was pretty easy. Nice relaxing dive, would be good for snorkeling as well

Entertaining shallow reef dive, some of the larger specimens visited. Look under the reefs, if you find a crevice where you can actually look up into the reef, you may find a Big Fat Crustacean.

We went on a glass bottom tour through John Pennekamp. We saw 3 green sea turtles, barracudas, a nurse shark and tons of different fish. The guide was very knowledgable. We had kids ages 4-15 with us. They all loved it and learned (all 4 adults, too!)

I suggest bringing snacks with you.

Had a welcome surprise when the Dive operation decided to do a drift dive on Molasses Reef! It was at the 60-80' level, so highly recommend EAN, but could be done on air.

Went to different parts of the reef. If conditions were good, the dive was good. I did a night dive there - it was spectacular!!!

Beautiful reefs and friendly crew. Definitely worth the trip and looking forward to coming back soon!

We visited this reef on six dives over two days about a month after Hurricane Irma. We went with Sail Fish Scuba, who are awesome. There was a lot to see, but the visibility was poor. Will definitely come back under better conditions.

Awesome snorkeling location.
Beautiful colorful exotic abundant marine life.
Reefs are vibrant an teaming with life.

Took the Glass bottom boat out to the Molasses Reef. The seven mile trip out was a treat in itself, the water is so clear you can see the bottom. When we got to the reef, everyone goes below to the glass bottom viewing area. The guide gives a great description of the reef and its history and the different type of life that exists there. This is a great family trip. The kids on the trip were totally mesmerized by all the fish. It was a great learning trip. Plenty of diving going on all around us as well.

I was amazed by the beauty around and under molasses. Water was very clear with a nice visibility in almost all our dives. We saw a lot of big fish and big groups of fish in our 4 dives in the area. Will go again.

My family has a great time scuba diving and Snorkeling. We used Ocean Divers out of Key Largo and we're on the reef in a short time. The reef is full of life because it is a marine sanctuary. A great time and I will be returning!

We did two dives here on a great day. No wind. Flat seas. Clear water. And we saw it all. Sharks, turtles, eels, and rays along with thousands of fish, spiny lobsters and pillar coral! Great dive guide with us, Brent at Rainbow Reef!

Saw sharks, eels, barracuda, turtles and lots of colorful fish! There are different dives sites, we did two of them and had a great time!

We spent 3 hours snorkeling on Molasses Reef with Ocean Divers. There was definitely more current by ball 1 than ball 31. It was a Sunday and we were told that this spot wouldn't be as crowded as the "Christ". We were able to swim with two different species of sharks. Great experience, would recommend!

Went to reef with Sea Dwellers Dive Shop. This was first trip to the Keys, diving was great, visability

Took glass bottom boat out of Holiday inn to molasses reef. Very smooth ride and almost ran over 3 sea turtles on the way. At reef very clear view of beautiful corals and fish. Young interpreter knew all the fish and explained the reef. Besides a large variety of small fish also observed large grouper turtles and rays. Highly recommended.

Easy dive area with lots of tropical fish view. We came across many nurse sharks, reef shark and stingray as well, which were really cool

Despite weather conditions, there was quite a bit to see - Barracuda, Nurse Shark, Lionfish, Grunts, etc. Great sea fans and some rejuvenating reef, but sad to see the corals in poor shape. Great opportunity to show snorkelers and divers reefs in recovery, and a a great reminder to take care of our oceans.

You should definitely go to this reef let the nice folks at Amoray Dive Resort take you out there. We saw so many gorgeous fish, including 2 species of sharks!

I had booked a wreck dive but this was cancelled because of weather and numbers so had a two dive excursion instead.
Molasses reef is easy to dive and the fish life is prolific I actually came across a Giant Grouper which was a surprise.
One of the nicest dives in the area and always the chance to see a Turtle ( I did ).

You have to go this reef. You can take a glass bottom boat from the dock next to the African Queen. There is one from Penekamp as well but this one seemed better for viewing and less expensive. The reef is just stunning. You can take your boat out there also, 5 miles out, and tie up to a buoy. Like swimming in a salt water fish tank.

Still nice after all these years! Easy to find and navigate by boat. Lots of mooring balls maintained nicely. Lots of research going on , thank you SEAFAN for what you do!

Did 4 dives on molasses in the various areas. Each one was beautiful saw lobsters, grouper, big and small nurse sharks, one reef shark, and tons of fish. Went through rainbow reef which was great.

My wife and I spent two dives on Big Mo with Rainbow reef dive center including doing a drift dive. It was beyond great!

I dove this Reef in June and again in July. There was so much to see and the sea life was just great.

Nice 2 hour trip on the princess glass bottom boat out to the reef. Molasses reef had a narrated boat employee sharing the descriptions of what we saw. Lots of elbow room.

Went with Rainbow Reef Dive Charters. They have the number one dive operation in the Keys for a reason! Their guides know just where to go to give you the best views.

Amazing variety of sea life. Good underwater photo ops. Popular with local dive boats, but there's plenty of territory to explore, so it wasn't crowded.

Did morning scuba on Molasses Reef end of March. Had great visibility and was pleasantly surprised to see as much tropical fish and coral as I have seen on some Carribean islands! Parrot fish, moray eels, lobster and many others. At one point I felt like I was inside an aquarium with schools of fish all around. A scuba must

Two of us took the Key Largo Princess glass bottom boat ride out to Molasses Reef. The weather was perfect, and the water was clear and beautiful. It was about a 45 minute ride out to the reef and once we arrived there was plenty of room to stand around the glass bottom windows while the knowledgeable young woman narrated what we were seeing. She could name any of the sea life we saw, and we saw plenty. She also gave information about the reef itself and conservation issues. There was a good amount of time spent at the reef. The boat was also kept in very clean condition too.

Granted I'm a beginning diver but Molasses reef is one of my favorites. It's a shallow dive less than 30 feet but we saw reef and nurse sharks, rays and a sea turtle

Went with two sons for their first ocean SCUBA experience. Great easy dive with lost of bio-diversity. Saw everything from a shark to lobsters.
The visibility on our trip was good 40-50 feet. All in all, a good place for an easy, fun dive.

I've visited this reef numerous times on different dive trips and I've never seen the same thing twice. I've seen reef and nurse sharks, plenty of barracudas and eels. This reef will never get od to me.

Excellent dive site for those interested in sea life. The dive is shallow (about 30') which makes it perfect for those new to diving (like us). Visibility was great and you're shallow enough to enjoy the colors.

We saw an amazing array of life on our dive, but the highlight was the Caribbean Reef shark that silently glided by us! The schools of colorful fish would part around us as we slowly swam by them - like watching a Nat Geo documentary only better in person!

I highly recommend this dive site!

This reef is too good to not visit. Artificially started, the reef has taken off. Great colors to display, hundreds of fish to see and that love to swim right there with you. Extremely nice terrain variety. Total depth on the bottom was 27 ft. This reef is very capable for snorkeling as well as scuba. Don't pass up an opportunity this easy to access. Wonderful place. Will go back again and again.

We snorkelled Molasses Reef on a guided trip with Sail Fish Scuba. We saw a caribbean reef shark, sea turtles and nurse sharks as well as a variety of reef fish.

I have been diving this reef for over 45 years and though it is not as beautiful as it was back then, it is still one of the most beautiful off Key Largo. If people would just look and not touch if would last longer. Lots of sealife.

A nice boat trip to the reef. The crew was friendly and very informative. The boat was very clean. Cold beer!

The reef was really shallow with not a lot of fish. We did see a nurse shark and Moray Eel. For divers wanting to see some diversity and enjoy a dive I would look some where else. Too many snorkels and divers on this one to give it a good rating.

More fish than you can count! Several eels to find if you look in the dark areas. Lots of lobsters hiding under coral. We found queen angels, butterfly fish, trumpets, rock beauties, grunts, damsels, goats, squirrels and many more.

Took Morning Star Sailing Charter out.Saw Nurse shark and Sea Turtle! There were ridiculous amounts of stunning fish. I felt like I was in an aquarium. It was an awesome experience!

Everything on one reef. If there is current you just swim in the channels/grooves. There are swim throughs, hard and soft corals, snook havens, jack, tarpon, shark, turtles, rays. We have seen everything there! Fantastic dive location.

This was our first time visiting the key. We stayed on Key Largo and went diving with Rainbow Reef charters. They took us to Eagle Ray Alley on Molasses Reef. What an awesome spot! There was an abundance of sea life. We saw anything from Eagle Rays to a school of Snook to more coral fans than I could count!

First time snorkeling, what amazing creations to see. So beautiful and calming. Reef fish, shark, coral.... Loved all of the sea turtles on shallow side of the reef marker. Amazing crystal clear water. To fully appreciate your trip to the Keys, you must get away from the land by private boat or charter boat. The breathtaking view of the water away from the shoreline is indescribable. The realm of blue hues are absolutely stunning!

Molasses Reef has suffered a lot in the past hurricanes and from other issues. The staghorn corals I remember from years ago are broken white dead piles on the ocean floor. It's sad to see this devastation happening! We need to take better care of our planet!

Son and I enjoyed a nice snorkelling trip here with Emocean Sports. Saw a lot of fish like barracudas and the like

Dove on a day when it was rough, but coral looked uniformly dead....saw some fish - nothing dramatic!

The beauty and majesty of this reef at Pennekamp is amazing! We went with Quiessence, the Dive Shop that didn't disappoint, especially because they give a more personal touch and only have 6 divers in their boats. Great for your kids!

Absolutely beautiful spot to snorkel or dive. The water is clear and the aquatic life is vibrant. A must see.

Saw the reef on the glass bottom boat tour. It was beautiful. The crew on the boat were friendly and informative and very interactive. I recommend for couples and older children, but not necessarily real young children.

Key Largo is working hard at restoring the reef and raising consciousness, but in many ways it is a loosing battle. But I might come back because there is a strong and growing conservation community here that does world class work (e.g., REEF), and there are several dive operators with the spirit and a broad variety of accomodations.

We had rented our own boat and snorkeled this reef. Lots of fish come to greet you as you drive up and get in the water. The water is warm and calm. Plus the underwater Jesus statue is around

Very good spot : clear blue water, not profound, great visibility when we were there (maybe more than 25-30m). Very nice coral and series of (big) fishes. We have had the chance to see a monster grouper, a nurse shark, large numbers of barracuda, etc. Very rich. Very good to see.
We dived with EMOCEAN team. Recommended !!

This is my favorite snorkeling spot. It's a large reef with many "fingers" so there is a great deal of room. It's great for divers with all the caverns. Lots of great corals and variety of fish and sharks.

Limited viz but lots of fish. If you don't have an Advanced Open Water Diver cert, resign your self to the fact that you're pretty much going to dive the shallows for your week in the Keys.

Took Rainbow Reef diving to take us multiple trips to the reef. Saw sharks, large turtles, eels, and large schools of fish that were colorful and enjoyable. Relatively easy dives of 45 minutes in length with average depths of 25 to 30 feet. Coral is in fair shape but a lot of sponges and fans. Night diving was very interesting, a lot of lobsters and other life out and about!! Saw a lot of Eagle rays and southern sting rays this trip. Rainbow Reef divers were excellent and safe.

Lots of sea life and coral. We were guided by Rainbow Reef dive center. Haley was our terrific guide.

Beautiful corals and sponges and creatures galore! Up close with a grazing sea turtle, reef and nurse shark encounters, box fish, scorpion fish, lion fish, massive barracudas, and tons of colorful fish ... Diving Molasses Reef rocks🎸

This reef is so large you couldn't possibly see everything, ever. WE have hit at least 6 spots, just this year and can't wait to go back. This time we saw some coral that has been planted. This is exciting.

This reef was nice, not as much selfie as you would see in, say, Mexico, but nice.

it's only been protected for about 20 years.. if appears to be recovering nicely.

Saw several turtles and a shark. Water is amazing temperature and not too deep. Took Sun Divers tour. It was great.

Have dived this reef a number of times but it is never other than a great experience. A wide variety of sea life and coral structures with great visibility and in spite of the popularity it never feels crowded because of the structure as you drop down into the fingers and open areas surrounded by coral.

This was a great reef. It was the first one we visited in our open water certification dive. We went with John Pennekamp Coral Reef School of Diving...they are amazing!!

Took the glass bottom boat sunset cruise to this reef and was not disappointed. The reef was teeming with fish, fans, coral, and sea turtles. Loved it.

This is a great dive for beginners and advanced divers. You should log this one too. Most dive charters offering Molasses Reef dives.

Took the glass bottom boat tour to the reef. Sitting in the well of the boat I was able to see all the different corals and many species of fish as we glided over them.

We booked a dive trip to see Christ Of the Abyss but due to current and time we ended up at Molasses Reef. This was a great spot with plenty to see. Largest spotted fish on the surface was a barracuda and below the surface was a nice grouper.

Irma has done a lot of damage to the reef. It is wonderful to see the fish coming back. There were lobsters literally piled up in spots. I wish I would have had my camera! The reef needs time to heal but it is still worth going. You will definitely notice the difference in the reef if you have been there before. We dove the week of Thanksgiving and had great weather. This is a great reef if you are taking any classes as it is easy to navigate.

Went with Rainbow Reef Dive Center to do advanced open water dive certifications, dive this reef and loved it!!!
Plenty of varieties of fish, corals and other sea life.
Definitely recommend diving this reef and Dive company

Our dive boat took us to 2 different side of this reef and in both places, excellent variety of marine life and corals.
Saw lots of the smaller beautiful reef fish, not so much the larger fish though, only 1 nurse shark, a couple of turtles, a couple of spotted rays.
The good part is that it's so shallow, my tank lasted forever... surface time nil. My dive computer hardly blinked...
The dive boat launched from the west side of Key Largo so, about 30-40% of the boat time is getting to the open ocean on the eastern side past the mangroves.

We got to swim in a school of beautiful, luminous purple fish in clear water over an amazing reef. Lots of fish of all sizes. Beautiful corals. We got lucky with the conditions--incredibly clear and calm. Just a mesmerizing snorkel. No problem sharing it with a few divers as there was plenty of room for all.

Maybe if we snorkled, our opinion may have been different, but we took a glass-bottomed boat tour our to the reef. It was interesting to see a barracuda up close (it stayed right under our boat), but we saw very few other types of fish in total. Could have been the time of day (first tour of the day), or maybe the noise of the boat's engines scared them off, but I expected to see thousands of fish, and maybe saw 100?

Visited the reef by way of glass bottom boat. I was a little disappointed not to see more colorful fish, but the corals were very impressive. From our path, we were not able to see any ship wreckage.

I've dived in Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Europe, but this is definitely on my top 5 dive sites of the world. Recommended.

Nice shallow dive - not the best reef but still abundant fish and lettuce nudibranch! Several directions to go so can see alot in one dive.

Nice shallow dives with all kinds of fish an corals. Highly recommended. Many dive shops available to choose from.

The first dives we did in Key Largo were to the Molasses Reef. The condition of the reefs is very good, the visibility was good and there was a lot of sea life. We saw some very big lobsters and big moray eels. There are several canyons to explore and on the second dive we went to the winch. Nice dive, not to difficult, good for beginners.

Molasses Reef was where we went on our Glass Bottom Boat tour. It was very cool alot of fish and coral...Very nice trip and glad we did it.

Best place to snorkel in FL. This reef has plenty of area to snorkel and see you many fish, eel, turtles and sharks.

Having dove all over the world, I was a bit disappointed here. The coral isn't in good health and not as much sea life as you see in the Caribbean or South Pacific.

Lots of fish and good clarity, about 80 feet visibility. There was a current but it was mild, we started dive against the current and finished going with it.

We visited Molasses Reef on Thanksgiving Day and had a great visit. Although we've heard that things have changed since Hurricane Irma, we found plenty of coral and saw sharks, turtles, moray, barracuda and, of course, thousands of fish. We will come again!

You see nice coral and fish, but nothing too exciting on our visit. Wish there was some wreckage shown during trip. Did not see any turtles or sharks.

We were taken here by glass-bottomed boat, but the reef is very sick and there were no fish or other sea life.

Molasses Reef is beautiful, full of sea life, spectacular sites to see! At the beginnig of the Key chain, the reef is not far offshore, maybe six miles, easy access, good for beginning snorkelers!

We went for a diving vacation (could not move the dates) 1,5 months after the hurricane Irma. Molasses was pretty much the only reef with good visibility, but it is large and has a lot to offer. All the small fish were back. There was a abundance of them, - which was great. A lot of sea-fans had survived although damage was visible. Most of the elk horn was broken and devastated, but we found a few that were intact. The rest of the coral was more or less intact. We did see two turtles, two stingrays and a very large nurseshark.The only thing we really missed was big fish such as groupers. There used to be groupers of all seizes (also really big ones). I do not think I saw a single grouper in 4 two tank dives! They must have gone out to further depths?

The last time I was there it was a really bad day.
3 people with their heads over the side of the boat. 4 to 5 foot waves. The first boat out in days but yet still good viz
Not a deep dive at all and not much current.

Nice easy shallow dive for beginners. I've been there several times and sadly the reef is showing some damage. Still worth seeing as there is lots of places to swing around but most of it is brown .

Went on a Friday morning, happy we went loved the reef, the scenery....it had been raining alot...we picked the perfect morning

This is in a natural reservation and protected it is very shallow you could snorkel it as the viz is 15m in winter when we dived and depth only 4-10m deep average 6m most of the time but full of life and a nice site to explore as it is very large. Good for beginner divers but I'm a Course Director & my partner a Master Instructor with thousands of dives and enjoyed it😀

I'm an advanced diver but still loved exploring the whole area (though it wasn't "deep" or "intense" - tons of life and structure

I enjoy taking dive students and fun diving here at Molasses. You will always see a great variety of sea life here. It is not too far from shore, less than 60 feet, and one of my favorite places for a reef dive.

This is where you want to go if you dive in the keys. I highly recommend Rainbow Reef to take you there!

We chartered through Rainbow Reefgreat dive seen lots of Marine Life and caves. we really recommend this dive.

We went diving in Molasses Reef in January and it was absolutely beautiful...Only problem was it was FREEZING and we only wore shorties...had I listened to the dive guides and wore a full wet suit, I probably would've enjoyed it more!

Saw a few nurse sharks, eels, sting rays and thousands of beautiful fish. I definitely recommend the Molasses Reef if you're wanting to dive in Key Largo!

went with keys diver on an hour trip - perfect amount of time. short boat ride out - lots of bright fish and coral and short ride back. the captain threw some bread to attract the fish so that was great.

We visited this reef on a glass bottom boat. We saw nurse sharks, turtles and lots of beautiful fish alongside an amazing reef. A must see reef to visit.

I dove on Molasses reef 4 dives and didn't spend too much time on any of it. There is plenty to see, from sharks to jelly fish, to barracudas, to turtles, to rays, to stone fish, to little tiny blinis to lion fish, and huge grouper. Had a blast diving with Rainbow Reef.

Diving with the dive shop inside the John Pennekamp State Park offered the best value. Quality equipment, excellent service, outstanding demonstration of professionalism, and absolute attention to the safety of clientele.

Diving this reef with Quiescence and Chesapeake Bay Dive let's you know there are so many hand picked spots where the "cattle boats" don't go. Check either dive charter and see why this reef is a million dives waiting to happen.

I have been diving the Keys, and especially the Key Largo reefs and wrecks since 1985.
Molasses reef is a relatively big reef, so there are many locations that one can visit.
It is still beautiful.....BUT, if you have been here in the past, and you stop to observe the reef very closely, you can truly see the damage that all the inexperienced divers have inflicted in the past years to Molasses Reef.
I personally witnessed a young man from Germany trample with his fins all over the coral, for lack of buoyancy control. I later confronted him about it , and was told.....it's my first open water dive! : (

My wide and I just spent two and one half days diving along the reef. This is a specal spot loaded with fish including nurse sharks (adult and juvenile), lots of lobsters, rays and the like. It is a shallow dive area which mean long dives. Excellent overall.

Marked well with mooring balls and a beautiful site. Weekend crowds are many but weekdays are sweet. Get there early and stay late.

The fish diversity wasn't great, but there were plenty of grunts and snappers. Lots of soft corals, but the hard corals are less abundant. Many fish hiding under the coral overhangs. Water clarity was excellent. Great opportunities for both photography and videography. Some divers reported eagle rays, but I missed them.

Definitely a must see.

Not the Caribbean but worth the time
Lots of Reef to navigate 35' to 60'
Generally Very Good Visibility
When cloudy 30'+
When sunny 50'+

We visited the reef via a glass bottom boat. We saw a number of fish, turtles, corals, a ray, reef sharks, lobster, and even pieces from a ship wreck. Next time I want to dive the reef to see even more.

excellent tour. Worth every penny. Beautiful large coral and tropical fishes.Boat was not over crowded. Trails near by for a walk.

WE went snorkeling via Sea Star located at The Key Largo Marriott Resort to Molasses. We saw sharks, turtles, and amazing reefs and fish. The water was very tranquil and the amount of fish were the most I've seen on a snorkeling adventure. I took my nephew for his 13th birthday gift and he didn't want to get out of the water. We landed at #5, and #13.

Went out on the dive trip with rainbow reef dive shop. Had an awesome time and got some great picture of fish, lobster, and sea turtle.

I have seen other reefs that are more alive. The bleaching is over 50 percent and the fish are sparse. I did not snorkel, but saw the situation from the glass bottom boat. Too bad it is so sad!

We really enjoyed snorkeling Molasses Reef. It is about 10-30 ft deep so there was plenty of opportunity for diving as well. Looked like it could get busy, but not crowded in the water. Well worth a trip.

You can dive, snorkel, or free dive. The reefs are fairly close and it's relatively shallow. I would do this free dive again.

shallow dive site - perfect for all dive levels. Lots of small coral heads and walls with vivid colors from fans to sponges, etc. occasional large life swims through but for most part its the smaller seal life. Rainbow reef runs a great operation

Went snorkeling, amazing reef, only 45 min away from shore, could not stop looking, like swimming in an aquarium. Need to be a decent swimmer, there is a constant current to swim against.

This was our favorite reef on our dive trip last weekend. Visability was good and we saw a lot of beautiful fish. We will come back again.

We found Molasses Reef to be amazing. Abundant sea life. Colorful fish everywhere. We saw turtles on every dive, barracuda, sand shark, nurse shark, more eel along with the usual suspects. Coral has been mostly bleached out. Interesting terain.

The reef was very beautiful and abundant with underwater life. We dove this reef 3 different times while we were there and each one was spectacular.

An hour and a half drive and we can dive the reefs of Key Largo, can't beat that!
A few weeks ago we dove beautiful Molasses reef and I noticed some of the big Staghorn colonies still in good health, hopefully it will stay that way for years to come.
Nice leisurely diving with lots of life!

Reef is not particularly dazzling. The glass bottom boat tour and guide from Pennekamp were good. And the $25 cost was a good value. Not sure what I was expecting.

Molasses Reef has something for everyone due to it's enormous size. Lots of great things to see. A great variety of depths and aquatic life. It's a must for any diver.

Great place to dive. However it is very crowded lot of divers from all the dive companies around. The reef is in great shape and alot of wildlife to see. We saw eagle rays and a bull shark

Good diving area - saw sharks, turtles and lots of fish. Went with Scuba Fun with Tanya as our guide.

One of the most beautiful reefs in the area, marine life is everywhere, from turtles and sharks, to snook and coral

I have snorkeled and dived this reef for almost fifty years and will continue to return as long as possible.

Sadly there was little colour on this reef and not many fish. We saw three barracuda and some very small angel fish.

We loved diving Molasses Reef with Key Largo Dive Center. Captain Larry and our Dive Master Max were the BEST crew! Our family (4) has only recently taken up scuba, so having professionals like KLDC to help us get the most out of Molasses Reef is highly recommended. We saw soooooo many fish, plus some nurse sharks, and a few turtles, the Spanish anchor, the wreck of the SS Benwood, and a couple of great sunsets heading back to Key Largo Fisheries where KLDC docks their boat. The Reef is NOT to be missed. Snorkel it, view it by glass bottom boat, or best of all, swim with the schools of fish from 25-40 feet deep as a diver. You'll love it.

Molasses Reef is one of the most popular dives around Key Largo, there are several groups each day. You can book a trip right from your hotel lobby. The Reef is protected and you get instructions on what to due and not due. You get to see lots of beautiful coral and fish.

amazing fish and coral. great scuba outfit within the park too. you might even see sharks and turtles.

now that we have a boat we spend so much time diving and snorkeling on the many reefs in key largo...just amazing as we have seen spotted rays, turtles, amazing fish...great that this is protected...easy tie up for our boat

2 tank dive trip from the Scuba Shop at John Pennekamp state park. Crew was good, diving was good. Water was a bit choppy due to higher than normal winds. But still had a great couple of dives! Turtle, lobster, shark,