Molasses Reef

You’ve got to see Molasses Reef… it’s amazing!

Went here on the glass bottom boat and it was incredible! The narrated tour that was given on the boat identified different species of marine life and was so much fun. Best way to see the reef without getting wet!

Molasses Reef is so beautiful, you just cant put it into words and no photograph or video does it justice so my review will be in the form of a Haiku.
Amazing fishies
The most gorgeous place on Earth
Diving is a must

Great place to go on a glass bottom boat. We saw a bunch of tropical fish and really enjoyed the cruise from the Holiday Inn Resort. The guides were very nice and the bar had plenty of deals.
Also saw a barracuda!

This might be the best reef in the keys.
It has a massive marker that you can see from land. (No GPS for this reef!)
It is deep enough for divers, but shallow enough to see what’s what from the surface.
This is the reef that the Pennekamp boats come to, which means there is normally other people in the water, that is always nice, I’m not scared of sharks and cudas, but it’s nice knowing someone else is there, just in case.
The sea life here is as varied as I have seen on any other reef.
Little tropical fish (sorry don’t know all the names, the colorful ones that people put in tanks)
Snappers
Groups
Barracudas
Sting Rays
Nurse Sharks
Turtles
And the occasional black tip.
I know black tips are scary, but it is a deep reef near the drop off so you will see them, but they don’t have any interest in us humans, I have never seen one even look at a human here, diving or snorkeling.

Perfect for divers and snorkelers.
The most buoys to tie up to out of any reef I’ve been to.
Easy to find with the large marker/​tower.
That is just some of the reasons why Molasses gets 5 stars in my book.
Where is it?
It is a couple of miles off shore @ mile marker 95.
What is it?
It is actually more than one reef. It is a bunch of reefs that are all together in about 30 ft of water, depending on tide. That is what makes it good for snorkelers and divers. It’s deep enough for divers to have fun and see things that snorkelers can’t, but snorkelers can still see most everything. The Pennykamp boats come out here all the time.
What’s there?
I see nurse sharks all the time. Remember, those are the friendly guys. They are brown, can lay still without swimming, and have faces like catfish, so they are easy to identify.
Small to mid size barracuda. I find the ones here don’t seem to have the «we own the reef» attitude that some at other reefs tend to have.
Southern stingrays. (what I call medium-​large and gray) They are usually buried under a thin layer of sand, but you can make them out.
Lots of fish. All sorts of colors, shapes and sizes, even occasionally Tarpon and Snook.
Very rarely do I ever see lobster, but you aren’t allowed to harvest lobster from Marine Sanctuary anyways so no big deal.
You can go to this same reef a hundred times and still see new stuff. Partly because it is so huge, just tie up somewhere different. Partly because with the ocean, you just never know what you’re gonna get.