Molasses Reef, Coral reef in Monroe County, Florida Keys, United States.
Molasses Reef is a coral reef located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, southeast of Key Largo in Monroe County, Florida. It is built around a classic spur-and-groove structure, where long coral ridges alternate with sandy channels running from shallow water down to deeper sections.
The reef grew over centuries as part of the natural marine landscape of the Florida Keys, long before the area received any formal protection. In 1984, a large freighter ran aground on it and crushed a wide section of coral, which led to one of the first major reef restoration efforts in the region.
Molasses Reef sits within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, where anchoring is not allowed and mooring buoys are used instead to protect the coral. Visitors can swim among parrotfish, angelfish, and sea turtles in water shallow enough for snorkeling near the surface.
The reef is only reachable by boat, and most visitors join organized tours departing from Key Largo. The shallowest parts of the reef are accessible to snorkelers, while divers can go deeper along the spur-and-groove sections.
At a spot known as Winch Hole, an iron winch from an 1887 shipwreck rests on the ocean floor, visible to divers on a regular dive. The wreck is rarely mentioned, even though the metal parts sit just a short distance below the surface among the living coral.
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