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Diving Molasses Reef Key Largo – Video

A quick edit of a recent dive in the keys. This location is called Molasses Reef. It is the most visited dive site in the US. Also, it has been protected for a very long time, so the coral and fish seem to thrive here. Video shot on GoPro hero 4 in Protune mode with red filter. Visibility was about 60 feet on this dive, and the current was strong in some areas. If you look closely there is a black tip reef shark lurking just on the edge of visibility.

Molasses Reef is a coral reef located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It lies to the southeast of Key Largo, within the Key Largo Existing Management Area, which is immediately to the east of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. This reef is within a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA).

An unmanned reef light is located near the reef.

Molasses Reef is popular scuba diving and snorkeling location with numerous dive sites marked by mooring buoys.

One notable site is at buoy #7 and is variously referred to as the Winch Hole, Windlass Wreck, or The Winch. Here lies the large mechanical winch from the Slobadana, a 170 foot wooden hulled schooner that sank in 1887 after only three years in service. In addition to the winch itself, various mechanical artifacts are scattered over the nearby area. Also, large coral formations with (relatively) deep channels between them make this a popular dive location.

Approximate coordinates: 25°00′50″N 80°22′15″W

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