Molasses Reef
Dive site · United States
Is it worth the trip?
76Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: Sea: flat, Visibility about 15 m, Water 27 °C
Mon 2 · 62 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 22kn
- Air
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 11 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 71 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 11 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 27°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 174, good
- Mon 262, good
- Tue 368, good
- Wed 471, good
- Thu 579, good
- Fri 679, good
- Sat 780, good
- Sun 876, good
- Mon 978, good
- Tue 1070, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 8 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 27 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces SEswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 74, good | 0.9 m | 14 kn | 18kn | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 62, good | 0.8 m | 15 kn | 22kn | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 68, good | 0.5 m | 11 kn | 15kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 71, good | 0.3 m | 6 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 79, good | 0.2 mflat | 4 kn | 8kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 79, good | 0.2 mflat | 2 kn | 8kn | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 80, good | 0.1 mflat | 2 kn | 6kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 76, good | 0.4 m | 11 kn | 16kn | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 78, good | 0.2 mflat | 5 kn | 10kn | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 70, good | 0.7 m | 15 kn | 26knboats in | 22°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 00:42 +0.4 mLow 07:16 −0.3 mHigh 13:46 +0.3 mLow 19:36 −0.2 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:58 +0.3 mLow 08:21 −0.3 mHigh 14:51 +0.3 mLow 20:45 −0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:13 +0.3 mLow 09:25 −0.3 mHigh 15:51 +0.3 mLow 21:50 −0.3 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the site, its town, photos
Molasses Reef on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Molasses Reef
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More diving near here
5 places
- French Reef 2.9 km away
- USCGC Bibb 2.9 km away
- USCGC Duane (Wreck) 3.1 km away
- Benwood 5.3 km away
- Spiegel Grove 8.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Molasses Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 8 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SE: swell from the SE reaches it, and wind from the NW blows out to sea. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 10 km away. The sea is about 24°C in January, its coldest month (5 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Key Largo. Within 5 km we also list 3 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 8 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 10 km away.
Water about 27°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 15 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Oct, Nov and Dec (about 15 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$998–US$1,810 each
about US$998–US$1,810 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to MIA, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$201–US$415 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Total | about US$998–US$1,810 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Key Largo
18 min by car · 36 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Key Largo its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 6h 45m
About 6h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MIA, direct, then 1h 50m by road
Flights MDW → MIA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Key Largo · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Key Largo · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Sundiver Boat Dock 11 km
Scuba Tech 11 km
Dive In Watersports 11 km
Scuba-Fun 11 kmPADI
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Yellow stingray Urobatis jamaicensisRay
Seen in 9 records.
Blue mah Thalassoma bifasciatum
Seen in 445 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Gutong Sparisoma aurofrenatum
Seen in 423 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Bicolor Damselfish Stegastes partitus
Seen in 363 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Yellowhead Wrasse Halichoeres garnoti
Seen in 344 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Gutong Scarus iseri
Seen in 309 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Clown Wrasse Halichoeres maculipinna
Seen in 304 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Blue tang Acanthurus coeruleus
Seen in 244 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Barber Acanthurus bahianus
Seen in 243 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Slippery Dick Halichoeres bivittatus
Seen in 236 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Moontail Sparisoma viride
Seen in 226 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Azurina cyanea
Seen in 164 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS, through OBIS; common names from Wikidata. Largest datasets here: Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2016; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2014; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2012; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2018; NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Coral Demographic Data. Credits
This week: visibility about 20 m, clearer than usual (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.