Pickles Reef

The Duane is a retired Naval ship that was sunk November 26, 1987 as an artificial reef approximately one mile south of Molasses Reef in Key Largo. This is an advanced to expert dive only!

At the far South end of Molasses Reef, just at the base of mooring ball number 21, you will find the massive old Spanish Anchor. This end of Molasses Reef tends to get a bit of current, sometimes even making it not dive-able. You might see sea turtles, loggerhead turtles, Reef Sharks, Bull Sharks, Hammerhead Sharks

Molasses Reef is one of the most popular dive areas in the Florida Keys. There are 30-33 specific dive sites located on Molasses Reef alone. The reef is shallow and very clear with lots of life, making it a great area for divers of all levels and snorkelers as well.

Eagle Ray Alley is located between North Star and The Winch Hole dive sites. This shallow site consists of a large of sand channel that runs seaward from Molasses Shallow to Logan’s Run. The high relief coral ledges on either side of the channel have deep undercuts offering protection for a variety of marine life.

Davis Reef is one of the nicest reefs in this area. It’s known for an abundance of large green moray eels and a multitude of tropical fish. A great spot for night dives, new divers, and snorkelers. Also of special interest is the Buddha statue that was placed here there years ago.

An amazing, shallow reef dive great for snorkelers and newer divers. Davey Crocker Reef has one of the highest populations of fish life in this area. Schools of fish, nurse sharks, eels and turtles. This is a must dive.

The iconic Florida Keys wreck dive, the Spiegel Grove, has been a “must dive“ for Advanced Divers, Wreck Divers, and the occasional Open Water diver (if conditions are perfect) since the ship was sank in 2002 as part of an Artificial Reef project in the National Marine Sanctuary.

Banana Patch is on the southern end of the Grecian Rocks area. The reef gets its name from a long sloping ledge that bends around like a banana as it heads out to sea. The top of the ledge is about 10 feet, and it runs off into about 40 feet. There are healthy hard and soft corals, and the colors are very bright.

Deeper than some of the other coral reefs, Victory Reef has spur and groove formations and a natural “V“ shape which provides different scuba diving adventures. If you swim northeast you will drop off the wall, and if you swim southwest you will have a 50-60 foot dive.

While we don’t know the story behind the name of this site, we definitely don’t know how anyone could be grumpy after seeing the huge schools of yellowtail snapper, tomtates, eels of all types including spotted, green and viper, numerous nurse sharks, and lobsters.