Yesterday I took The Spirit of Pennekamp glass bottom boat out to Molasses Reef. The story goes that the reef was named this because a ship loaded with molasses wrecked on the reef. The rescued sailors cried because molasses was used in making rum and they now couldn't make any rum.
The Spirit of Pennekamp is a 65' catamaran that is fitted with a dozen viewing windows in each of it's hulls. The trip is 2 1/2 hours long and takes you about 7 miles off shore. We got to spend a little over an hour viewing the reef.
The seas were less then 2' and the water visibility was 45', great conditions for the trip. You can sit on the edge of the hull and dangle your legs inside as you watch the reef underneath. The closest the hulls comes to the reef is 6' but with the magnification of the glass and the salt water it looks like it is only a foot away and we'd crash into it at any time.
More pictures in the photo gallery.
The photos do not do the view any justice. The view was great and I got to see not only the coral and common fish but a sea turtle and lion fish. Price for the trip was $24 and we only had about 20 people on the boat. The trip exceeded my expectations. For those that want to see a coral reef but don't want to get wet, I would highly recommend taking the Spirit of Pennekamp to see it.