Tires & Cars
Two sites in one: a small reef of truck tyres from 18 m, and sunken cars and a concrete mixer that shelter ghost pipefish and flamboyant cuttlefish.
Tires & Cars is really two sites in one, both inside a marine sanctuary. Tires is a lovely little reef made of truck tyres tied together on a sandy slope, starting at 18 metres. Cars has both a shallow and a deep area, and both are full of life.
The dive
The maximum depth is around 28 metres. At Tires, the tyre reef sits on the sand from 18 metres. At Cars, the shallows hold sunken mooring lines and concrete blocks, while deeper down you will find old car wrecks and a concrete mixer. Each structure has become its own small habitat.
What you might see
- Ghost pipefish around the tyres and the wrecks
- Banded pipefish on the sand
- “Shaun the Sheep” and other nudibranchs
- Seahorses on the tyre reef
- Stargazers, buried in the sand with only their eyes and mouth showing
- Tiny frogfish, lionfish and flamboyant cuttlefish around the cars and the concrete mixer
When to dive Tires & Cars
Good all year, with water temperatures of about 25 to 29°C. See when to dive Dauin.
Who it suits
Divers comfortable at depth who enjoy macro life around structures. With its deeper areas, this site is best suited to Advanced Open Water divers.
Our tip
To explore the whole area properly, plan on a couple of dives here. Nitrox helps you make the most of your bottom time on the deeper part; it is available for certified divers, or you can take the Enriched Air Nitrox course with us.
Good to know
- Tires & Cars is a marine sanctuary. The standard sanctuary fee is included in our dive price; with a camera, add PHP 50 per dive.
- Lionfish have venomous spines; keep your distance.
- For another tyre reef, try Ginama-an.
Dive Tires & Cars with us
We dive the Dauin coast every day, with full rental equipment included in our dive rates. See our Dauin diving and prices, or build your dive trip and tell us which sites you would like to see.