Do you dive with a knife? How about a big knife?

[billgraham]

you ever penetrate a wreck ? You don't go in without a big ass knife...

jim...

Yes although I'm normally not doing it at 240. The thing that happens to me most often is getting a fin wrapped up in some mono and that OMS plastic hook shaped thing is great for cutting stuff you can't see. I do find a lot of BFKs on dives though. And strobes, reels, shears, lights . . .

 

[Progen]

I bought a Tusa flat tip knife last year even before I've gone for my first open water dives. On the 2nd dive to get my Open Water certification, I didn't bring it on the dive. Was left in the room. How I wish I'd not bothered about what people thought of a newbie strapping a knife onto his leg. We came across a poor stingray with a hook in its mouth and a small sinker attached to the other end of the line. Obviously the angler had tugged hard and the line had broken off at the sinker. If I had had my knife with me then, I could at least have cut the sinker part off so that the poor ray wouldn't get itself stuck somewhere if the sinker had caught onto some coral. A 'normal' sized knife at that time would have allowed me to cut the line from at least 2 to 3 inches away from the frightened ray so yeah, I carry a big one and so what? It may come in useful some day.

ps. One of the instructors did try to get the hook out but the ray was getting more and more stressed and swam quickly away in the end.

 

[ScoobaChef]

I'm pretty new to this, and I've just been doing a bit of shore diving on reefs and trying to keep my bouyancy sorted to avoid touching anything. It's pretty hard to get entangled in rocks and coral, but I still got told I might die because I don't carry a blade. Mostly this comes from people who only use their knives to cut sea urchins off rocks and feed the grouper.

I think I know that guy! . and the grouper.

 

[Quero]

I bought a Tusa flat tip knife last year even before I've gone for my first open water dives. On the 2nd dive to get my Open Water certification, I didn't bring it on the dive. Was left in the room. How I wish I'd not bothered about what people thought of a newbie strapping a knife onto his leg. We came across a poor stingray with a hook in its mouth and a small sinker attached to the other end of the line. Obviously the angler had tugged hard and the line had broken off at the sinker. If I had had my knife with me then, I could at least have cut the sinker part off so that the poor ray wouldn't get itself stuck somewhere if the sinker had caught onto some coral. A 'normal' sized knife at that time would have allowed me to cut the line from at least 2 to 3 inches away from the frightened ray so yeah, I carry a big one and so what? It may come in useful some day.

ps. One of the instructors did try to get the hook out but the ray was getting more and more stressed and swam quickly away in the end.

PADI instructors are required to have cutting devices with them when conducting courses. Didn't your instructor have one?

 

[Progen]

PADI instructors are required to have cutting devices with them when conducting courses. Didn't your instructor have one?

Nope so I guess that's another strike in your blacklist since you know who took me for the 4 dives.

 

[Quero]

Could be that she didn't have one because it was prohibited by local regulations (in which case you wouldn't have been able to take yours either). In the long run, though, it's really only important that you have learned to dive well. When you achieve your goal to become an instructor and it's you following standards, I feel pretty sure you'll be vigilant. Most of us learn things from our own instructors' mistakes. (Besides. I've totally forgotten her name already.)

 

[Wingy]

Lost a really good Kinetics knife in Moorea but also have my fathers dive knife circa 1965 which being Australian is a now THATS a dive knife type knife. Have never used a dive knife for anything other than cutting up fruits in hotel rooms.

 

[AfterDark]

I have what passes for a diving knife these days attached commando style on my left shoulder strap. I carry a real diving knife a USD Sea Hawk circa 1970's on my thigh. In a pouch on my waist strap I have shears additionlly, if I'm wreck diving and going to penertrate I stick a pair of heavy duty wire cutters in the the pouch too.

 

[iluvtheocean]

yup, really... I use this:

Spoiler

In all seriousness, I'm in the line cutter and steak knife camp.

Is that a starfire?


i always carry sea snips with me and the knife depends on what sort of diving i'm doing and the conditions -- 5"-6" tusa flat tip

 

[danvolker]

You know you could strap a really big knife on to a Gavin Scooter! Come to think about it, why not the monster knife on one side, and a big honking SMG 4 barrel gun on the other side ( anyone remember these WMD's from the early 80's?)