My irritating talk with Cunard

[pupdiver]

I second the recommendation for paramedic shears. They are compact, strong, and sharp.

Not sure if they fit within your knife vow, but they will cut fishing line easily.

 

[MSilvia]

Alternative cutting devices is a good idea, as is (IMHO) avoiding the excursion desk like the plague and booking your own dive charters before the trip.

Of course, I'm biased by having been left stranded by a cruise ship excursion operator with 6 other divers off the coast of Belize for two hours, only to have the ship's crew offer an apology in the form of confiscating all of our knives when we finally made it back.

The excursions we planned ourselves went MUCH more smoothly. Cruise ship excursion dives aren't for divers. They're for tourists who presumably have c-cards.

 

[Don Wray]

I just carried the paramedic shears with me...TSA ask me about them, I told them what they were for, and nothing else was said.

 

[Guba]

All the cutters mentioned will do nicely and be virtually unrecognizable as a "knife". You might also try some of the implements used by EMT's, paramedics and fire departments. They're commonly called "seat belt cutters" and are essentially the same thing, but they tend to be a bit less expensive and many have other implements that might come in handy (wrench fittings and such...).
When you can't change the situation, change your tactics. Have a great trip and have fun!

 

[Zeeman]

ME: I hung up

Nice. good job, I'm sure this guy will have a great opinion of divers after this.

Diving is not like a hike in the woods, or a beach excursion, where not much is at stake.

Tell that to the families of the people who are lost hiking each year. I'm sure their opinions may slightly vary to yours...

-------what should I do?

Relax, have a cup of tea/beer/whatever you need to help you wind down, then think about alternatives. dive shears, for example. I know many divers on this board have mentioned they think shears are far more useful in an entanglement situation.

Looks like a great trip you have planned, and I hope you enjoy it

 

[Divermark2003]

Some times knifes aren't allowed on dives down there (not always). Like if your diving in an area classified as a park or reserve. They don't want you poking the fishies and/or coral.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

I got pulled out of line while boarding HAL's Zuiderdam (which was right next ot the QM2, nice ship!), they were QUITE upset about my tools in my carryon: a small knife, pliers and two screwdrivers. They gave them back to me the very last day with a letter explainging that they were considered "weapons."

Moral of the story: no one cares what' not in your carryon. Stick it in the luggage and no one will care at all. When I picked up my tools, they pulled out a box with all sorts of confiscated stuff in it, including bout 5 dive knives But, on the dive boat a few people had dive knives with them. "Oh, it was in our packed luggage" they told me.


What was really funny, they didn't complain about the knife at first, they complained about the "wire cutters," needle nose pliers with a small cutting thing near the fulcrum. I told them "No, I don't have any wirecutters" and they ran it through again, and asked again, and I remembered then that I had pliers, and maybe they meant pliers when they said wirecutters. It didn't make them very happy, I think they thought I was trying to sneak them through.

 

[Shasta_man]

I'd suggest that shears are a better tool to carry always anyway.

While you can't do any Sea Hunt action, any shark would have only ended up as a full bellied shark with a knife wound.

Be sure to set your expectations for the rest of your cruise experience based on staying within their rules.

 

[SwimJim]

Maybe you could carry a thermo nuclear device instead. But seriously, an EMT shears will cut through down rigger cable, fish nets, spidermans cast webs, and any fish line you can throw at it. A dive knife will not do all that. Of course as Tom Winters logicly points out, you will be diving sanitised sites and will have no call for a cutting device anyway, so its a mute point.

Jim

 

[Carribeandiver]

I booked a cruise with dive excursions. I had all my dive gear in my bag and turned it over to the porter who brought it to my room. I doubt if anyone x-rayed the bag and it was not opened so who besides me knew what was in the bag?
When I left for my excursion, I merely carried my dive gear bag with me and didnt open it until I was on the dive boat and gearing up to hit the water.
It never crossed my mind that I would notify anyone that my gear included a knife. Why did you feel it necessary to contact them and ask permission?