DIVERS KNIFE is it still nescesary?

[steeldiver]

I'Ve noticed at the dive sites latetly an alarming increase in divers
not wearing a divers knife.I certainlly dont dive without one ,A small BC knife cliped onto my gauges easily acsesable and unobtrusive.Over the years i have had call to use my knife to free myself from fishing line and once to free a turtle stuck in a gill net.
I have quite a collection the enormous Rambo type's popular in the seventies to the excellent ones brought out in the 90's.
Is it just to much hastle to strap on a knife or
Is this a new FASHION TREND?
Howard.

[KeyLargoBrent]

just in case! They've come in handy a number of times.

[steeldiver]

Shears,linecutters THEY ALL OUT PERFORM THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS.
I encourage my rescue diver candidates who don't own line cutters to cary one of those diposible utility knives in their bc pockets.
Howard

[jiveturkey]

I use emt shears but they get really rusty. I found a coating of silicon helps get rid of rust but it's really messy. Any neater ways of keeping the shears rust free?

[ColdH20diving]

I wouldn't feel comfortable not carrying a knife. I carry both a knife and line cutter, too much fishing line out there.

[FallenMatt]

er.. this is my personal experience:

had some spare cash (returned my console to the lds and got in-store credit for it) so i've got one of those oceanmaster *gasp* titanium blunt tip knife.. with big TITANIUM letters on its side.

dove for a while with it and started reading about knifes, with people everywhere saying those big knifes are useless, should get shears or small BC knife...

now i have my 4.5 inch blade knife, dont' feel like spending another (small this time) $$$

so i am just really ashamed strappping that thing to my leg before dive, hope nobody notices that i have it... or latelly, trying to find a way to mount it on a harness so it is not right into people's eyes...


sigh... i like knifes. don't want to get rid of this one but reading the stuff online makes me feel like a such a wannabe :D

[Dryglove]

I always carry two cutting devices no matter where i dive. I carry a small knife on the waist band of my BP harness and a set of EMT shears in my bellow pocket.If im diving a highly populated fishing area i carry a third cutting device, a z-knife. You can never predict when you will get tangled in something.It just makes good sense to carry at least a set of EMT shears.Besides they are cheap.

The only place that my EMT shears have rusted is on the rivet.I do clean them after every dive and give them a coating of slicone to help prevent rust.

[GQMedic]

I wear a knife on my leg. It's more mid size, it works. If the size of my knife shocks ayone, who cares? They don't have to wear it.

-Dennis

[eandiver]

I carry a small blunt tip line cutting knife, a set of EMT shears both mounted on my upper left BC and a back up/ killing knife (spearfishing) on my right leg.

Any rust gets knocked off with steel wool and a dose of silicon spray.

[John C. Ratliff]

I have almost always worn a dive knife, regular sized, and without reservation or embarassment. A dive knife is a necessity, as it will get a diver out of lines, nets, etc., and can also be used for prying.

Here's some of the uses I've put my knife through in my diving career:

--Cut two Korean pilots out of their parachute harnesses and tangled lines after they were ejected on impact through the canopy of their F-86 when it crashed into the Yellow Sea. The pilots had not survived, but at least their bodies were recovered by our helicopter rescue crew. Without a knife, that would not have been possible.

--Regularly cut fishing line to collect fishing lures and weights out of the Oregon rivers I dive. I also use the knife to pry the weights out of crevices they've become lodged into in the rock bottom. Recovering lead weights does two things: 1. It rids the water of lead, and that water is used for drinking water by many municipalities. It also helps get toxic lead out of the river for the aquatic life. 2. They can be used for diving weights with the appropriate molds (however, I gave mine to a fire department over 10 years ago, and haven't seen it since). That means free weights. Lures cost $1 to $2.50 each, and it's now pretty easy to get ten to twenty dollars worth on a dive in the right places.

--Cut monofilament line that has become entangled in my equipment.

--I used my dive knife to cut about a 3 inch diameter rope and fishing net, the top rope of a fishing net, off the anchor of a missionary ship on Thetis Island, BC when I was a teen. A knife needs serrations to do this kind of job, and it took us about half an hour of cutting to get it off.

I currently dive a Wenoka Sea Style dive knife with a 5 inch blade (which may not be made anymore). The blade has a line hook in it, and two serrated areas (one on the top about two inches long, and one near the line hook about 1.5 inches long.

This knife has a button locking mechanism in the handle (which is red; I like it to be bright), and can be handled one-handed. I attach it to my right calf, usually on the outside, but will rotate it to the inside if there is a lot of kelp or other sea weeds around. Its handle can also be disassembled for cleaning by unscrewing the top cap, unscrewing the locking mechanism with their special key, and sliding the plastic handle out. This makes for good cleaning, and corrosion prevention. Even "stainless" steel will corrode if exposed to salt water and not properly cleaned, dried and oiled.

I highly recommend keeping your knife very sharp, either by learning to use a stone/steel combination or by taking it to a cutlery periodically to be sharpened. To be effective, it should be sharp.

Diving knives are not macho, self-defense weapons, such as is seen in the movies. They are tools that will allow a tangled diver to get out of trouble, and should be treated with that respect, kept sharp and corrosion-free, and worn on every dive. You never know when there may be a need, and if you do need a knife, it's usually too late to go back on shore to get it.

SeaRat

[Uncle Pug]

...a little knife is a great tool for sharpening pencils... too hard to do that with EMT shears... so I carry both.

But most folks are overlooking drilling needs.

Sure it doesn't come up that often... but when you do need to drill a hole... especially in metal... EMT shears or that titanium pig sticker are not going to get the job done... no siree.

An air drill with inflator nipple is just the ticket for those jobs!

[Boogie711]

Uncle Pug - you should patent your little airdrill idea in a nice, easy to carry case for ice - divers. When they find themselves almost OOA and trapped under the ice, they can just drill themselves a neat little hole and stick their snorkel up. No problems, right? :P:snorkel:

[jimisurf]

I have never used my knife while underwater. I have never used the airbags in my car either. I'll keep the knife on just in case.

Jimi

[steeldiver]

The main excuse i get when questioning divers
on where is your knife? is,
'I've lost it"
AS i have picked up well over 10 knives on dives i can well believe it(its a pity they dont leave the scabards behind)
TWO MEATHODS INSURE I DONT LOOSE MINE
1. Attach some of that nylon coiled line they put on those keyrings
costs about R4.streches out to about 2m/6ft and you can break it if nessesary.When not in use coils up neatly,[comes in a colour of your choice.]
2. Put a piece of velcro as an extra hold around the handle so
even if the clip is trigered the knife stays in place.You get
them ready made up here to secure your bicycle pump onto the frame.
Hey i still think that knife on the calf is the coolest
Attaching it to my console gives me one less item to leave behind.
Howard

[GearHead]

I carry both a serrated knife (easily accessible) as well as EMT shears in a pocket on every dive.

[John C. Ratliff]

Uncle Pug says:

But most folks are overlooking drilling needs.

Sure it doesn't come up that often... but when you do need to drill a hole... especially in metal... EMT shears or that titanium pig sticker are not going to get the job done... no siree.

An air drill with inflator nipple is just the ticket for those jobs!

Is that the kind I remember from a dentist's office? :D

SeaRat

[otobmark]

Small (3" maybe) blunt tip serrated one side and plain sharp edge other, attached to my BC inflator hose. Since it stays attached to my regs I never forget it. The shears are tucked under pocket upside down on Ranger BC waist belt. You can't really see them and I once forgot I had them. I did remember and use my knife instead. My 2 sons carry shears and titanium blunt tip knives (5"). Mostly I stab peanut butter and fruit w/ mine.

[Barracuda2]

If you're a UW photographer or videographer, a knife is useful for indicating the size of the object being captured. I simply place the knife next to the object (if it's stationary) and take the shot. It gives the viewer a perspective as to the size of the object.

Barracuda2

[Big Blue One]

... along with torch, smb, whistle - required on every dive.

Keep all safety gear as compact as possible without compromising it's purpose.

If you have extra purpose (fish killing while spearfishing) then get one tool that does both jobs

still should have extra line cutter and keep all gear within reach

[lanun]

interesting. i'll ask some of the divers this weekend :D

actually, where i usually go most rent their equipment. so a knife/cutter/shears ain't something they have/bring.

those that do have/bring their own equipment for some reason don't carry cutting instruments, either. except the DM's and instructors i notice.

perhaps it's because >half 'follow the lead' and probably bank on their guides to get 'em out of trouble.

[MacRS4]

perhaps it's because >half 'follow the lead' and probably bank on their guides to get 'em out of trouble.

I think you have it there actually - it does seem that most of the divers who expect to be guided seem to have lesser independance or rather self-reliance for their own safety.

[teknitroxdiver]

Oh man I can't imagine not carrying a knife. I've never been tangled in stuff, but it comes in handy on every dive. I've used it to remove old fishing line from a piece of coral, to pick up a shell I couldn't get my fingers under, and many other things.

I currently only carry one but I plan on getting a Z knife as a backup.

[outlawaggie]

I use emt shears but they get really rusty. I found a coating of silicon helps get rid of rust but it's really messy. Any neater ways of keeping the shears rust free?

go to a good fishing tackle store. they sell EMT shears that are stainless.

[O2Addict]

I carry a 3" knife on my BC, it is a blunt tip, with line cutter. It is useful for alsorts of things, most importantly is to cut monofilament.

Also it is the best protection against sharks that I know. All you need to do is to cut your buddy, and swim in the other direction. It is a lot easier to do that effectively with a serated knife blade than EMT shears. ;)

[Wristshot]

I like the "airbag" analogy. Just because you have never used it yet doesn't mean you don't want one for when you need it.

I carry the coolest knife in the world, the Aeris/Oceanic knife locked into the backside of the Aeris console. (I just have to remember to remove the knife for flying - I goofed once!)

I also carry Trauma Shears. They may rust, but I am not worried because I bought a half dozen at $2.00 each. No, not a typo, two dollars. Check out

http://www.emergencytees.com/

and search for shears.



Wristshot

[Rick Murchison]

they can just drill themselves a neat little hole and stick their snorkel up. No problems, right?
Only if it's pink.
Rick

[Rick Murchison]

Around here there is abundant monofilament, and steel (piano wire) leader to snag your gear. Shears of some sort work best for that, so if you're only going to carry a single cutting device that's what I recommend. (A knife will not cut steel leader worth a flip).
Personally I usually carry a small blunt tip knife (LDS) and some Gerber stainless fishing shears (Walmart). When spearfishing I carry the pig-sticker on the leg.
Rick

[DI_Guy]

I understand that in the Cayman Islands you are not allowed to dive with a knife, (shears are OK). It has something to do with the local dive sites being considered a protected marine environment.

BTW I have a RAMBO style knife ,,,, I should not have bought it. oh well