traveling with a dive knife?

[zonie]

I was reading in the southwest diver magazine where a diver's carry on dive bag which had his dive knife in it was examined and the dive knife was taken by the airlines.

Has anyone else had any experiences like this?

I will be traveling the end of March, and plan on taking my dive knife with me.

 

[ScubaScott]

Zonie - I would hope that the knife was taken! That guy was foolish to leave it in his carry-on. Even before 9-11, I would have thought they would take it, or at least make him put it in his luggage stowed underneath.

I haven't taken my knife with me thru an airport, but I would think that even with the new restrictions, it could be brought in your luggage, NOT a carry-on.

 

[MNScuba]

Just put it in with your checked luggage. Do not by any means try and bring it on with your carry on items. You cannot bring so much as a nail file with you. I just got back from the Caribbean and had to take my shoes off twice and empty out my carry on as well. I had no problem with it and hope they continue to be this cautious.

 

[scuba-sass]

... and I thought my B-in-Law was silly when he thoughtlessly left his nail clippers in his dop-kit carry on, back in November!

What was this person thinking?

There is absolutely no problem with dive knives in checked luggage. Just don't put them anywhere you have access to past the security check-point (that is the whole purpose of the check-point, after all!) and during flight.

Happy Diving!

Scuba-sass

 

[martinjc]

Make sure you tell the person at the airline ticket counter that you have dive equipment in your checked luggage - including a knife. Failure to declare a weapon - even in checked luggage - could cause a nasty delay if your bag gets picked for a random search.

 

[VTWarrenG]

<rant>
All this airport security hype is worthless. Checking passengers' shoes is not going to make a hill of beans of difference in actual security, only in perceived security. People seem to think the longer the line and more harrassing the security checkpoint, the safer they are. This is rubbish.

I can fly my small single-engine Cessna into just about major airport I'd like. I can her tie her down, walk across the tarmac to the main terminal, and jump on any sort of luggage wagon or fuel truck I'd like. I can walk up and touch a 747. If I'm wearing the right clothes, not a single person will ever know I don't belong there.

Anyone who really intends to blow an airplane up is not going to go on as a passenger through the stupid metal detectors. They're going to personally throw a bomb in a nice Samsonite into the plane's cargo hold, and detonate it with a cell phone. There is NO security on airliners. NONE. Get over it. If you can't handle it, find another way to your destination.

There are 4,000 flights every day in the US alone, and something like 11,000 worldwide. Your chances are being killed on an airplane because of a sabotage or bombing or hijacking event are literally smaller than your chances of being killed by a lightning strike while taking your morning shower.

The concept that I might have my dive knife confiscated from my checked baggage as a "security risk" just about makes me scream. The concept that I might have my nail file confiscated for the same reason just about makes me laugh.
</rant>

- Warren

 

[MNScuba]

If you pack any kind of knife in your carry on I hope you do get it confiscated, why do you need to carry it on? If it makes people feel more secure, by all means... keep doing it. If it keeps one plane from being terrorized than it's worth it. Hardly anything you just said makes any sense.

I do agree with you that if someone really wants to blow up a plane, they will. But if we don't take as many precautions as possible, then it just makes it easier. You break the rules, you pay the price.

There's my 2 cents...

 

[luvdiving]

Zonie

When I had questions about what I could and couldn't take with me, I've always had good luck when I called the airlines direct. :boom:

 

[VTWarrenG]

Murdock,

Everything I just said made perfect sense.

Not once did I advocate bringing a dive knife on in a carry-on. I said nothing of the sort. I would never do that, and wouldn't expect any other sensible person to do it, either -- even before 9/11.

I was angered by the concept that I might have trouble bringing a knife on a checked bag -- as someone said, it might be "randomly searched" and confiscated anyway.

My point was not that we shouldn't cautious -- just that too many people seem to equate passenger shoe checks with good security -- even though the terrorist that blows up your plane won't even set foot in the terminal. I'm just fed up with the long lines and uneducated, annoying, and often harrassing airport security people, when I know damn well they aren't doing anything to bolster security by x-raying everyone's shoes four times. They'd do better looking out the windows with some binoculars.

- Warren

 

[MNScuba]

VTWarrenG

I hate it when that happens... sorry. I read "checked" and my mind saw "carry-on". My apologies! I'll be more careful in the future. Anyway, after re-reading what you wrote I agree that if someone confiscated a CHECKED knife, that would really be something to complain about. As far as the shoe thing... it's got it's good and bad points:

The Good:
Tests on the spot for certain substances
No hidden items (C4, knives, etc...)

The Bad:
Some people's feet really stink
Lines get long (but it's pretty quick)
It feels awkward