Knife Use and Size

[Tribal]

You need a big knive to open the oysters! Its realy hard with the small Halcyon knive and my GF won't share her Rambo knive silly vegan

 

[Texasguy]

Another reason to carry 2 big knives is when there is a strong current is to use them to pull yourself on the sand by stubbing it. Much less air consumption and CO2 generation than finning through.

 

[TMHeimer]

Another reason to carry 2 big knives is when there is a strong current is to use them to pull yourself on the sand by stubbing it. Much less air consumption and CO2 generation than finning through.

Good point. Never thought of that.

 

[Rred]

Sticking a knife into a sand bottom?!

You're as bad as my buddy, who signed for my knife one day and then plunged it into a flatfish--and the sandy bottom. When we got topside I chewed him out for that. I spend good time putting a razor edge on my knives (diving, kitchen, pocket, whatever) so that they will CUT without effort. (Which paid off when I got wrapped up in a fish net.)

Plunging a sharp blade into sand, repeatedly? That's just abuse which is going to turn a good knife into a poor pry bar.

 

[george_austin]

A big 12 inch frogman knife strapped to your leg may not be necessary but it is a silent nod to our roots. It's the first thing I pack. I have used it to cut line, cut up urchins to feed fish, dig in to the bottom as an anchor when a strong current has come up, cut line from boat props etc etc etc

Does any two fisted manfish not swoon when he sees a pretty girl with a 12 inch Aqua Lung Master strapped to her calf? - When was the last time you've even seen that?
I know, right? Even diving has gone metro. :-(

 

[TMHeimer]

Sticking a knife into a sand bottom?!

You're as bad as my buddy, who signed for my knife one day and then plunged it into a flatfish--and the sandy bottom. When we got topside I chewed him out for that. I spend good time putting a razor edge on my knives (diving, kitchen, pocket, whatever) so that they will CUT without effort. (Which paid off when I got wrapped up in a fish net.)

Plunging a sharp blade into sand, repeatedly? That's just abuse which is going to turn a good knife into a poor pry bar.

Well yeah, but how often will you be in such a current you have to do that?

 

[claymore]

I won a small Dive Knife in a raffle last weekend and traded it for a Mask Case with some trinkets in it because it would be more useful to me. I ALWAYS carry an EMT shears and usually a line cutter.

 

[maj2]

Well yeah, but how often will you be in such a current you have to do that?

It's all in the local conditions... When I lived closer to the St Clair River, we had to do that regularly. However, I never used a knife for the job. We knew that there would be current on every dive, so used a cheap #3 standard screwdriver. I drilled a hole through the handle, attached a wrist lanyard, and had a perfect tool for sticking in the bottom without ruining the blade of a knife. It is still in my gear box for drift dives where we might want to stop and look at stuff. Admittedly, I have not needed it much since we moved farther from that particular dive site.

 

[kelemvor]

I switched to shears and line cutter a year or two ago and haven't looked back. I've never needed a knife or the shears/line cutter underwater except during a class once. I have used them on the boat every now and again.

Recently started carrying a really, really BFK, but only because "Winter is Coming"

Winter has been here for an entire season now.. sheesh.

 

[shoredivr]

Well yeah, but how often will you be in such a current you have to do that?

Strong current River diving: St Clair, Niagara and St Lawrence. But I take two old screwdrivers and stab those into the bottom to haul myself sideways, or even stop when scrounge diving. I shudder to think of wrecking a perfectly good blade or two jamming them into sand, mud, rocks repeatedly.