Choosing A Dive Knife

[jimmayor007]

Every diver should consider a dive knife to be a required piece of equipment on every dive. Monofilament fishing line and other sources of entanglement are a universal hazard. There are a few vacation dive destinations that try to discourage or prohibit divers carrying knives in an effort to protect their tourist resource, the dive sites, but they are the exception rather than the rule. This attitude is in responde to the unthinking and irresponsible divers who think a dive knife is the perfect tool to harrass defenseless marine life or chip away at the living coral reef. There may be situations where you may want to pry away at something or flip over a sea urchin but a pristine dive resort reef is not the place for such things. I don't remember who first said "take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints", but this idea is perfectly applicable to diving. However, It is better to have a knife with you when you are sitting on the bottom ensnared in a web of old fishing line.

As for the style dive knife you choose to carry, there are many considerations. The first two, where will you mount your knife and how big will it be. Traditionally dive knives have been strapped to the divers leg but this may not be the best place for it. If stapping a honking dive machete to you leg has been your life long dream please don't let me discourage you from doing so. Consider it a tribute to Lloyd Bridges and Sea Hunt. (For the younger crowd, Sea Hunt, starring Lloyd Bridges without fail placed Lloyd in a deep sea knife fight in every episode.) In reality, I've been diving since 1975, instructing since 1989, and have yet to confront a knife wielding rouge spy while quietly cruising a peaceful caribbean reef. If you do choose the leg mounted alternative remember, the best mounting solution is to strap the knife to the inside of the leg opposite your dominant hand. If you are right handed strap it to the inside of your left leg and visa-versa.

Many people today, myself included, think a smaller BCD mounted knife is a more useful and reasonable solution. Consider the fact, if you mount you knife on your BCD or instrument console, that is one less piece of gear you have to strap on, or forget to strap on, before every dive. A properly positioned BCD mounted knife is always with you and is donned every time you put on your BCD. No extra piece of gear and it is always at hand.

 

[Rick Murchison]

For monofilament, and especially for steel leader, I find a knife to be less than the ideal tool. you have to have considerable tension on the line to make cutting mono with a knife feasible, and cutting steel is nearly impossible. Scissors or shears cut mono or steel leader effortlessly and are my preference. I also carry a knife: small blunt tip for general use, if spearfishing I carry a drop-point hog sticker.
I also own a fog cutter clone, but find it a bit less than optimum as either shears or knife, though adequate.
Rick

 

[DiverTomJ]

The Z-Knife Z-Knife or other similar products are also popular. I normally carry EMT shears as a cutter for mono filliment line. It only takes one hand to cut through lines or nets. If you're tangled, one hand free, may be all you get.

 

[eriediver2002]

I carry a knife on the inside of my calf, a 2nd knife attatched to the waist strap of my BC/ harness & a pair of emt shears on my shoulder strap.



Also on occassion make sure to practice getting your knives/shears out so you know you can. I like to practice cutting line I find when I'm not tangled, this way if I ever HAVE to cut line I know I can.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

I carry a small knife on my corrugated inflator hose and shears on my waist belt. Although I own a larger knife and other types of shears I find them left at home in prefrence of the current setup.

My small knife is a wenoka titanium squeeze lock from LP and the shears are OMS brand (actually made by fiskars).

 

[Scubapuppy]

Hi: I enjoyed the information in your posting...thank you. I am a new diver and am looking for a knife for myself and also for my boyfriend for the holiday...what brands do you think are best?

 

[Scubapuppy]

thanks

 

[Thalassamania]

May I make a suggestion? Put a wrist strap on whatever cutting device you choose, I've come across a diver (still alive) who was tangled in a net and who's knife was on the bottom and I've read a couple of police reports of divers who were found dead, drowned, entangled and having dropped their knife in their attempt to get free.

 

[StSumwhere]

Hi: I enjoyed the information in your posting...thank you. I am a new diver and am looking for a knife for myself and also for my boyfriend for the holiday...what brands do you think are best?

In case you haven't come across this review of dive knives, here's the link. Very helpful.

http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/acce...e_cutting_edge

 

[CODMAN]

Puppy, personally I like the Underwater Kinetics brand of dive knives. Especially the Titanium blades, since they don't rust. But just for your info, Scubatoys has a special on right now for a BC stainless steel knif for 4.95$! What a great stocking stuffer!

I also agre with what the OP said in general. The best part about my dive knife is I've never used it!!! Ok, Ok... I did cut some sausage with it for the shore lunch... But that's all, I swear!

Cheers!

Hi: I enjoyed the information in your posting...thank you. I am a new diver and am looking for a knife for myself and also for my boyfriend for the holiday...what brands do you think are best?