If you plan on diving on Cape Ann or anywhere in NE, get some kind of cutting tool. For shore diving, you will have to tow a flag eventually (unless you are really lucky to dive with someone who will tow it all the time). There have been serious incidents with divers getting tangled in their own tow line for whatever reason. Now imagine you (or your buddy) and your tow line tangled along with some monofilament... I haven't been tangled enough to have to cut myself out but have seen enough line out there to know you need something.
I think shears are better to cut mono than a knife but I carry both. I have read where some divers have been tangled and could not get the proper leverage to cut the line easily with a knife. Remember, with a knife, you need some tension to cut mono, so unless it is wrapped tightly enough for you to use your knife, you will have to grab it and hold it to cut it. If it's around your feet, getting the right leverage may be difficult. With shears, you can use one hand to cut and still have one hand free... if you're in a current, you may need to hold onto something. On dry land, try cutting some mono with your knife. It may not be as easy as you think even with a line cutter notched in the blade.
+1 for keeping them within easy reach of both hands. I also have lanyards on both and tuck the lanyard completely out of the way to reduce entanglement. If you only have one cutting tool, use a lanyard! Watching your only cutting tool sink out of reach or get wedged between 2 rocks, where your hand is too big or your arm is too short, will be a hard lesson.
As a student going through certification, you won't need a knife/cutting tool right now, but get one when you start diving in the ocean.
I think shears are better to cut mono than a knife but I carry both. I have read where some divers have been tangled and could not get the proper leverage to cut the line easily with a knife. Remember, with a knife, you need some tension to cut mono, so unless it is wrapped tightly enough for you to use your knife, you will have to grab it and hold it to cut it. If it's around your feet, getting the right leverage may be difficult. With shears, you can use one hand to cut and still have one hand free... if you're in a current, you may need to hold onto something. On dry land, try cutting some mono with your knife. It may not be as easy as you think even with a line cutter notched in the blade.
+1 for keeping them within easy reach of both hands. I also have lanyards on both and tuck the lanyard completely out of the way to reduce entanglement. If you only have one cutting tool, use a lanyard! Watching your only cutting tool sink out of reach or get wedged between 2 rocks, where your hand is too big or your arm is too short, will be a hard lesson.
As a student going through certification, you won't need a knife/cutting tool right now, but get one when you start diving in the ocean.
