There is your solution! If you're really afraid of sharks, carry a spare scuba tank with you. In the event of a huge shark attack, jam it in the shark's mouth and shoot it!
Etiquette on carrying a knife during dives
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EFX
Contributor
A knife is not a useful defensive tool against a shark. As others have said its primary purpose is for freeing oneself from an entanglement. I've also used it to gently probe some creatures that I didn't want to touch with my bare hands. I've never been on a charter where carrying knives underwater was prohibited. However, I have been on charters where wearing gloves is, the idea being you'll touch and damage more coral wearing gloves than bare hands.
Getting back to sharks one expert recommends punching the shark in its gill slits. Other divers have punched or hit them in the snout. Reef sharks are generally non-aggressive and will swim away if you try to get close. Like any animal they have a personal space and may react aggressively if cornered. This situation can happen without the divers knowledge when swimming up to or above sharks in a semi-confined space. Be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on the sharks. If a shark comes within a sharks body length of you face the shark keeping your fins between you and the shark. Leave the area, and the water if possible, if there is persistent aggressive activity or if other sharks arrive.
Getting back to sharks one expert recommends punching the shark in its gill slits. Other divers have punched or hit them in the snout. Reef sharks are generally non-aggressive and will swim away if you try to get close. Like any animal they have a personal space and may react aggressively if cornered. This situation can happen without the divers knowledge when swimming up to or above sharks in a semi-confined space. Be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on the sharks. If a shark comes within a sharks body length of you face the shark keeping your fins between you and the shark. Leave the area, and the water if possible, if there is persistent aggressive activity or if other sharks arrive.
I have probably 80 dives in Cozumel, maybe 12 in Roatan. More than some, fewer than most dedicated Carribbean divers. I carry a 3-4 inch stainless knife with a razor sharp edge in my utility pocket on my BP/w. I have never needed it during a dive. Nurse sharks are not an issue and we have seen one hammerhead off in the distance. Unless you were lionfish hunting, I don't think a shark would pay any attention to you. Even then, I have been concerned about a shark exactly zero times. Sharks don't like the taste of neoprene....
Knives are not allowed on the marine park in Coz. If you show up with a BFK Rambo special, if you can even get it into the country, I doubt your operator will let you dive with it. Mine stays in the pocket and I have never had to use it on a dive. I have had to use it to cut fruit on a surface interval.
Monofilament line is sometimes an issue in the park and I try and collect it (and other trash) when I find it on a dive. A DGX cutter recommended above is a better tool for that, I also carry the titanium trauma shears recommended here as well for one hand cutting if needed.
I do carry the knife on night dives for to stab people that shine their Mega Sun 9,000,000,000 lumen can lights in my eyes....sometimes even on the boat. It is the best tool for that. Highly effective. Turning off their air works too, just takes longer......
Seriously, the odds of needing a BFK for shark defense in the Carribbean are so small, you'd be better off being concerned about lightning, alien abduction, or a plane falling on you....possibly all at once. Worry about diving, buoyancy control, air consumption, trim, PROPER weighting, and learning to relax and enjoy the dive.
Keep in mind that there are dive shops in America, and the rest of the world, that do shark feeding dives where they take a crates of chunked fish and actually draw sharks in to feed them in front of the divers. Other than the guy that is actually feeding the shark, I'm not aware of a diver being bit on one of these trips...ever. In the case where his hand was bit, I think he held on to the fish too long. There are lots of YouTube videos on shark dives. If they wanted to eat you...they could.
I'm not trying to derail the topic about feeding dives, right or wrong, just pointing out that hundreds, if not thousands, of divers are around hungry sharks on a weekly basis. If it were a problem, we would know it.
For the record, I carry, consider myself hyper vigilant, and believe that my safety is my responsibility. Getting nibbled on by a shark while diving is not one of my concerns.
Safe travels,
Jay
Knives are not allowed on the marine park in Coz. If you show up with a BFK Rambo special, if you can even get it into the country, I doubt your operator will let you dive with it. Mine stays in the pocket and I have never had to use it on a dive. I have had to use it to cut fruit on a surface interval.
Monofilament line is sometimes an issue in the park and I try and collect it (and other trash) when I find it on a dive. A DGX cutter recommended above is a better tool for that, I also carry the titanium trauma shears recommended here as well for one hand cutting if needed.
I do carry the knife on night dives for to stab people that shine their Mega Sun 9,000,000,000 lumen can lights in my eyes....sometimes even on the boat. It is the best tool for that. Highly effective. Turning off their air works too, just takes longer......
Seriously, the odds of needing a BFK for shark defense in the Carribbean are so small, you'd be better off being concerned about lightning, alien abduction, or a plane falling on you....possibly all at once. Worry about diving, buoyancy control, air consumption, trim, PROPER weighting, and learning to relax and enjoy the dive.
Keep in mind that there are dive shops in America, and the rest of the world, that do shark feeding dives where they take a crates of chunked fish and actually draw sharks in to feed them in front of the divers. Other than the guy that is actually feeding the shark, I'm not aware of a diver being bit on one of these trips...ever. In the case where his hand was bit, I think he held on to the fish too long. There are lots of YouTube videos on shark dives. If they wanted to eat you...they could.
I'm not trying to derail the topic about feeding dives, right or wrong, just pointing out that hundreds, if not thousands, of divers are around hungry sharks on a weekly basis. If it were a problem, we would know it.
For the record, I carry, consider myself hyper vigilant, and believe that my safety is my responsibility. Getting nibbled on by a shark while diving is not one of my concerns.
Safe travels,
Jay
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The old belief on the use of a dive knife when dealing with an aggressive shark is NOT to use it against the shark, which would be nearly useless. You use it instead to stab your buddy in the leg so that he or she cannot swim as fast as you.
But seriously folks, if you want to have a frustrating experience, use your best Internet search skills to find examples (if you can) of divers being attacked by sharks while they are diving and not hanging around on the surface like a snorkeler. Those incidents are close to zero, and the encounters you do find usually involve spearfishers who have made a kill.
Knives are indeed not allowed in the Cozumel marine park and in a number of other such parks because they have no real purpose in such an area except to break off chunks of coral, etc.
But seriously folks, if you want to have a frustrating experience, use your best Internet search skills to find examples (if you can) of divers being attacked by sharks while they are diving and not hanging around on the surface like a snorkeler. Those incidents are close to zero, and the encounters you do find usually involve spearfishers who have made a kill.
Knives are indeed not allowed in the Cozumel marine park and in a number of other such parks because they have no real purpose in such an area except to break off chunks of coral, etc.
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I love my 15cm/6" blade BFK. it's my underwater multitool. I carry it (inside left calf) for cutting, prying, hammering, spearing, and for topside use. The only use for it that I've never considered is self-defense against underwater critters.
I have never considered a 5-6" knife as a need until this past weekend and my first trip spearfishing. Needless to say when I got back to the dive shop one of the first things on the counter is a nice calf mounted fish stabber..
Tournesol2000
Contributor
Maybe I've been watching too much Shark Week, but I would think that stabbing or cutting a shark would draw blood, which would then attract bigger sharks.
Don't be paranoid be alert and learn more about sharks.
My first encounter with a feed shark was while snorkeling in Key Largo. I thought if I saw a shark that I would freak..... .... Reality was that I stopped, enjoyed the sighting, took a picture and moved on.
Don't be paranoid be alert and learn more about sharks.
My first encounter with a feed shark was while snorkeling in Key Largo. I thought if I saw a shark that I would freak..... .... Reality was that I stopped, enjoyed the sighting, took a picture and moved on.
I used to be worried about that when I first got certified as well. You'll probably just get over it. If you don't then there are better options than a knife. Heck if a shark was going to take a bite out of you, you probably wouldn't see it until after you felt it is my guess.
Anyway, here it is: FREEDOM7 - Shark Shield
Supposedly, they actually work. I've never tried one and am not vouching for it myself though.
Anyway, here it is: FREEDOM7 - Shark Shield
Supposedly, they actually work. I've never tried one and am not vouching for it myself though.
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