Etiquette on carrying a knife during dives

[boulderjohn]

The main purpose for carrying a BFK is the possibility of a hostile encounter with an enemy diver, not a fish. If it's not wartime or you haven't been assigned to counter intelligence operations against SPECTRE, you don't need any k . . . . wait a minute -
Always carry a knife

Come on! Didn't you see the old Sea Hunt episodes? Whenever you dive there will be someone with a BFK ready to pounce on you and cut your regulator hose. Well, maybe not so much any more. I think Mike Nelson got rid of most of them. It's also possible that the change to single hose regulators made the difference, since they were always cutting the exhaust hose in those shows. With no more exhaust hoses, they had nothing to cut, and all the fun went out of the pouncing.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I noticed that whenever someone attacks another diver with a knife, the other diver is always carrying a knife too. If nobody carried a knife there would be no underwater knife fights.

I had always heard that it was the exhaust hose (left side of diver) that was cut--everybody knew that, even non-divers. So I watched several episodes and at least some of the time it was the right hose that was cut. Perhaps they re-routed the hoses?

 

[george_austin]

They probably ran the developed film in or developed the raw footage in mirror image so it only looked like the intake hose was cut up - I don't know

 

[boulderjohn]

I had always heard that it was the exhaust hose (left side of diver) that was cut--everybody knew that, even non-divers. So I watched several episodes and at least some of the time it was the right hose that was cut. Perhaps they re-routed the hoses?

To be honest, I was only repeating what I was told, and I am embarrassed to admit that I did not do the research necessary to confirm it before I wrote.

 

[TMHeimer]

I noticed that whenever someone attacks another diver with a knife, the other diver is always carrying a knife too. If nobody carried a knife there would be no underwater knife fights.

I had always heard that it was the exhaust hose (left side of diver) that was cut--everybody knew that, even non-divers. So I watched several episodes and at least some of the time it was the right hose that was cut. Perhaps they re-routed the hoses?

A non-Canadian supporting Knife Control???

 

[JamesBon92007]

Well, I went and did some research just to make sure my memory was intact


Beginning with about the third sequence in this video, the right hose is cut. Next, the diver goes after the right hose. In the next one, the right hose is cut. In the fourth one, a woman gets her right hose pulled out of the regulator. I'm not certain, but the second and third may be one incident. That's as far as I've watched so far.

So, is the cutting of the exhaust hose on Sea Hunt an urban myth?

 

[JamesBon92007]

I think I've had enough Sea Hunt for tonight. I was just watching "Killer Whale" where they showed an orca on the surface, and then it was a shark underwater, and then it became a pilot whale. The only thing certain is that they prefer warm-blooded food, including humans.

 

[george_austin]

Watch the episode - I think it's called "Superman" where Nelson is in a fistfight while wearing a set of doubled up 38's. . . .

Why wouldn't both participants call "time out" and agree to remove their tanks before the fight?
Hey where did the OP go? Did we get too far off topic again?

 

[george_austin]

I'm a new diver who's never seen a shark while diving, so not too much to contribute other than the fact that I'm asking myself the same question about sharks in general. My girlfriend has been diving for many years and enjoys seeing most sharks. Seeing a hammerhead is still on her bucket list.

In that spirit I'll share a youtube video I just found which made me think of this thread, and I hope it's helpful in some way...

She has the life expectancy of a house fly showing off like that but then the post modern dive community will rally around the PC flag and tell us "she died doing what she loved to do!" - or calling for the culling of sharks because a BF GW ate a Facebook celebrity.
Keep your freaking hands off the wildlife, "Ocean" Ramsey.

 

[J322Y]

She has the life expectancy of a house fly showing off like that but then the post modern dive community will rally around the PC flag and tell us "she died doing what she loved to do!" - or calling for the culling of sharks because a BF GW ate a Facebook celebrity.
Keep your freaking hands off the wildlife, "Ocean" Ramsey.

I agree about her grandstanding. My thought is that she believes she's "doing it for the sharks" so she can promote a change in attitude towards them. It's hard to believe there isn't a bit of ego and self promotion thrown in there.

I don't think that her showing up on some shark's menu would cause people to promote culling sharks though. I watched most of her TedX imbedded below until her tactics (and squeaky voice) induced me to switch her off. In it you can see that her biggest stated goal is to stop shark culling, especially for shark fin soup. I support common sense conservation.

I think sharks have been targeted out of fear and ignorance. However I have a healthy skepticism towards Ramsey's statistics and motives.