miketsp
Contributor
When you need a knife, you need a knife and shears, line cutter or scissors will just not cut it.
Like the time I was first diver in the water from a live-aboard when the captain realized he was getting too close to the pile of rocks we were about to dive and went into reverse before remembering that the dinghy was already in the water tied up at the stern. This was a decent sized boat with a 30" prop but even so after wrapping about 20 turns of the painter around the shaft it all seized up. Meanwhile the live-aboard was getting dangerously close to the rocks.
To the touch, the painter was under so much tension it was really hard.
While a hacksaw would have been the best tool if I'd had one, using my BFK it took me about two minutes to cut through the turns and free the prop. There was just time for me to swim clear, advise the crew and the captain to apply power and avoid the rocks.
Fortunately I was in the right place at the right time.
If all I'd had was a line cutter or shears or a pair of scissors we'd have been looking at a disaster.
Another time we were doing a dive in an intense current. While among the rocks & reef structure we were shielded from the main current and it was doable but when we had to cross open sandy patches the only way to avoid getting getting blown away by the current was to dump all air from the BC and crawl across the bottom sticking your knife in the sand and hauling on it. The DM said we passed our test for UW alpine climbing technique. So while an ice axe and a belaying rope would have been the most appropriate tools, our BFKs were an adequate replacement.
Like the time I was first diver in the water from a live-aboard when the captain realized he was getting too close to the pile of rocks we were about to dive and went into reverse before remembering that the dinghy was already in the water tied up at the stern. This was a decent sized boat with a 30" prop but even so after wrapping about 20 turns of the painter around the shaft it all seized up. Meanwhile the live-aboard was getting dangerously close to the rocks.
To the touch, the painter was under so much tension it was really hard.
While a hacksaw would have been the best tool if I'd had one, using my BFK it took me about two minutes to cut through the turns and free the prop. There was just time for me to swim clear, advise the crew and the captain to apply power and avoid the rocks.
Fortunately I was in the right place at the right time.
If all I'd had was a line cutter or shears or a pair of scissors we'd have been looking at a disaster.
Another time we were doing a dive in an intense current. While among the rocks & reef structure we were shielded from the main current and it was doable but when we had to cross open sandy patches the only way to avoid getting getting blown away by the current was to dump all air from the BC and crawl across the bottom sticking your knife in the sand and hauling on it. The DM said we passed our test for UW alpine climbing technique. So while an ice axe and a belaying rope would have been the most appropriate tools, our BFKs were an adequate replacement.
