Where to carry my knife?

[SolarStorm]

mostly tropicical waters on holidays, but would love to go out to the island as well. I just asked because they gave me this knife and I honestly had no idea what to do with it

 

[douglasville diver]

consider having all of your emergency gear located within the "golden triangle"

 

[Trace Malinowski]

The ideal primary knife is a small knife located where you can easily reach it with both hands. For most divers who wear backplate and harness systems, this position is most accessible on the waist belt of the harness. Having the knife off the leg helps divers avoid entanglement with a guideline which is most often present during technical dives in caves or wrecks. Because cave divers are always in close proximity to a guideline and because there is little need or use for larger knives in caves, a small knife is carried, and positioned where a poorly placed kick will not trap or break a guideline. Such streamlining is also very relevant to wreck diving and geberal open water diving, but protecting guidelines from knives isn't as critical for the average recreational diver because the average recreational diver rarely uses a reel or guideline.

Having the knife off the leg may be of benefit to those who dive in water where monofilament line and other entanglement hazards exist. For those divers who penetrate wrecks, they will often need to carry two, three or more cutting tools to deal with possible entanglements and multiple entanglements during a single dive from everything from fishing line to wire. Wreck divers use reels and lines as much as cave divers and there are more points inside and around wrecks to entangle a diver. Equipment streamlining and reachability is important to minimize dangers associated with diving around wrecks and where fishing boats tend to prowl.

The traditional diving knife is a large knife and despite the size is still a tool. Used for everything from a ruler for measuring game when hunting, to a screwdriver, to a cutting tool, to a signaling device, to a hammer, the traditional diver's knife is big and bulky. It is often most easily and best worn on the inside of the calf where it can be reached with both hands, but not as easily as a small knife on the belt, and where its position will help minimize entanglement by keeping the outer part of the calf smooth to allow fishing line and other lines to pass if a diver brushes up against them due to lack of awareness.

Some divers will find intelligent ways of mounting these large knives elsewhere, where they are able to easily reach them with both hands, where they can prevent the risk of accidentally cutting buoyancy or life support equipment when deploying and restowing them, where they are comfortable and where they will minimize entanglement potentials, but this all depends on the specifics of the type of scuba and BCD system a diver uses.

Keep these factors in mind and you can best determine how and where to carry your knife safely and comfortably.

 

[Wayward Son]

my shears are attached to my left shoulder strap. My z knife is on my waist, to the right side of the buckle. My sheath knife is on the inside of my right calf.

 

[wjefferis]

That's probably not such a great idea.

If you need to use the knife you'll need to cut the ties to remove it from the inflator hose, and how will you cut the ties if you can't remove the knife in the first place?

A better option might be to attach the sheath to the inflator hose with zip ties.

:cool2:

Sorry, I guess I wasn't very clear in my post. I attached the sheath to the inflator hose, not the knife itself .

 

[DaleC]

Where are you diving where you can get hooked by a troller? And wouldn't this depend on where you were hooked?

SolarStorm where do you do most of your diving? And what type of gloves do you use?

It was just an example of how a diver might become entangled and how access to the knife depends on its placement and yes it does depend on how one is hooked so a diver should consider what he/she would do if they were caught up in a variety of circumstances.

That wasn't a real photograph btw. It was just a drawing. You have to use your imagination.

 

[rligon]

Thanks everyone, after reading all of the posts I realize where I have mounted my knife isn't very smart. The sheath is on the right side weight pouch strap where it can't slide off, but you have made me realize that if my left hand is unavailable then I probably can't get to my knife. I'll probably end up on the waist belt like a lot of you have. I appreciate the post and the advice!

 

[Atomic_Diver]

Leg, BCD Pocket, attach to BCD....

 

[surfsol]

knives are much needed for safety. I go for the inside of the left leg

 

[mobeeno]

Sorry, I guess I wasn't very clear in my post. I attached the sheath to the inflator hose, not the knife itself .

I knew thats what you meant.

I have my knife on my inner calf. Not the best location for kelp diving though.