Why do I have a dive knife?

[diversteve]

You need a knife so that if you encounter a great white shark, you can stab your dive buddy until he/she is bleeding profusely; and then make your own getaway.

Just grab their fin and cut their Achilles Tendon instead...

 

[RainPilot]

Just grab their fin and cut their Achilles Tendon instead...

That's an advanced move, this is Basic Scuba.

For shame.

 

[Hank49]

How else do you gut fish?

 

[Storker]

I've gutted fish with a 5cm/2" blade. Works OK. It just has to have a point. Me, I prefer drop-point, but I guess that's a personal preference

 

[BenjaminS]

I carry a 1 inch steak knife that has been blunted along with a trilobite line cutter. The knife is strictly for cutting the polypropylene line I use to hold my boltsnaps to my tools (lights, gopro, et cetera) and the trilobite is for everything else. My knife costs $2 so I can leave it in a unsecured sheath without worrying I'm going to loose my $100 BFK. This way, I can just reach down and pull my knife out without having to deal with any gimmicky do-dads that prevent you from retreiving your BFK.

 

[rhwestfall]

I still really need my knife

Spoiler

for cutting cheese and pepperoni for a snack after the dive

 

[Sam Miller III]

Too much history....
No interest

 

[3D diver]

Carried a big, blunt tipped, knife on my inner ankle 'til I got tangled up in a combination of fishing line and kelp and couldn't reach the knife. My buddy cut me out of that mess and I carry a smaller, blunt tipped, knife on my wrist now.

 

[CuzzA]

Seems to me many modern divers are playing with toys hoping that when needed they will be magically be transformed into tools and save them

No kelp for us here in Florida, but if there were I'd have a sharp BFK. Which brings me to my point... I carry what I need for the job. A 3" pointed knife to brain fish and a pair of sheers for lionfish spines. Either tool can cut fishing line in the rare case I'm ever entangled in it. I can usually spot monofilament... fluorocarbon is another story.

 

[IBjones]

I retook the open water course a few months ago because I figured I didn't have anything to lose and it was free for people who were originally certified there.

I was ready for the "Why do we carry a knife" this time around.

"So if I run out of air and my buddy won't share, I can stab him and take his air."