Why do I have a dive knife?

[RainPilot]

I carry EMT shears dependent on the diving I'm doing, if its shore diving without support then definitely. The primary reason is for cutting the suit off a diver on the shore, ever tried CPR through a 8mm suit?

For entanglement purposes I carry 2 trilobite type cutters (Diverite I think) just to feel better, never needed in 16 years. That being said, I flew ejection seat aircraft for ten years and never needed that either, but it sure made me feel better...

 

[Marie13]

After watching all episodes of Sea Hunt I figured out it's neccessary to carry a knife to defend myself from all the spies and gangsters. And killer whales.

Or to cut the air hoses of people you don't like!

 

[Storker]

Or to cut the air hoses of people you don't like!

Works best if they're diving a double hose reg

 

[cneal]

The best use I've had for my big dive knife is cutting pizza after the dive.

 

[covediver]

Scuba gear is the ultimate vehicle for self expression. If you want a big dive knife, why not. Same thing with watches. Double hose regulators, sure. Scuba allows all the latest affections. Just be aware, that nothing is as hard on a diver's gear than another diver. I have often thought these attacks are motivated by insecurity or the need for reassurance that the gear that the one critiquing my gear purchased is the best. That said the best part of my big dive knife is the blunt tip for breaking the rock scallops out of the wedge and the line cutter. I also like the way it looks.

 

[CarlosRiley]

I thought the only purpose for the dive knife was to cut the tags off of new dive luggage before throwing your BCD and fins in.

That being said, I also have DAN Insurance, but I hope to never have to use it.
And so, I have a small dive knife attached, simply because that was the mindset passed on when I was first certified, yet hope to never have the need for it... other than cutting off tags from new purchases ;-).
As for shears vs knife... after reading other posts, and seeing/hearing other divers in the past... if I were to do it over again, I'd probable just go with shears. But, I'm good with what I already have.

On the other hand, I bought my son a knife with a blunt screwdriver tip... now we're talking multipurpose tool, and maybe we should swap.

 

[Storker]

I've appreciated my (15cm/6" blade) knife on several occasions. On most of those occasions, I've had a very nice experience with the flatfish or wolffish that I was able to persuade (using my knife) of joining me for dinner.

 

[KeithG]

I carry a TSK (Tiny Short Knife) attached to the shoulder strap of my BCD.

In 25 years of diving it was called into action just once for an emergency. It was used to slice the pineapple during our SI...

 

[Fastmarc]

The argument for shears are strong, but my knife is titanium and I have a serious titanium fetish, so...

 

[Scuba J7]

The argument for shears are strong, but my knife is titanium and I have a serious titanium fetish, so...

DGX Titanium EMT Shears

They're at least coated. I carry a pair of these and a small bcd knife. Someone brought up the point that you can encounter SS fishing line and a knife won't cut it but shears will.