BC Knives

[Darnold9999]

Was diving off a dock at a dive resort - the resort had been there 20 plus years "nobody ever fishes off this dock" its always been a dive resort. We enter the water at night and one of a group of four ends up with fins tangled in some kind of fishing type line just off the bottom. We didn't bring it up as we were so silted out by the time we desentangled the poor guy we couldn't see 2 feet to retrieve it.

You never know where you are going to run into line. Also a REALLY good lesson - at the first sign of entanglement stop. If you fight it, you're just making the situation worse. He kept kicking even though he was going nowhere and created a silt storm, we were actually pretty lucky to get in and cut him free.

My small knife is attached to waist belt right hand side. EMT shears in left dry suit pocket. Tried the knife attached to the inflator hose and didn't like it. Flops around a bit too much with the extra weight of the knife.

 

[deco_martini]

fins entangled

silted out

Might I suggest releasing the fins instead of brandishing a cutting tool when you can't see anything?

How many diving fatalities were recorded last year on _recreational_ dives where failure to bring a cutting tool was cited as the cause? How about the last decade?

"you never know" is not a rationale for bringing excess gear into the water.

 

[jbmooney]

Might I suggest releasing the fins instead of brandishing a cutting tool when you can't see anything?

You might, and it might be a good idea, or it might not, depending on the circumstances. More importantly, easily removable items aren't the only things that can get tangled...

How many diving fatalities were recorded last year on _recreational_ dives where failure to bring a cutting tool was cited as the cause? How about the last decade?

I have no idea, but the question is fairly meaningless, since a great number of divers do carry cutting tools, and successful escapes that involved them wouldn't find their way into any statistical analysis.

I don't have a lot of diving experience, but I have several very experienced friends who wouldn't dream of going diving without at least one cutting tool. Fishing line is all but invisible underwater (go figure), it comes in strengths that won't break (go figure), and I've seen it come out of the water around anchors and other submerged items in rats nests that couldn't possibly be untangled in one tank of air...

"you never know" is not a rationale for bringing excess gear into the water.

It'll do for me. It's not that much excess gear, and I've promised myself not to die in so easily preventable a way...

 

[Papa_Bear]

Maybe we should use the same logic for air bags in cars? Or seat belts? Never have used those expensive air bags!shakehead:

 

[Darnold9999]

Might I suggest releasing the fins instead of brandishing a cutting tool when you can't see anything?

How many diving fatalities were recorded last year on _recreational_ dives where failure to bring a cutting tool was cited as the cause? How about the last decade?

"you never know" is not a rationale for bringing excess gear into the water.

Your'e not really serious with this. Cutting the line is a pretty simple task - why would you leave the fin behind and call the dive??? His buddy cut the line and we continued the dive. If I can see well enough to release the fin I can see well enough to cut the line. Now if I was solo in that situation I might abandon the fin as cutting would likely be much more difficult than releasing the fin - hard to know.

Where you dive a cutting tool may be excess gear, but here I know very few divers who would even consider it. Fishing line is ugly stuff and a knife or for some kinds of line shears is the only way you are going to get clear. A real - not imaginary danger even in "recreational" dives.

How many times have I seen fishing line in the water - lots - enough to have a healthy respect for the stuff.

 

[lmorin]

How do you all attach BC knives to your BC, it does not seem like the best idea to attach a sharp object to an air bag?? I have heard of putting them on the BC hose (is the inflater hose?) or the low pressure hose from the first stage?

1. I have a BC knife attached to the outside of a pocket via rivets placed there by the manufacturer for that purpose.
2. I have yet to remove my knife from its sheath while underwater.
3. My body is much more vulnerable to injury from a hand-held knife than is my BC by a knife in its sheath (particularly given the fact that knife sheath is not attached directly to the "air bag").
4. I also carry a pair of EMT shears. It is really not clear to me that a knife is even necessary for normal recreational diving. In fact, knives are prohibited during dives on a variety of marine park reefs around the world.

 

[deco_martini]

Maybe we should use the same logic for air bags in cars? Or seat belts? Never have used those expensive air bags!shakehead:

The safety importance of seat belts and air bags is backed up with these pesky things called numbers and evidence.

You might be surprised, but scuba itself is based on these same things.

The bottom line is, if you want a knife, take it with you. If you feel like taking a pony bottle, chain mail, a 4 backup lights, and a glock with the underwater firing conversion, take those too. You never know!

All I am saying is that a knife is not an essential piece of kit for normal recreational diving. The idea that there is some kind of negligence in not taking a cutting tool is just silly though. Again, I may be wrong but its up to you to link those pesky numbers and evidence that help refine diving safety every year that prove it.

Leave the knife at home, take a bottle opener for pesky foreign beers instead.

 

[deco_martini]

Your'e not really serious with this. Cutting the line is a pretty simple task - why would you leave the fin behind and call the dive???

You said there was a silt up and you guys couldn't see anything. Why are you trying to use a cutting tool in those conditions instead of just losing the fin and having someone go back and get it later?

 

[Narcosis_Anonymous]

I have a US Divers Master knife. I use it as a hammer and shovel when metal detecting. I don't think I ever used it to cut anything.

 

[LI Diver]

1. I have a BC knife attached to the outside of a pocket via rivets placed there by the manufacturer for that purpose.
4. I also carry a pair of EMT shears. It is really not clear to me that a knife is even necessary for normal recreational diving. In fact, knives are prohibited during dives on a variety of marine park reefs around the world.

Ditto! fellow long islanders must think the same I have a sea quest pro qd and a wenoka squeeze lock knife (any made by aqualung companies will work) bolts right thru grommets in the BC by the left pocket.
I also carry a pair of OMS shears in a sheath hanging near my lower bc strap.
I used to have another small knife on my console hose but it got lost on a dive somehow. I also have a line cutter with a plastic handle that I bring on some dives.

NOTE* Some types of fishing line are very hard to cut with a knife (spyderwire etc) in these cases a goodshear works much better.Also some people use steel leaders or troll w/wire line. I'm a noob but have used my shears and knife on a few occasions already.