Dive knives when out with a DM

[doctormike]

Unfouling

OK, so not really relevant to the topic of this thread.

 

[doctormike]

Both! Very early in my diving career, in about 1963, our Salem (Oregon) Junior Aqua Club traveled with the Salem Aqua Club to Vancouver, BC. We dove multiple dives there. Then, when we were topside, a boat owner came to us, saying he had a net fouled on one of his props. He asked if we could cut it loose? We said, of course we can give it a try (being high schoolers at the time). So myself and Pierre (my dive buddy) descended in the harbor and looked at the prop. It had not only a net, but also a length of about 3 inch in diameter line on it. We had full steel 72s, so we set to work.

Gotcha! good writeup, and interesting. But again, nothing to do with the topic of this thread.

I was responding to someone who said that shears wouldn't work for unfouling a prop, you needed a knife for that. Which is fair, but I thought we were talking about a piece of dive gear carried at all times to deal with a dive incident (entanglement). Prop unfouling requires a specific tool for a particular working dive. There are all sorts of tools that are useful for specific tasks - sledge hammers, chisels, dredgers - but I don't recommend that divers carry them on every dive just because they are great when you need them.

So IMHO, shears work MUCH better for freeing yourself from entanglement than a knife, because (1) they will cut through a VERY wide range of stuff, including steel leader, (2) they don't require a lot of directed force to cut, resulting in the sudden quick and forceful movement of a very sharp object through the water near the diver, (3) they are cheap, light and easily deployed.

The fact that they may be harder to use to dig a fouled line out from around a prop shaft doesn't seem to be relevant to this particular discussion.

 

[SlugLife]

Gotcha! good writeup, and interesting. But again, nothing to do with the topic of this thread.

I was responding to someone who said that shears wouldn't work for unfouling a prop, you needed a knife for that. Which is fair, but I thought we were talking about a piece of dive gear carried at all times to deal with a dive incident (entanglement). Prop unfouling requires a specific tool for a particular working dive. There are all sorts of tools that are useful for specific tasks - sledge hammers, chisels, dredgers - but I don't recommend that divers carry them on every dive just because they are great when you need them.

So IMHO, shears work MUCH better for freeing yourself from entanglement than a knife, because (1) they will cut through a VERY wide range of stuff, including steel leader, (2) they don't require a lot of directed force to cut, resulting in the sudden quick and forceful movement of a very sharp object through the water near the diver, (3) they are cheap, light and easily deployed.

The fact that they may be harder to use to dig a fouled line out from around a prop shaft doesn't seem to be relevant to this particular discussion.

Any discussion of an ideal cutting tool or entanglements is off-topic from the original post, if we're being ultra-strict. However, we understand these things to be at least somewhat relevant, related, or interesting to the people participating in the thread. Usually, I try to reserve calling out off-topic posts for things that are actually derailing a thread.

This is still taking about the subject of cutting tools, knives, uses, and so-on. I still see the relevance and usefulness, while the story was technically about a prop, there are other similar entanglements or obstacles we may encounter as divers, which may require some sort of serrated edge to cut efficiently.

 

[Bubblesong]

Gotcha! good writeup, and interesting. But again, nothing to do with the topic of this thread.

I was responding to someone who said that shears wouldn't work for unfouling a prop, you needed a knife for that. Which is fair, but I thought we were talking about a piece of dive gear carried at all times to deal with a dive incident (entanglement). Prop unfouling requires a specific tool for a particular working dive. There are all sorts of tools that are useful for specific tasks - sledge hammers, chisels, dredgers - but I don't recommend that divers carry them on every dive just because they are great when you need them.

So IMHO, shears work MUCH better for freeing yourself from entanglement than a knife, because (1) they will cut through a VERY wide range of stuff, including steel leader, (2) they don't require a lot of directed force to cut, resulting in the sudden quick and forceful movement of a very sharp object through the water near the diver, (3) they are cheap, light and easily deployed.

The fact that they may be harder to use to dig a fouled line out from around a prop shaft doesn't seem to be relevant to this particular discussion.

Oh, Please, John’s contribution was interesting and informative about need for cutting in entanglement, who cares what type? If someone tosses a lacy thong overboard and it snags on coral and your fin, aren’t you going to want to be ready with EXACTLY the correct cutting tool for the situation, regardless of whether you had prepared for that specific eventuality? Please let’s keep an open mind.

 

[Johanan]

Plz, look below.

 

[Johanan]

@ Marie13 Why would you say that? In his article, John talked about using his BFK if you cared to read. He didn't mention prying souvenirs off wrecks. I never witnessed him doing this, too. If your diving does not require a BFK, it's fine. Why the irony about those who can well use one.

 

[BoltSnap]

In his article, John talked about using his BFK if you cared to read. He didn't mention prying souvenirs off wrecks. I never witnessed him doing this, too.

And what if he did in an unprotected wreck? What's wrong with that? The wrecks in the ocean are just going to turn into piles of wreckage in few years. What am I missing here?

 

[Diver With Altitude]

So IMHO, shears work MUCH better for freeing yourself from entanglement than a knife, because (1) they will cut through a VERY wide range of stuff, including steel leader, (2) they don't require a lot of directed force to cut, resulting in the sudden quick and forceful movement of a very sharp object through the water near the diver, (3) they are cheap, light and easily deployed.

I don’t disagree. My point was that a full-featured dive knife is a good all-around tool and very versatile.

 

[Painter]

What's your plan if you become entangled with a line or net?

My plan now, after reading responses to my original question, is to start carrying some sort of cutting device when permitted. I'm not sure what the rules are, but will be checking, when diving in Roatan, which is my next destination.
I live on Cape Cod, but don't do much diving here because I don't like cold water and low vis, but I would definitely carry at least one cutting instrument on a dive here.

 

[BoltSnap]

I live on Cape Cod, but don't do much diving here because I don't like cold water and low vis, but I would definitely carry at least one cutting instrument on a dive here.

I dove out of Cape Cod a lot and it is beautiful there. The south shore is very different from the north shore there, almost like diving two different countries. South shore is warmer and much better visibility. Both have wrecks with lots of marine life. I did wreck mapping in addition to hunting and spearfishing there for years when I lived in Worcester.

I'd love to live on Cape Cod, I wouldn't leave the water during the dive season, May'ish to October'ish.

I highly recommend that you try it, at least the south shore.