Dive knives when out with a DM

[boulderjohn]

I must admit that my first dive knife was one of these because that is what Mike Nelson wore.

View attachment 734989

The blade was a but smaller than the BFKs that followed. As I recall, the sheath only had a belt loop so most divers wore it on their weight belt, which what not great planning. I ended up preferring a thigh knife pocket on the wetsuit with one strap for the classic BFK.

View attachment 734990

These beasts didn't rust, but they couldn't hold an edge either. Sharpening stones were pointless because the metal was too soft. A 220 grit belt sander produced the longest lasting "micro serrated" edge.

But that was a different era. In those days, the good guy divers wore silvery wetsuits, and the bad guy divers wore black wetsuits. That was fortunate, because you could tell which was which during the fighting. You had to have a knife like this ready in case you saw someone with a black wetsuit approach. That knife might not have been able to hold an edge, but it was still sharp enough to cut through a bad guy's exhaust hose.

 

[Nemrod]

A good write up on the Tekna T-2200 dive knife.

Dive Knives – The Hattori Collector

N

 

[mdwalter]

I have done most of my dives with dive ops in Florida and the Caribbean, and all of those with at least one DM or guide.
I have never carried a knife, and I have never had the need for one in over a hundred dives.
Recently I was on a boat out of Jupiter, FL and I counted at least four divers with knives, one of which was a big honker strapped to the diver's leg that made him look like he was going into combat.
I have no objection to anybody carrying anything that makes them feel more comfortable on a dive (though a teddy bear would get a little soggy). How many of you carry a knife on guided dive trips and why?

You (probably) wouldn't dive without an octo just because you are with a DM who has one. Why would you not have a cutting tool when entanglement can be a bigger hazard than a failed second stage? That said, a BFK is not necessary in pretty much any situation, so stick to something small; it's for cutting line, not stabbing sharks or whatever.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

I must admit that my first dive knife was one of these because that is what Mike Nelson wore.

View attachment 734989

The blade was a bit smaller than the BFKs that followed. As I recall, the sheath only had a belt loop so most divers wore it on their weight belt, which what not great planning. I ended up preferring a thigh knife pocket on the wetsuit with one strap for the classic BFK.



These beasts didn't rust, but they couldn't hold an edge either. Sharpening stones were pointless because the metal was too soft. A 220 grit belt sander produced the longest lasting "micro serrated" edge.

I know what you mean about not holding an edge. This was my 14th birthday present, which my Dad engraved for me. Happy days!

Nowadays a line cutter and short squeeze lock, or Green River for commercial work.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

I know what you mean about not holding an edge. This was my 14th birthday present, which my Dad engraved for me. Happy days!

Nowadays a line cutter and short squeeze lock, or Green River for commercial work.

View attachment 735447

View attachment 735448

BTW, that's Kracken blood, not rust

 

[stretchthepenn]

I am going to stay with what I said. Death of a SCUBA divers due to entanglement is not something that "many" would apply to. It is rare. In 54 years of active diving I have never drowned from being entangled while SCUBA diving nor do I know anyone who has or anyone who knows anyone who has.

I was invited on a body-search for a fellow who, it turned out, entangled himself and died at 130'. Was the cause of death actually drowning? Dunno. Never received an autopsy report. But the guy entangled himself in cave line and died as a result. I've got his spool in my garage.

 

[Doc]

i am dyslexic and every time I see this thread title….

Dive knife out when with a DM?


I will now sit quietly.

 

[Nemrod]

I was invited on a body-search for a fellow who, it turned out, entangled himself and died at 130'. Was the cause of death actually drowning? Dunno. Never received an autopsy report. But the guy entangled himself in cave line and died as a result. I've got his spool in my garage.

Again, I never said it does not happen but that it is as rare as hens teeth in the larger picture. So then, was this fellow solo diving, trained and equipped as such? Where was his buddy if not? And while entanglement concerns do exist, you should likely know in advance if it is a real concern in the local area. Additional anecdotal examples of this diver and that diver do not change my mind. If actuarial statistics of X dives resulted in Y deaths due to entanglement and again it turns out to be more than some tiny, tiny percentage of 1% then you can win the argument and I will concede.

I have heard of divers getting themselves stuck under a ledge or in a hole while grabbing lobster. Should we always bring along a come along, a jaws of life, a hydraulic scissor jack. I mean, it may have happened, once or twice .

James

 

[boriss]

Again, I never said it does not happen but that it is as rare as hens teeth in the larger picture. So then, was this fellow solo diving, trained and equipped as such? Where was his buddy if not? And while entanglement concerns do exist, you should likely know in advance if it is a real concern in the local area. Additional anecdotal examples of this diver and that diver do not change my mind. If actuarial statistics of X dives resulted in Y deaths due to entanglement and again it turns out to be more than some tiny, tiny percentage of 1% then you can win the argument and I will concede.

I have heard of divers getting themselves stuck under a ledge or in a hole while grabbing lobster. Should we always bring along a come along, a jaws of life, a hydraulic scissor jack. I mean, it may have happened, once or twice .

James

Deaths are also rare, but they occur. Should we avoid learning about the stats because you haven't experienced them personally?

Here you go:

Scuba diving fatalities - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Just search for the word "entangle" within that wiki and read.

It should also be noted that death rates have been going down due to improved training, better equipment and so on. Since you mentioned you've been diving for over 50-years... you may not be aware that cutting devices are part of Open Water training. It's incredibly common for new divers to have them, thus reducing the probability of entanglement being as much of a contributing factor as it used to be. This is why I gave my example initially where I was entangled twice, but dealt with it by cutting the line.

 

[Eric802]

Well, even if entanglement is rare or infrequent, the consequences IF it happens are catastrophic. If a risk of that magnitude can be mitigated with a simple cutting tool or two, the carrying of which has no detrimental impact on the activity of diving itself, it's kind of silly not to take precautions.

Y'all do your own thing, though.