Dive knives when out with a DM

[Robert H. Diver]

I carry a line cutter or 2 but not a knife. Nothing wrong with carrying a smaller knife though. The big gaudy old school dive knives are ridiculous though.

 

[sourdough]

when i dive open water...i occasionally strap a dive knife on incase i encounter an enemy diver.

Exactly, in these days of border incursions and sanctions you never know where opposition will be encountered.

But why limit to just open water when we still don't really know where all of the aquifer caves go?
Do you want to be caught off guard over 100ft deep and a quarter mile into Eagles Nest?

 

[BoltSnap]

A longer knife can be seen as an extension of the hand.

Robotic arm perhaps?

 

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

Robotic arm perhaps?

Men and Knives; History, Psychology & Role in Modern Life|SwordsSwords

knives are a prominent feature in the evolution of every culture. However, the main factor of value in all of them is their utility.

blog.swordsswords.com

Aichmomania.

 

[johndiver999]

How about a rant? I always carry a knife and often two when scuba diving. I even wear a knife when snorkeling in shallow, tourist spots.

I often spearfish, so a sharp pointy knife is needed, but I have to wonder about all the prejudice people seem to exhibit toward wearing knives. For those who carry (and use) them, they are a tool. Not a weapon or a sign of masculinity (or even insecurity). It is just a damn knife, big or small. I think people are so unaccustomed to seeing strangers carrying knives, that they just see a weapon and heaven knows; weapons are not so politically correct anymore.

I have used a dive knife many times underwater and on the boat too. I remember one dive in particular when I was so glad I had a knife.

I was snorkeling, and was down just 6-10 feet and tried to pick up a fishing lure that was tangled on the bottom in mess of fishing line. It was new and shiny and had treble hooks. Well to make a stupid story interesting....I ended up getting the treble hook through my loose fitting glove and into a good bit of my finger. So I'm literally "hooked" to the bottom.

No need to panic, I tried to carefully work it out, but with no success. Next I peeled the glove down and inside out, trying to get better access to the hook. But my air was running out and the inside-out glove trick wasn't really working either.

I grabbed the knife and was able to cut several pieces of loose line and free the lure from the bottom. I was close to just ripping it out- which would have hurt more (and probably make for a better story). LOL.

 

[Fishdip]

There is this new tool from Scubapro for only $300 (that's THREE HUNDRED USD) made for u/w rescue:

Jawz Ti

I'd love to get my hands on one to try it but I'll be very hesitant to actually use it in the sea fearing I may lose it.

I got one with my citizen dive watch! Only paid 280 for the watch.

 

[lowwall]

I have a small knife that I sometimes carry, but I almost always have a pair of EMT shears and a line cutter on my computer wrist strap. Had to cut an entanglement twice, but I have cut a lot of fishing line wrapped around the reef.

This reminds me of a dive in Cozumel where the current had laid some monofilament in a long straight line along the bottom we were following. I followed along snipping it, but keeping up with my oblivious "buddy" meant I could only make a cut around every 6'.

This question is for everyone. Assuming you have the time, what's the optimal length to cut monofilament into? I guess smaller is better?

Before someone asks. While I will pick up uninhabited bits of trash from the bottom, I was not about to try to wrangle an unknown length of invisible line back to the boat.

 

[lowwall]

How about a rant? I always carry a knife and often two when scuba diving. I even wear a knife when snorkeling in shallow, tourist spots.

I often spearfish, so a sharp pointy knife is needed, but I have to wonder about all the prejudice people seem to exhibit toward wearing knives. For those who carry (and use) them, they are a tool. Not a weapon or a sign of masculinity (or even insecurity). It is just a damn knife, big or small. I think people are so unaccustomed to seeing strangers carrying knives, that they just see a weapon and heaven knows; weapons are not so politically correct anymore.

I have used a dive knife many times underwater and on the boat too. I remember one dive in particular when I was so glad I had a knife.

I was snorkeling, and was down just 6-10 feet and tried to pick up a fishing lure that was tangled on the bottom in mess of fishing line. It was new and shiny and had treble hooks. Well to make a stupid story interesting....I ended up getting the treble hook through my loose fitting glove and into a good bit of my finger. So I'm literally "hooked" to the bottom.

No need to panic, I tried to carefully work it out, but with no success. Next I peeled the glove down and inside out, trying to get better access to the hook. But my air was running out and the inside-out glove trick wasn't really working either.

I grabbed the knife and was able to cut several pieces of loose line and free the lure from the bottom. I was close to just ripping it out- which would have hurt more (and probably make for a better story). LOL.

A pair of shears would have dealt with that line a lot more efficiently.

Back to the topic of carrying knives. I used to carry a pocket knife all the time. On my first trip to Europe, in 1990, I carried (in my right front pocket) my newly purchased 3.5" Cold Steel tanto lockback. It went with me everywhere: on the plane, into museums, youth hostels, even a nightclub in London.

On subsequent travels, I swapped it for a more practical Victorinox Waiter or Camper. But I still had a knife. No one considered a pocket knife a weapon back then. 9/11 is what changed all that. Now carrying even a Swiss army knife with a 2" blade is a hassle in the city and when travelling. I don't even bother unless I'm going hiking or somewhere outdoors.

Back to diving. When it began to be a problem to take a dive knife to some dive spots, I was happy to switch to shears. No worries about issues carrying the knife when I wasn't diving and I was never super comfortable using the knife underwater anyway since there wasn't a practical way for me to practice with it as a vacation diver.

 

[Johanan]

Some guys seem to like their BFKs.

Under influence of numerous posts here on the ScubaBoard I also used to have an attitude that a BFK is impractical and ludicrous and that a diver who carries one strapped on his leg just shows off and provokes jokes about chainsaws onboard. I was proudly wearing just a neat Trilobyte on my computer strap. I still do, yet diving with John Chatterton changed my views. John carries a big, big knife. A really huge one. When I saw how versatile it was in his hand, I decided to get one for myself. He wrote an article about it in his blog:

"The Politically Incorrect Blade"

A good read to learn more about knives.

 

[buzzdoo]

1 blunt tip titanium knife on inside left calf I can reach with either hand. 1 ceramic trilobite on waistband of bc than I can reach with either hand. I use my knife to prod at shells I believe to be uninhabited because I can't seem to find any other use for it.

I have several bfk tracing back to the 70's. I look good with one one calf and one on forearm. And I have shears. And tribolite And a compact pointed knife. And folding knife. My new config is terrible for attachments. So I quit carrying cutters. But I never go without my SMDB.