What to use to cut small ropes?

[Celt]

Found an abandoned lobster pot with trapped creatures inside, I was wondering what’s a practical tool you could use to cut the rope on the sides of a pot.

We used a trilobite and although we managed to cut a panel, that was painful.

Would trauma shears (like the dive rite one) work well for a small 3-4cm diameter rope?

I would rather not carry a pointy knife if I don’t need it, I don’t like the idea of having something sharp in my drysuit

A good heavy serrated blade will cut through any rope. Where the pot is concerned you could have just opened it. Lost pots are a nuisance they keep catching and the catch becomes the new bait.

 

[Manatee Diver]

I like a small hawkbill serrated folding knife. Like this SpyderCo, the hawkbill grips onto the line, and serrated cuts through it quickly.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

All you people are such amateurs, its embarrassing

Here's what you need! Underwater Chainsaws | Stanley Infrastructure

You all must have been lousy boy scouts when you were young.

EDIT: may want to read this too:

 

[Wookie]

I guess I shouldn't mention that touching a tagged trap is illegal most everywhere and will get you shot even to be seen diving around them in Maine.

With that said, you can open the parlor door by untying the bait string and tipping the trap on it's side.

Where in the world did you find a trap made with string panels? I haven't seen a wooden trap in 25 years in either Maine or Florida.

 

[Manatee Diver]

I haven't seen a wooden trap in 25 years in either Maine or Florida.

I've seen a number of abandoned wooden traps in Florida. Though increasingly they are becoming part of the reef, so the best you can do is remove excess rope and make sure that it is open.

 

[Wookie]

I guess I shouldn't mention that touching a tagged trap is illegal most everywhere and will get you shot even to be seen diving around them in Maine.

With that said, you can open the parlor door by untying the bait string and tipping the trap on it's side.

Where in the world did you find a trap made with string panels? I haven't seen a wooden trap in 25 years in either Maine or Florida.

Ah, Pommie, OK.

I carry 2 types of cutters. I have a folding titanium knife in a shoulder sheath that won't poke a hole in your drysuit.

I have a stiletto in a hard case that won't poke a hole in your drysuit. I don't think the stiletto is secure, which is why I have the folding titanium knife.

 

[Wookie]

I've seen a number of abandoned wooden traps in Florida. Though increasingly they are becoming part of the reef, so the best you can do is remove excess rope and make sure that it is open.

Sorry, yes, of course you will see ghost traps, but I haven't seen anyone set a wooden trap in a long time.

The metal traps are put together with hog rings, which are designed to rust so a trap falls apart.

 

[BlueTrin]

I guess I shouldn't mention that touching a tagged trap is illegal most everywhere and will get you shot even to be seen diving around them in Maine.

With that said, you can open the parlor door by untying the bait string and tipping the trap on it's side.

Where in the world did you find a trap made with string panels? I haven't seen a wooden trap in 25 years in either Maine or Florida.

It was a metal trap, but the metal bits are only the frame, it is covered in a net. If you cut the net, you only have the frame. I think I took a picture of it, will try to find it later.

 

[BlueTrin]

Actually the net is maybe only 1.5/2cm thick?

I am crap at remembering things … sorry! Everything looks bigger in water …

You can see my buddy attempts on the top before he broke his cutter … I made the panel at the bottom

 

[Wookie]

View attachment 786614

Actually the net is maybe only 1.5/2cm thick?

I am crap at remembering things … sorry! Everything looks bigger in water …

You can see my buddy attempts on the top before he broke his cutter … I made the panel at the bottom

So.

You opened the correct panel. That's the parlor, and where animals go to be trapped. The hole in the smaller part of the trap is called the chamber, and opening that would have been OK, but the trap would have been still fishing, so good job there.

Somewhere on the top of the trap is a hinged lid where the fisherman takes the catch out and puts the bait in. That lid is held closed with a piece of string that the bait or bait bag is tied to, and then the string holds the lid closed. I can't see it in this picture, as the trap is well overgrown. Those strings take years and years to rot. The problem with a ghost trap is that they are self baiting. Animals enter and die of starvation, and the carcass attracts more animals.

You did good.