Where do you keep your knife/knives (when diving)?

[DEEPLOU]

For Carribean diving havn't yet run into an entanglement problem. My local diving in North East is different story. Monofiliment, spider wire, fishing nets, ropes of varing composition etc. I keep the calf knife on the inside, its less of an entanglement hazard. I also keep secondary knife on side of opposite thigh. and for overkill, in my waist pocket I keep a folding knife and sea snips.
Knives lost.... I think the count is up to about 4. That's why I don't go for the fancy expensive ones. Just cheapo's that can keep an edge.

 

[jlayman800]

Hi Bob, Yes, I think you are right that we should always avoid trespassing on somebody else's property. I try. If I had known about the private property, I would have this time, too. I'm only glad I didn't learn about the private property after I gutted this guy and hung him from his back porch. Respect is harder when your first meeting includes a big stick, wild arm motions and yelling. Just excuses because a more calm headed person would have take a deep breath before pulling the big knife.

I guess they don't take private property seriously in your neck of the woods, eh?

Around here (the Tacoma area you're talking about) that sort of behavior only creates more animosity between divers and residents ... and those of us who take our diving responsibly tend to frown on it.

Next time, try keeping your knife in it's sheath ... and wading or surface swimming back to your entry. The divers who live here will thank you being a responsible diver ... and for not making our lives more difficult.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[jlayman800]

That's funny!!!! Actually, I don't ever remember using my knife on rope or line under water. I have used it a time or two for prying a shellfish off a rock but never to get untangled. Maybe I will start leaving my two knives on the boat, too. It would sure save some money. I have lost 4 or 5 dive knives in the past 20 years; some of them very expensive.

I find the best place to keep mine is in the kit bag on the boat. I have yet to lose one. I highly recommend this as a good dive practice.
Chris

 

[blacklatexozdiver]

I'm like most people who have two knives. The bigger of the two (certainly no machete - it's a little longer than my hand) is strapped to the inside of my left leg. The back-up ia a part of the Akona knife and attachement kit and is attached to my bc. The Akona knife is about hand length long. Both knives have no point at the end, has a line cutter and serrated cutting edge on one side, and a sharp edge on the other.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

That's funny!!!! Actually, I don't ever remember using my knife on rope or line under water. I have used it a time or two for prying a shellfish off a rock but never to get untangled. Maybe I will start leaving my two knives on the boat, too. It would sure save some money. I have lost 4 or 5 dive knives in the past 20 years; some of them very expensive.

I used my shears about a dozen times yesterday ... we were starting our semi-annual maintenance on a boundary cable who's purpose is to let divers know the location of a restricted zone around a fishing pier and water taxi docking area. You'd be surprised how far away from this thing you can be and still get caught on monofilament line snagged around the cable (usually with a couple treble hooks attached somewhere along the way) that you won't even see unless you shine your light on it.

Anyway ... our "standard practice" is to chop the monofilament line into tiny (inches long) pieces, retrieve any "treasures" attached, and distribute them to the fishermen on the dock. Keeps the fishermen happy, and we have to worry less about divers who don't need their cutting tools getting entangled. If you've never experienced it, trying to break monofilament will usually only result in putting slices your wet or dry gloves.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[miketsp]

..... I have the "machete" strapped to my leg, right calf-outside. I can easily drop my right hand, flick the release and pull it out. ........
The other one is a small VERY sharp knife, with the line cutter groove that I have zip-tied to the left side of my BC, on the shoulder adjustment strap (hilt down). I can easily reach over and across with my right hand and flip the release one-handed.

Did you notice that to get at either of your knives you said you use your right hand!
There's no redundancy if it's your right arm caught up in fishing line. Or can your left knife be reached with your left hand?
The one on my leg is on the inside for 2 reasons - it's less of a snag hazard AND I can reach it with either hand.

 

[Bootybreath]

I strap the my medium size cutting tool on my right arm.My buddy keeps it on his calf and keeps losing his (2 lost in 1 year).
On the calf it is not always accessible and on your arm its like drawing a gun.Be only careful that you can still retrieve your reg should it fall out o yor mouth as the knive can interfere with yor reg hose in a moment of eeek... but knowing this will give ya no surprises.

Enjoy

 

[ZoCrowes255]

I carry a knife and EMT shears. The knife is a very small blunt tipped Akona knife ziptied to the corrugated hose on my BC. Shears are worn on my right hand side on the webbing behind the integrated weight pocket of my Knighthawk

 

[voop]

Just picked up 2 knives, and don't know where to keep 'em. On my bcd? Strapped to my leg? Grasped in my teeth?

Well, ya' kno', I think you should go for the "grasped in my teeth" option. Regulators are for wusses anyways, right?

Carrying a knife is a personal preference as much as it is something which depends on the dive you're going to do. When you select positions for knives, remember WHY you are carrying them: the objective is to have a cutting tool available within reach no matter how you should entangle yourself while down there, so keeping both knives on your calves, for example, would be stupid.

If I am going anywhere near entanglement (wrecks, for example, seems to be full of nets and fishing line around here), then I carry lots of cutting tools: a big knife on my inner left calf, a shear (sp? -- it's one of those things the EMS will use to cut your drysuit off you if they have to assist you) on my BC strap, a folding UW knife in the drysuit pocket and another small knife on my left arm (so that it can be grapped by my right hand). I am still short something which I can access and use with the left paw (I'm right-handed), so my config ain't perfect yet.

If I am going just for a stroll around the local rock or in a divers-only quarry, I don't bother with more than one cutting tool.

Cheers,

 

[voop]

Small knife on Backplate webbing placed upside down. When I first dove in the Carribean I strapped a big Machete on my leg and almost got laughed off the boat by the crew and divemaster. By the way do you wanna buy another big knife?

Ya' know, I am sure that people often laugh at what I do (diving or otherwise). Good for them, glad to be of entertainment....

If I feel comfortable, or I feel the need for, diving with a machete on my leg or any other such thing, then I am going to dive like that. I've yet to seen a fish laugh at my gear configuration, and a buddy or team who laughs at my gear aren't a buddy or a team since, apparantly, we're not on the same page when it comes to the dive before us. If I feel that there is a need for a specific piece of equipment in a specific way, then that equipment comes with me, regardless of what other divers think about it.