There are many different things you can do while scuba diving but regardless of whether you like to ica dive pr simply want to take nice tropical fish pictures a dive knife is a recommended accessory. Ghost nets and other objects can be dangerous if you get entangled in them and having a knife with you that can help you free yourself is therefore highly recommended. When taking tropical fish pictures you may for instance become so absorbed by your task that you don’t notice that large ghost net stuck on the outside of the ship wreck where the most spectacular lionfishes are playing peek-a-boo with your camera. In such a situation a good dive knife will help you free yourself from the net before things get critical.
You should consider the following things before buying a dive knife
- Choose the right scuba knife; one that suits you and your particular needs.
- Learn how to use it in a manner that is safe for you as well as for your dive buddies. If you don’t know how to use your dive knife correctly it can cause more bad than good.
In this blog post we will take a closer look at the first point choosing a dive knife.
What size should the knife be
There are three main sizes of dive knives, big knives, mini knives and standard sized knives. The standard size is 4-6 inches (10-15cm) and a standard size knive can be comfortable mounted on your arm or leg. An import aspect to consider is making sure that the handle is big enough to fit well in your hand. Mini Knives are 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm) and can be mounted on the air tube. They can however be hard to use wearing gloves due to their small size. Always test the handle prior to purchase. Big dive knives have blades that are 5 in / 15 cm or longer and can be a tad cumbersome to handle underwater, especially for precision work. When scuba diving, big doesn’t automatically equals better so only get a big scuba knife if you know that you will be doing things underwater that actually require a big knife.
What material should the knife be made from
Most dive knifes are made from titanium or stainless steel. Titanium knives tend to be the most expensive choice, but are on the other hand extremely resilient to rust and other types of corrosion and a good titanium knife will stay sharp for numerous dives. A stainless steel knife will on the other hand be more susceptible to rust and corrosion, but you can counteract this by rinsing it off in freshwater after each dive and leave it to dry completely before putting it back in its sheath. It is a good idea to coat it with oil or silica.
Serrated edge or not?
A serrated edge is ideal for cutting natural fibres such as hemp ropes and kelp, while a straight edge will be more apt at cutting artificial materials like nylon ropes and monofilament fishing lines. If you decide to go for a serrated knife, ideally pick one where the serrations run almost the entire length of the blade to make it possible to get a nice sawing motion going when you need to cut something. I recommend that you get a knife witha serrated edge on once said and a straight edge on the other, that way you get the best from both worlds.
Sharp tip or not?
A blunt tip is to be preferred unless you plan to use the knife for spear fishing, spear fishers usually prefers sharp tips. The reason that ablunt top is usually better is that a sharp tip easily breakes when using the knife to dig and pry. Having a knife with a sharp tip will also increase the risk of accidently puncturing a BC your own or your dive buddy’s.
Do I need a line cutting notch?
Dive knifes should always have a cutting notch because that makes it much easier to cut small lines.
