04Jul07Ask Lauren about…knives
Q: What type of dive knife should I buy? –Liz, Maryland
A: Liz, It is a pleasure to weigh in on this question as I’m assuming the origin of the inquiry lies in the peer pressure associated with seeing machete-type objects strapped to divers’ shins, conflicting with your basic common sense. “So many people have them, there must be something to it.” Kudos to you for your skepticism. With few obvious exceptions, bigger is not better and I will argue that overcompensation is never a good thing.
Let’s approach this from a utilitarian perspective: Why do you need a dive knife?
Shark protection? I am unaware of any instance where a diver deployed his knife to successfully fend off an attacking shark…or any fish for that matter.
Buddy homicide? Not likely…but I don’t know your buddy.
Hunting? Now, this is the exception as underwater hunting does require a bladed object of decent size. (Check out www.speargun.com if this is your intended activity.)
Barring death and dismemberment—activities that indeed warrant a weapon of sorts—why else would you carry a knife? The real answer is to free yourself of snags in fishing line or net you may encounter while diving. For this purpose, there are several devices on the market more effective and more streamlined (not to mention less obnoxious) than the easily-mistaken-for-contraband dive knife.
Z-knives (look at versions by OMS and Dive Rite) and Sea Snips are very handy and commonly available. Smaller knives such as UK’s Remora and Wenoka’s Squeeze Lock (NOT the Big Squeeze) are also perfectly suitable. Blunt-tip knives, in my opinion, are preferable to the sharp and pointy as they can often double as a tool for prying or, in a pinch, a flat head screwdriver.
Check out the selection at your local dive shop- they’re bound to have several viable options. As with all dive gear, think small, efficient, and purposeful and you’re bound to come out on top. Best of luck!
Cheers,
Lauren
If you have a question about diving, big or small, you can send it to lauren@godivenc.com I won’t post your question on the site without obtaining permission from you first.
