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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 recommended as a helpful and vauluable 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. If you are 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. If that happens you will be really happy that you brought along your trusted dive knife.

The two most important things to think about when buying a scuba knife are:

- Make sure that you get a scuba knife that is right for you and your diving style.

- 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.

Size matters

Generally speaking, dive knives can be divided into three size groups: standard size knives, mini knives, and big knives. A standard size dive knife, also known as medium size dive knife, has a 4-5 inch or 10-15 cm blade and is small enough to comfortably keep mounted on your leg, arm or BC. 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. Unfortunately, many of them come with handles that are difficult to grab underwater, especially when wearing diving gloves. It is therefore extra important to try the handle on a mini knife before buying it. 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. You should only get a big knife if you do something underwater that really requires a big knife, otherwise a small knife is to be preferred.

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?

Depends on what you want to cut, a straight edge is better for cutting artificial material like nylon while a serrated edge is better for cutting natural fibers. Serrated knives with serrations along the entire blade is better as that make is easier to use it as a saw. Today, you can also find multi-purpose dive knives where both types of edging is present on the same knife.

Sharp tip or not?

Sharp tips are popular among spear fishers, but if you plan on using your knife for something else then a blunt tip is usually to be preferred. 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.

Should I chose a knife with a cutting notch?

Yes, I would recommend getting a dive knife with a line cutting notch since it can come in handy if you ever need to cut a small line.

Tags: outdoor, photo, scuba diving, sports, Travel

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