The question of how to wear a dive knife is not a commonly asked question. There are not many scuba divers who feel the need to bring knives with them when they are scuba diving except for the divemaster. There may be reasons you feel the need to bring a knife when scuba diving but in reality, someone should bring a knife just on the off chance you will need it. How to wear a dive knife?
There are a number of places where you can put your dive knives such as around your ankle or leg. You attach a sheath around your ankle or leg and that is where the knife is placed. You can also use your BCD where you can use one of the pockets or attachments on your BCD. And there is the low-pressure inflator which is the most popular place but can be the riskiest.
In today’s post, we will go through how to wear a dive knife, so let’s get started!
Read more on common questions asked by beginner divers
How To Wear A Dive Knife?
In how to wear a dive knife the main thing is the placement of the knife. Once you have decided on where to place the knife then it is fairly straightforward on how to wear the knife. The main areas to place the knife are as follows.
- Leg Or Ankle.
- BCD Low-Pressure Inflator.
- BCD Pocket.
Leg Or Ankle
This is more of a tradition than partially to keep a dive knife during a dive. The main drawback with placing your knife on your leg or ankle can be hard to reach particularly if diving in shallow waters or wrecks.
The reason this was popular was that knives were bigger years ago and because of action films.
This is fairly simple to wear. You just have to fasten the sheath around your leg. And this is where the knife is placed.
BCD Low-Pressure Inflator
The is a popular place to place your dive knife simply because it is easy to reach in difficult situations. This method makes it easy for the diver to reach the knife with either hand and especially in more restricted spaces it’s easy.
There is a risk with knives that have a sharp tip, these types of knives are riskier to store attaching to your low-pressure inflator.
Simply the knife is attached to the BCD’s low-pressure inflator hose with either cable ties or some other method.
BCD Pocket
Some BCDs have a specific pocket or attachment for dive knives built into the BCD. This is the safest place to put a small knife into their BCD pocket.
As the risk of entanglement is extremely low but reaching the knife is relatively easy but in a tricky situation, it may not be the easiest to find.
How Important Is A Dive Knife?
The main reason a scuba diver brings a knife is to cut themselves free or other scuba divers if they have been entangled in fishing lines.
Dive knives are pretty much essential for wreck diving as there is a high risk of getting tangled ropes and underwater plants.
What Makes A Good Dive Knife?
You should remember that a dive knife is mainly used for cutting fishing lines not fighting sharks. So you do not need a huge Rambo knife but a fairly small, 3 or 4″ blade is much more suitable.
There are two main options on the material the blade is made from. These are as follows.
- Stainless Steel Blade – Steel is cheaper than titanium and is harder so still sharper for longer.
- Titanium – Titanium is more expensive than steel but is stronger, has higher corrosion resistance, and is lighter than steel.
Whether to go for steel or titanium depends on your budget and preference.
Wrapping Up
Finally, there are a number of places where you can put your dive knives such as around your ankle or leg. You attach a sheath around your ankle or leg and that is where the knife is placed. You can also use your BCD where you can use one of the pockets or attachments on your BCD. And there is the low-pressure inflator which is the most popular place but can be the riskiest.
And that’s it for now! I’d love to know if this guide on how to wear a dive knife, has helped you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.
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