Exactly what I was thinking. The coating should keep it from rusting for the most part, and you shouldn't have any problem prying any shells open.
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Busse for the beach/ocean?
- Thread starter emt1581
- Start date
Exactly what I was thinking. The coating should keep it from rusting for the most part, and you shouldn't have any problem prying any shells open.
You're gone see pretty fast that big knives are very job specific when you're under water. I've been doing water borne operations for the lesser half of a decade for the military and unless you know for a specific reason that you need something big it will only hinder you. A knife doesn't move the same way in water as it does on land and the uses are 100% different. Also when used you do some damage. Unless you're just trying to piss away money and look cool I'd go with a small model Wenoka. For $50 you can get a small calve wrap knife that'll last forever and take whatever you throw at it.
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A skinny ASH1 with some serrations and a kydex/plastic sheath would be a good all rounder. As long as you clean the blade well after use with fresh water to get rid of any salt, then a squirt of WD40, everything will be tickety boo 
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this would do the trick and cannot rust.
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It used to be for diving that your main choice for steel in a knife was 440A stainless ( in the good knives ) ... leser ones were 420 ... on average they would be very "soft" and would take a really poor edge. Serrations were developed because they improved things but there are plus and minus points here. Now with the advent of special silicon sprays designed to give a protective "skin" over the steel to prevent oxidisation there is the oppertunity to use a much more robust steel for diving knives which you might also want to use on dry land for normal knife duties. This is particularly so in a military context.
Diving knives using titanium are IMO only really needed for EOD use where anti-magnetic issues make them a neccessity. H1 may well be rust proof but how does it work as a pry bar ? Ditto Titanium ?
I like a diving knife which can be long enough to be anchored above and below my calf in wet suits or military dry suits. It is the only muscle which gives a concave curve adequate to stop the knife from slipping. Thigh sheaths or forearm sheaths can slip. Plus available space on wrists and forarms is limited if using dive computers and compasses.
The arguement for a big knife or small knife tends to be that for entanglement usage a small blade is more precise. Monofilament fishing line however is virtually invisible in most waters. Trying to cut what you cannot see and having to go by "feel" means for me that I do not use a knife. I carry proper diving shears for this use so I can open the blades and run them down my arms and legs until they "catch" and can do so safely. Equally and more worrying is if this stuff gets tangled on my hoses. Shears are definately safer then! You don't want the sharp edges of a knife being able to catch the hose!
So having qualified that I am a "shears" man for fishing line situations ... why carry a knife ? Well I like to have a knife for rope or netting and for use as a pry bar in emergencies. This last use has me firmly in favour of Infi. The knife also enables a defensive option should you need it and if the dive boat does'nt spot you or is a good distance away I use it as a signal heliograph ( which is why a like a good mirror finish on some of my knives ). It also comes in very useful if your foraging on the shore in any given emergency.
To safeguard my knife from the salt water I use "Lubra Skin" which is a proprietary spray developed by Extreme Ratio for the Italian Navy for use with their Ultra Marine Diving knife. It works really well ... much better than their knife. This knife by the way is available in Cobalt steel N690. Only the EOD guys use the Titanium. It was developed to work on both land and sea and to work on land and to hold a proper edge normal knife steel was preffered. This N690 steel is also used by Spyderco in their Jerry Hossum knives which are outsourced to Italy. So it is a proper knife steel. Probably equivalent to ATS 34 or 440C.
I like to use my SAR 8 for diving or my Satin Jack serrated clip point in kydex with two tek locks mounted on the sheath and altered to take the rubber diving leg straps. I also use an elaticated lanyard for each knife and secure these at the pommel. These accessories are easily available from any dive shop. I mount the Tek locks outside the sheath ( ie sheath close to the body ) which gives a tight fit.
On the issue of serrations on the blade as opposed to a normal edge ... I find cutting with serrations under water often needs two hands ... one to hold the rope and the other to cut. If however your hand is caught in a net cutting one handed and away from the trapped limb I find the normal edge slides easier and cuts easier. The serrations are better for catching fishing line and smaller stuff ... but as said for this stuff I much prefer shears. You do need a bit longer normal edge though compared to a serrated edge to cut in one slice on the heavy nylon rot proof rope but a good edge can still do the job fine. Each to their own though on that side of things ... but the normal edge is a lot better for shore based emergency/survival use.
Diving knives using titanium are IMO only really needed for EOD use where anti-magnetic issues make them a neccessity. H1 may well be rust proof but how does it work as a pry bar ? Ditto Titanium ?
I like a diving knife which can be long enough to be anchored above and below my calf in wet suits or military dry suits. It is the only muscle which gives a concave curve adequate to stop the knife from slipping. Thigh sheaths or forearm sheaths can slip. Plus available space on wrists and forarms is limited if using dive computers and compasses.
The arguement for a big knife or small knife tends to be that for entanglement usage a small blade is more precise. Monofilament fishing line however is virtually invisible in most waters. Trying to cut what you cannot see and having to go by "feel" means for me that I do not use a knife. I carry proper diving shears for this use so I can open the blades and run them down my arms and legs until they "catch" and can do so safely. Equally and more worrying is if this stuff gets tangled on my hoses. Shears are definately safer then! You don't want the sharp edges of a knife being able to catch the hose!
So having qualified that I am a "shears" man for fishing line situations ... why carry a knife ? Well I like to have a knife for rope or netting and for use as a pry bar in emergencies. This last use has me firmly in favour of Infi. The knife also enables a defensive option should you need it and if the dive boat does'nt spot you or is a good distance away I use it as a signal heliograph ( which is why a like a good mirror finish on some of my knives ). It also comes in very useful if your foraging on the shore in any given emergency.
To safeguard my knife from the salt water I use "Lubra Skin" which is a proprietary spray developed by Extreme Ratio for the Italian Navy for use with their Ultra Marine Diving knife. It works really well ... much better than their knife. This knife by the way is available in Cobalt steel N690. Only the EOD guys use the Titanium. It was developed to work on both land and sea and to work on land and to hold a proper edge normal knife steel was preffered. This N690 steel is also used by Spyderco in their Jerry Hossum knives which are outsourced to Italy. So it is a proper knife steel. Probably equivalent to ATS 34 or 440C.
I like to use my SAR 8 for diving or my Satin Jack serrated clip point in kydex with two tek locks mounted on the sheath and altered to take the rubber diving leg straps. I also use an elaticated lanyard for each knife and secure these at the pommel. These accessories are easily available from any dive shop. I mount the Tek locks outside the sheath ( ie sheath close to the body ) which gives a tight fit.
On the issue of serrations on the blade as opposed to a normal edge ... I find cutting with serrations under water often needs two hands ... one to hold the rope and the other to cut. If however your hand is caught in a net cutting one handed and away from the trapped limb I find the normal edge slides easier and cuts easier. The serrations are better for catching fishing line and smaller stuff ... but as said for this stuff I much prefer shears. You do need a bit longer normal edge though compared to a serrated edge to cut in one slice on the heavy nylon rot proof rope but a good edge can still do the job fine. Each to their own though on that side of things ... but the normal edge is a lot better for shore based emergency/survival use.
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That was a very valuable post in its entirety. Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm sure the OP will appreciate that as much as I did.
Hey Peter, thanks for the post. And of course you post my grail knife!! Yours even have jimping unlike the others that have come out...
I'm guessing I will wait at least a few years until either a SFNO or SAR8 come out with all the bells and whistles.
Thanks
-Emt1581
I'm guessing I will wait at least a few years until either a SFNO or SAR8 come out with all the bells and whistles.
Thanks
-Emt1581
im a freedive spearfisherman, always use a small, very pointy knife.. main use is to stab fish in the brain to calm them right down, secondary use is cutting line etc.
if you ignore subduing fish, ive actually never had to use my dive knife underwater, but its the one tool i make sure is firmly on the inside of my calf every time i go in the water, i'll attach a pic of my current dive knife (i tend to switch a lot, always looking for pointier and smaller) a mares stiletto
if you ignore subduing fish, ive actually never had to use my dive knife underwater, but its the one tool i make sure is firmly on the inside of my calf every time i go in the water, i'll attach a pic of my current dive knife (i tend to switch a lot, always looking for pointier and smaller) a mares stiletto
Thats funny to read dude. Getting stabbed in the brain has a calming effect? really?
good post though. Out this way we get a few whale rescues from nets. I plan to be prepared for that case as I have a place on the water and I would likely get a call when the crew gets together for a rescue. With that said I would want a knife/hook that can slide between the netting and the skin of the whale/seal/dolphin without hurting it. Also I would like to move fast so a double edged knife is out. But that looks great as a standard dive knife. The spyderco setup is probably as good as it gets. I think a seatbelt style rescue tool would be good for the net work.