Need a recomendation On a good Surfing knife.

S

Stephan

Joined
Jan 5, 2006
Messages
329
My friends and I have been thinking latley that carring a knife while surfing wouldn't be such a bad idea.


Anyone know what would be a good water knife that would be comfortable, not too bulky and have a decent price?:confused:
 
The Spyderco Salt line of knives comes in H1 steel, which will not rust.

You can get one with black or yellow (high viz) handles and serrated or plain edge. They also come with different blade shapes.

All of them are compact and lightweight.
 
Steven Andrews said:
Why a knife for surfing??
Click to expand...

That question came into my mind also. What kind or surfing do you practise? Carrying a knife for cutting lines while kite-surfing and even for being trapped in fishing nets when wake-boarding seams reasonable.

Are you ganne use it before and after surfing to prepare and fix your gear, or while being in the water? A Spyderco Salt SE and multitool will be a good choose.
 
I would imagine it would be a a bit more peace of mind against shark attacks. A blade would do substantially more to fight off a toothed critter than the good ole "punch it in the nose" bit I would think.

Remember the majority of attacks by a shark are not JAWS in nature. There have been sharks as small as 3-4 foot long that have latched onto divers/surfers/swimmers. Being able to shove a shart implement into it's eye socket would more than likely get it to let go. Give you a chance to get to the surface/shore.

Sand Sharks, and TigerSharks get about twice that size about the size of a person or so and so think of it is having a tangle with a mugger. Only this one wants your leg not your wallet. Would you rather tangle FIST to "HUNDREDS OF SERRATED KNIVES" or KNIFE to "HUNDREDS OF SERRATED KNIVES" And no a firearm wouldn't be an option in this case.

And I could be totally off base here as to his reasoning, but I know that's one of the reasons behind my dive knife. Diving at least you have plenty more gear and can carry a larger blade without looking like "Rambo does Surf City".

Hey STEPHAN... What kind of knife are you talking?? Folding??? Fixed?? Carry it in your trunks??? Clipped to your waist band? Or something like an ankle carry fixed blade? You'd be wise to research DIVE knives for the task if you're looking for the ankle type as the knife and the sheath/harness are designed for the saltwater environment. Kydex is fine for salt (as far as I know) but most of them have STEEL fasteners.

Anyway, that's what I would look into.

Good luck and if I'm correct on the usage idea I hope you never have to unsheath it.

DM
 
Why are a bunch of knife guys asking another member why he needs a knife? Despite the fact that there are plenty of good reasons to have a knife when you are surfing or doing pretty much anything on the water, it is his choice.

My advice is to get a folder though. A fixed blade would be easier to use but if you are like me, you wouldn't carry it everytime because you wouldn't want to look like Rambo.

I carry a Spyderco Rescue and I have been happy with it. I don't have sea water around me so rust is not an issue with the VG-10. I don't even wipe it off after boating and it has never showed any signs of rust. Salt water may be a different story. Since they make the Spyderco Salts, that seems like the most logical choice. Look over the different models they have and see which blade makes the most sense to use. If I were buy one, it would be the Pacific Salt in Yellow FRN. I don't think I need the sheepsfoot blade like I thought I did.
 
I would suggest something from the Spyderco Salt Series; as it will NOT rust!! Great knives!
 
Hey Stephan, you may want to look at this Kershaw Dive knife one of the members has listed...

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=426639

If you're looking for a fixed blade. And after thinking about this you may want to consider getting one that you can strap to your upper arm. As most attacks that I have heard of/seen photos of the legs and torso are the target area. Would suck to have a knife on the ankle that happens to be INSIDE the blender. Also forgot that most surfers these days wear suits not trunks... would make it almost non existent to wear on your arm opposite your primary hand. with the suit material to cushion it, I'd think you would never notice it was there after an hour or so...

And to answer some of the other questions as to WHY carry one??? Because Fishing nets can snare you when you tumble under from the wave and hold you under long enough to drown you. Because seaweed and kelp are slick as hell easy to get wrapped up in and hard as hell to pull/break apart. That's just 2 more reasons that come to mind.

DM
 
Thanks guys for your help.

All these reasons are part of the idea . . .and as Devilman stated . . the shark fear, which at first seems kinda far-fetched . .but a friend of a friend has had an encounter, and we have had those moments where someone has seen one in the water near by . . so a knife to the nose is better than a fist.

I am thinking a folder would be to hard to get to in an emergency situation . .which is the reason for carrying it. Get wrapped up in some sort of seaweed or rooted plant . .sharks . .or whatever. Maybe a smaller ankle strapped knife that is really secure in the sheath. I 'll check out some of the knives listed here.

I could really care less what people think I look like . . if it came down to the point where I needed to use it and it helped another or me .. I 'm sure at that point they'd change their opinion about it.
Besides . . living in LA I have already dealt with it enough with my EDC which many at my work have already changed their minds about knives.

Funny at first they think weapon . .now after seeing me with it and it use and my philosophy behind knives . . . they now think "The knife, one of the oldest, most useful, and beautiful tools ever created.";)
 
DevilMan said:
Hey Stephan, you may want to look at this Kershaw Dive knife one of the members has listed...

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=426639

If you're looking for a fixed blade. And after thinking about this you may want to consider getting one that you can strap to your upper arm. As most attacks that I have heard of/seen photos of the legs and torso are the target area. Would suck to have a knife on the ankle that happens to be INSIDE the blender. Also forgot that most surfers these days wear suits not trunks... would make it almost non existent to wear on your arm opposite your primary hand. with the suit material to cushion it, I'd think you would never notice it was there after an hour or so...

And to answer some of the other questions as to WHY carry one??? Because Fishing nets can snare you when you tumble under from the wave and hold you under long enough to drown you. Because seaweed and kelp are slick as hell easy to get wrapped up in and hard as hell to pull/break apart. That's just 2 more reasons that come to mind.

DM
Click to expand...

Thanks for your help. I have heard of nets being a problem as well . . good thinking on that one.

Funny how the majority of us here on Blade forums carry knives for emergency and all it useful purposes on land . .but some may question the use for one in the water . . I just don't get it . .the next time I see a 50 foot wave that I know gonna wipe me out . .at least I can stab it at the moment of impact!:D
 
Well, if he's surfing the urban Los Angeles breaks, he's gotta worry more about snakes in the water than sharks, kelp or fishing nets, eh brah?

That said, getting tangled in one's own leash is a risk, especially in big waves breaking over rocky bottoms.

I'm pondering a similar purchase, but more for my kiteboarding than regular surfing.
 
Ive used a Kershaw Amphibian when diving before now & its a great little knife, I often carry it on land too, though its dry land duty will be lesser now Ive got my CRKT/AG Russell Sting.
Strapped to my upper left arm, I didnt notice it was there & it didnt particularly alarm the beach sheeple, either. Give it a GOOD rinse in fresh water & oil it asap after leaving the briney, though. A mate of mine HAS had rust spots on his blade around the plastic of the skeletonized handle.
 
What about a small fixed blade, a folder would be pretty hard to open if your line got tangled around your leg, and you're fighting the monster thats crashing down on top of you.
 
.....many public safety divers swear by the "golden triangle". Anything critical you carry in the triangular area from your shoulders down to your navel. This eliminates the legs and forearms and also such things as underarm slings or many integrated weights in newer BCs. Back to surfing. Ideal would be some sort of chest harness but is probably too rambo-esque. That leaves mainly the upper arm (either inside or outside IMO). For all the reasons mentioned by other posters I would recommend not using thigh or ankle carry. Even belted at the waist would be preferable to me.
 
it wont matter what you carry if you take care of it after you are through,so i will recommend cs recon tanto.if you are not surffing in the red triangle;i wouldnt worry about it.
 
For cutting lines and such, the aforementioned Spyderco Salt would be an excellent choice, clipped IWB onto your shorts. Make sure to keep the clip tight or use a lanyard. . .
 
Steven Andrews said:
May I ask..

Why a knife for surfing??
Click to expand...

This happened last spring. I have a friend that almost drown be when surfing small waves created my a coral reef about a 200 yards offshore. During a fall, his board got wedged in the coral. He made a very bad mistake of being alone. It was starting to get dark and no one was on shore (it was one of those lightly inhabited South sea islands). His board was tied to his ankle and he could not get the knot undone. He had to hold his breath and dive down to get to the knot. Of course, visibility was not good under water. He couldn’t free the board or get the knot untied. I'm no surfer but I'm guessing it should have been snapped, not tied. I guess whatever is normally used was broken so he just tied it to his ankle.

He was getting more exhausted by the minute. If he had a sharp edge of any kind, he could have cut the line and swam to shore, but he didn't. After about 10-20 minutes (he couldn't really tell how long). A pretty good wave came in and knocked him and the board around pretty well. Some how the board came free and his life was spared. I gave him a stern lecture about carrying a knife after that. At all times, not just when surfing.

If you want a real knife, then just get a good diving knife and be done with it. But if you are looking for just a "sharp edge with point" to have with you for emergancies while surfing, then read on.

There are a lot of nice diving knives that are strapped to the waste. There is a lot of arm movement while surfing and it would be easy to hit the knife and/or sheath. While it wouldn’t be serious, it would be bothersome after awhile. It could also scratch a very expensive surf board.

I would recommend a small neck knife. If a wearing a wet suit, this would keep if from moving around. If not, something could be fabricated to wear it inside ones swimming suit.

This company (link below) could come up with any type of sheath and carry system you would like. Even multiple systems: one as a neck knife and for a waste carry. If you give them a call and tell them what you are trying to accomplish, I’m betting they could set you up. Plus, the sheath could be covered with some thing neoprene to prevent “chaffing” of the skin.

And don't for get the lanyard. If you drop it, you want to get it back.

Note the picture of the diver on their home page.

http://www.hideawayknife.com/main.php

Regards and good luck.
 
Benchmade makes a pretty nice rustproof dive knife...fixed blade...yellow or black handle.
 
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