The Best Diving Knives To Save You or Others During Emergencies
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Whether you’re snorkeling or diving, you can come across a lot of different things during your journeys. These can range from simple pieces of trash buried in the sand to reefs teeming with fish. But sometimes you may come across a situation that isn’t so pleasant. Maybe you found a fish stuck in some plastic or you end up getting your foot stuck on some buried rope. When this happens, what do you do?
When it comes to setting things free, few things are more versatile and effective as a knife. With some of the sharpest diving knives of 2024, you can set animals, fellow divers, or even yourself free from perilous situations in a matter of seconds. While you hopefully won’t need to use the knife during your next diving trip, it never hurts to be prepared for the worst. Let’s take a look!
Best Diving Knives Worth Considering for 2024
Best Overall
With a durable frame and a few nice accessories that you’ll appreciate while diving, this knife set by BOffer is a solid set to start off with. The knife itself features a straight and serrated edge. The sharp edge is great for clean and simple cuts, while the serrated edge may be more useful if you want to work your way through some tougher materials.
Aside from the nice design of the knife, there’s also the sheath to talk about. There are actually two sheaths that come with this knife: one that’s made out of ABS plastic and one that’s made out of nylon. The plastic sheath is more secure for storing the sharp knife, while the nylon sheath is slightly lighter. We’ve chosen this diving knife as the best overall choice thanks to its two sheath options and clever blade design.
Pros
- Two sheath options
- Features straps for easy carrying
- Straight and serrated edges
Cons
- A bit smaller than others
Best Quality
Have you ever wondered why you would find a lot of rusted metal by ports, docks, and other places by the seashore? That’s because salt water actually accelerates the rusting process, making the environment more conducive to corrosion. So, if you don’t want your knife to get rusted like the anchors and boats you see by the ports, you’ll want a stainless steel knife such as this one by Punada.
This diving knife features a curved blade that has a serrated edge at the back. While the straight and serrated edges are pretty standard, it’s the pointy curved tip that makes this knife special. You can use the power of leverage to cut open tight knots using the curved tip, making this knife even more versatile than others. The knife comes with two sheaths and straps, too, so you can carry the knife around in any way you see fit.
Pros
- Stainless steel build
- Premium-quality and long-lasting
- Features a curved tip
Cons
- Sheath quality could be better
Best Value
What’s better than having one diving knife? Having two diving knives! The GASHER Diving Knife comes in a set of two knives to give you even more tools to work with while underwater. Both knives come with their own sheaths so you don’t have to worry about sharing a single sheath for both knives. It’s also worth noting that the knives are slightly different from one another in terms of design, with only one sporting a curved blade.
The knives are surprisingly lightweight for how durable they are, making them easy to carry around while swimming. It won’t impede your performance and maneuverability underwater by a whole lot, and you get the advantage of having a knife nearby in the event of an emergency.
Pros
- Comes with two knives
- Includes sheaths for each knife
- Knives are slightly different from one another
Cons
- May rust easily
Solid Grip
Have you ever tried holding something while underwater? It’s not a very fun experience as the water makes holding things a little trickier than when on dry land. If you’re holding something harmless like a ball, it’s not that big of an issue. But when you’re using a knife underwater, the last thing you want is for the knife to fall out of your hands and either sink to the depths or injure someone or something else in the process.
This sharp scuba knife by Promate is perfect for those who aren’t the most confident with their grip. The knife’s handle is large and ergonomically designed to work around the natural shape of your fingers. This makes the knife very easy and comfortable to wield, and you won’t need to worry too much about letting go of it by accident. It’s a bit large compared to other diving knives, but if you’d rather not make a single mistake while using it, that’s a tradeoff you’re probably willing to make anyway.
Pros
- Ergonomic and sturdy grip
- Easy to disassemble
- Comes with adjustable straps
Cons
- Handle may be too big for some
Best for Spearfishing
Spearfishing is a type of fishing technique that requires fast reflexes, and when you’re trying to catch a big one you may need more than just a single spear. Having a knife can be quite handy in some situations while spearfishing, but you’ll need something that you can quickly and easily deploy on the fly.
The Cressi Diving Knife is the perfect tool to use in such situations. It features a special quick-release sheath that readies your knife in an instant. The knife is made out of Japanese steel with the weapon itself being a product of Italian design, making it a high-quality product. While it may take a bit of time to get used to the quick-release mechanism, this knife is a very solid, reliable product.
Pros
- Features a quick-release sheath
- Made out of Japanese steel
- Includes a lanyard
Cons
- May take time to get used to
Buying Guide: Diving Knife
With the right diving knife, you can save lives, both human and marine, during your diving trips. Below, we’ve included everything you need to know about diving knives.
What Is a Diving Knife?
A diving knife is a tool that divers bring along with them during their diving trips and excursions. The tool is used to cut open and free marine life or fellow divers since it is somewhat common for animals — and even other divers — to get caught in trash or debris while underwater.
Reasons To Have a Diving Knife
You can free marine life while underwater
The pollution of our oceans is a huge problem that has yet to be solved. While there are initiatives to make sweeping changes across the world, you will still find many animals caught in plastic while you dive. Turtles may have their heads stuck in plastic objects or some fish may get tangled up in some plastic rope. These are unfortunate yet increasingly common scenarios that, if left unchecked, will lead to the loss of marine life.
The only way to save the animal from their potential demise is by freeing them from the trash, debris, or material that they’re stuck in. You could do it via brute force, though that would cause pain and discomfort to the animal. Instead, by using a knife, you can easily cut the trash away from the animal, freeing them without much effort. As long as you carefully use the knife and do not injure the animal with it, you can save plenty of marine lives for years to come.
You can also free other divers
Marine life isn’t the only victim of underwater traps. In fact, many divers, especially novices, get caught in debris all the time. This can happen for a variety of reasons, and the experience can be quite traumatic for both the victim and any other divers with them. Like with fish and other marine life, it’s possible to free the diver via brute force, but depending on the situation it may be difficult or even impossible to do this.
That’s why a diving knife is such a useful tool to have while diving. It’s not a guarantee that you can free the diver with your diving knife, but at the very least it will provide you with the option to do so.
You can use it for survival
This last potential use of a diving knife may not be very common, but it can happen. In the event that you get lost at sea and you end up on a deserted island, or maybe you get shipwrecked while on a diving trip, you’ll need tools to keep yourself alive. A knife is arguably one of the best tools you can have to set up camp and stay alive, as you can use it to sharpen wood, cut meat, and defend yourself. A knife is a very versatile tool. If our ancestors could make great use of sharp objects back in the day, so can you.
What Are the Parts of a Diving Knife?
Blade
The blade of a diving knife is what actually cuts open the trash and debris that traps animals and divers. The sharper the blade, the more effective it is, so you’ll want your blade to be as sharp as possible when you use it. Typically, a diving knife will have two edges that you can use for different situations: a sharp, straight edge and a serrated edge.
The sharp edge is what you use to cut open loose, soft, and generally easy-to-cut materials. With this blade, you can do a single cutting motion that frees the trapped fish or the trapped diver, but only if the blade is sharp enough. A serrated edge acts as more of a saw when you use it. This type of knife is great for cutting tougher materials that the sharp, straight edge won’t be able to cut through.
Sheath
Diving knives shouldn’t be exposed when you carry them around. Instead, they should always be sheathed inside of a protective covering, also known as a sheath. There are a few types of sheaths for diving knives, but nylon and ABS plastic sheaths are the most common. Hard plastic sheaths have the advantage of being safer to use as there’s almost no chance of the blade cutting the holster open. Nylon and fabric-based sheaths are lighter weight but they don’t offer nearly as much protection.
When picking what type of sheath to go for, choose which type of sheath suits your preferences more. Both sheaths keep the knife secure, but ABS tends to feel a lot more comfortable to use since it’s made out of hard plastic.
The Best Place To Strap Your Diving Knife
When you want to bring a diving knife with you on your trips, you’ll want to wear it somewhere safe. The best place to strap your diving knife is by your legs or ankles. The reason for this is that your ankles and legs are the furthest from your head and chest where your most vital organs are. So, in the event that the knife somehow falls from its sheath while you’re swimming, only your feet will get cut in the worst case scenario. But keep in mind that you’ll have scuba or snorkeling fins on to protect you.
Just because the diving knife is far from your chest doesn’t mean it’s hard to reach. In fact, you can very easily reach for your diving knife by curling your legs up to bring them closer to your hands. This does require a bit more effort than strapping the knife to your arms, but it’s much safer this way as you won’t end up injuring yourself or damaging your diving gear.
Related: The Best Dive Watches on Any Budget
People Also Asked
Are diving knives safe to use underwater?
As long as you’re familiar with using knives underwater and have practiced how to maneuver them, they’re perfectly safe to use in emergency situations.
Should I carry a diving knife with me while diving?
While not completely necessary, a diving knife can come in handy during emergency situations.
At what angle should I attach my diving knife to my leg?
Ideally, you’ll want to make sure your diving knife is perpendicular to your leg. This will give you the smoothest lines and make swimming easier.