Dive knives are an essential part of underwater exploration. They are specifically formulated to have good grip, long-lasting blades, and easy access. Whether a beginner or a seasoned diver, having a dive knife with you can be the difference between life and death.
The top 14 dive knives of 2023:
- Aqua Lung Argonaut
- Promate Titanium Scuba
- Tusa FK-940ti X-Pert II
- Scubapro Mako Titanium
- Cressi Skorpion
- Atomic Aquatics Titanium Ti6
- Cressi Borg Long Blade Diving Knife
- Scuba Choice Foldable
- XS Scuba FogCutter X Knife
- And more …
1 Aqua Lung Agronaut
Based in Australia, Aqualung is well known for supplying a variety of diving and snorkeling gear. Perhaps they are most well-known for their namesake, the Aqua Lung. Staying true to its innovation and diving gear legacy, the Agronaut Ti Dive Knife is one of the company’s most formidable knives.
The knife is a solid piece of gorgeous black 4mm titanium from top to bottom. Coated using an electromechanical surface treatment known as EDP, the knife has a smooth finish and excellent corrosion resistance. The 4.7″ blade has a smooth and serrated edge and sharp tip. As for the handle, it’s wrapped in paracord for added grip.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 4.7″ titanium
⦁ Handle: titanium and paracord
2 Promate Barracuda Titanium Diving Knife
Promate is a US-based distributor of cutting-edge scuba diving equipment. Their titanium Barracuda diving knife set gives you a range of color options and the choice of either a blunt or sharp-tipped dive knife. The blunt option slots in with a blade at 4.5 inches, and the sharp tip option has a 5-inch blade.
These knives have a smooth side and a serrated edge with a notch designed for cutting lines. Both are titanium with a titanium hammer at the base of the handle. The handle is curved with finger grips and an accent band that would be useful for finding it if you dropped it while diving.
It’s an easily disassembled knife, making it easy to clean and maintain. Thankfully little maintenance is necessary with the titanium blade. It has a great leg strap with a push-down locking system that keeps it secure and easy to access.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 4.5″ titanium
⦁ Handle: titanium hammer cap
3 Tusa FK-940ti X-Pert II
Located in Japan, Tusa is an international sporting goods manufacturer that prides itself on creating innovative and well-manufactured equipment for sports enthusiasts. The X-Pert II Titanium dive knife is a legacy of the Tusa name. This modern red and silver 10″ knife sports a 6-4Ti titanium blade with a serrated edge, sharp tip, and line-cutting notch.
The X-Pert II has a quick-release buttoned sheath, adjustable strap, and buckle. The knife is easily disassembled for cleaning and maintenance.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 4.5″ titanium
⦁ Handle: rubberized
4 Scuba Pro Mako
Scubapro is a leading standard in the diving gear sphere. Often toted as manufacturers “for divers, by divers,” they continue to provide reliable and durable diving gear for divers at all stages. They indeed continue to impress with the Mako Titanium knife.
The Mako is made from alpha titanium, making it incredibly lightweight and compact at 0.4lb and the blade at 3.5″. The blade has a smooth and sharp edge with a line cutting a notch in the blade and a bottle opener at the end of the handle. It has a stylish Tanto tip which reinforces the strength of the blade.
The handle is thin but has thumb guards for grip. It comes with a molded locking sheath that makes one-handed release easy. The knife also comes with a BCD mounting kit.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 3.5″ titanium
⦁ Handle: titanium with bottle opener
5 Cressi Skorpion
The Italian company Cressi was founded by two brothers in 1939 who loved diving and spearfishing. Today the company continues to churn out new designs to improve their client’s time in the water. The Skorpion’s 4.3″ blade is made from 304 tempered steel with a black polymer secure grip handle.
The blade has a serrated edge with a line-cutting notch, a straight edge for smoother cutting, and a sharp tip. This lightweight diving knife has a black polymer sheath, straps for attaching to the belt or thigh, and a quick-release spring button. This modern design is friendly for beginner divers and great value for money.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 4.3″ tempered steel
⦁ Handle: full tang with polymer
6 Atomic Aquatics Titanium Ti6
Being a relatively young company, Atomic Aquatics is highly detail-orientated and passionate about making the diving experience all it can be. Their TI6 Titanium Dive Knife is a feat in endurance, and the titanium casting makes it highly corrosion-resistant. The knife has a 4″ dual-curved straight cutting edge with a cutting notch and a half-serrated edge for tougher cuts.
The knife comes with an option of a blunt or sharp tip. The blade is guaranteed to be long-lasting and corrosion-resistant. Its handle is molded with finger grooves and has a titanium hammer cap that can be removed to help clean the knife. It locks quickly into its quick-release lightweight sheath and has quick-adjust straps.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 4″ titanium
⦁ Handle: full tang with titanium hammer cap
7 Cressi Borg Long Blade Diving Knife
Cressi’s second appearance on this list is a testament to their skill and blade efficiency. The Borg comes with the option of a blunt or sharp tip. It is one of the longer blades on this list with a 5.5″ AISI 420 tempered stainless-steel dual-edged, straight, and serrated edge. The dive knife has a line cutting notch and a polymer guard with a soft grip molded finger grip handle and stainless-steel pummel.
The black polymer sheath has a rapid-release button with attached loops for attachment to the thigh or dive belt.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 5.5″ stainless steel
⦁ Handle: rubberized with steel pummel
8 Scuba Choice Foldable
Scuba Choice, also known as Aqua Edge, is an international online scuba gear provider that offers fantastic price options and worldwide shipping. Their Foldable BCD Black Blade is an incredibly affordable diving knife perfect for entry-level divers. As the name suggests, this knife is foldable and has a black stainless steel 3.5″ blade.
The sharp-tipped knife has a serrated edge with a line notch on the other edge and a bottle opener in the middle of the blade. The textured plastic handle comes in various colors and provides a comfortable and ergonomic grip. Attached is an adjustable strap for attaching to your wrist.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 3.5″ stainless steel
⦁ Handle: plastic
9 XS Scuba FogCutter X Knife
A relatively young company XS Scuba is a fast-growing diving gear supplier specializing in scuba cylinders, lead weights, and Thermo valves. Their FogCutter X is a clever three-in-one dive tool that functions as scissors, a knife, and a pipe grip. The pipe grip is excellent for twisting nuts and bolts and acts as a hammer.
The blade is a 4.7″ 420 hardened stainless steel with a serrated edge and line cutting notch. The knife comes with either a blunt or sharp tip. The product comes with two 22″ rubber leg straps and a black sheath.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 4.7″ stainless steel
⦁ Handle: split handle with gripper and stainless-steel hammer cap
10 BOffer Stainless Steel
With a full tang black 420C stainless-steel 4″ blade, the BOffer is dual-edged with a serrated and smooth edge and a tanto-style sharp tip. The dive knife is made from a singular piece of steel with marks between the handle and blade to stop fingers from slipping.
The handle is wrapped in nylon paracord to give a solid grip. The knife has two strap options, a nylon strap and an elastic strap with a polyester sheath holder. The ABS polyester sheath has a locking release button that makes sure the knife is carefully locked in.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 4″ stainless steel
⦁ Handle: full tang with nylon paracord
11 Spyderco Aqua Salt
Spyderco is a blade-making pioneer and has branched between military and home-use cutlery. Their Aqua Salt FRN was popular both in military and commercial fishing circles. Due to demand, the blade has been brought back after being discontinued. The Aqua Salt has a nitrogen-based steel alloy hollow-ground 4.7″ blade coated in non-reflective titanium carbonitride.
With its sharp drop-point and thick spine, this dive knife is a solid, low-friction utility knife. It can be bought with a smooth or serrated edge. The textured handle is fashioned in fiberglass-reinforced nylon for strength and good grip. It has a G-clip injection-molded polymer sheath for easy access and knife protection.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 4.7″ nitrogen-based steel alloy
⦁ Handle: fiberglass-reinforced nylon
12 AquaLung Big Squeeze
As the second entry for AguaLung on this list, we vouch that the company knows what they are doing. AquaLung’s Squeeze range features squeeze-lock technology that ensures your knife stays secure in its sheath. Both sides of the knife need to be squeezed to release the blade.
The Big Squeeze has 304 stainless steel or titanium option with a dual-edged blade. The straight edge has a line notch, and the other has a half-serrated edge. The 4.2″ blade comes in blunt and sharp-tipped options. This knife’s construction is perfect for handling and weathering in diving conditions.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 4.2″ stainless steel or titanium
⦁ Handle: full tang
13 Benchmade 112SBK-BLK H20
Benchmade is well known for using excellent quality materials and manufacturing tactical knives. Initially designed for military use, the 112SBK-BLK H20 Fixed Dive Knife is made from N680 steel. It is perfect for use in saltwater conditions and is 3.5″ long.
It features a half-serrated edge and line-cutting notch with a blunt tip. The handle is crafted from a black rubberized overmold using injection molding technology and a cleaver finger grip pattern.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 3.5″ steel
⦁ Handle: rubberized
14 Toor Krypteia
Newly on the market, Toor was founded to produce knives and tactical gear for the Marine Corps. They strive to create products that endure and are helpful. The Krypteia is not specifically designed for diving, but its CPM S35VN steel 4″ blade makes it a great dive knife. It comes with a sharp tip on a smooth-edged blade with thumb grip bumps at the base of the blade.
The blade is matte black and has two notched G10 handle color options. The knife comes with mounting and engraving options and a black KYDEX sheath. While pricy, this Toor knife is of the highest quality and low maintenance.
Knife specifications:
⦁ Blade: 4″ S35 steel
⦁ Handle: full tang
What Are Dive Knives Made Of?
Due to the conditions in which dive knives are used, that being lots of salty water, they must be made with unique materials that ensure they will not rust or become blunt quickly. The most common materials used for dive knives are stainless steel and titanium. Alloys are also popular.
⦁ Stainless steel is highly corrosion-resistant. Stainless steel blades will come with an engraved number, usually about 400 and lower. The lower the number, the more resilient the steel, the less rust will form, and less sharpening will be required.
⦁ Titanium is a light and durable material for diving blades. It’s incredibly resistant to corrosion from seawater salt. It’s a popular material as it rarely needs to be resharpened and lasts a long.
⦁ Alloys are fantastic as they are durable and firm. They are corrosion-resistant and stay sharp for extended periods.
No matter which blade material you get, all blades must be carefully taken care of. Even the best blades are not immune to the power of the ocean. Rinse your blade well with fresh water and allow it to dry entirely before you sheath or fold it.
What Kind Of Knife Do Divers Use?
Dive knives are a vital part of the diving experience. But, because diving requires a lot of maneuverability and quick access to tools, having the proper dive knife and strap is crucial.
Dive knives are primarily tools and are not intended as weapons or a means for defacing the underwater environment.
Factors to consider when choosing the right dive knife:
⦁ Dive knives are practical tools used to untangle ropes, dig in the ocean bed, pry open oysters or found treasures, and tighten screws or pound objects.
⦁ When it comes to diving knives, bigger is not better. Smaller blades are easier to wear and travel with. Larger knives will get in the way and be a nuisance when maneuvering in small spaces. Dive knives should have a blade of at most 4-5 inches, with a handle of a similar length.
⦁ Dive knives can be serrated or straight-edged. Serrated blades are great for cutting through rope and fish bones and staying sharp longer. Straight-edged blades are helpful for finer cutting and line fishing lines. The best straight blades are curved. Many dive knives have both a serrated and straight edge.
⦁ Make sure to get a dive knife with a good, firm grip. You will use it while wearing your scuba gear and underwater, so having a good grip is crucial. You can test the knife while wearing your scuba gloves before heading underwater.
⦁ Many dive knives are black because silver or reflective blades can scare away sea creatures you are approaching and attract curious predators.
Why Do Dive Knives Have A Blunt End?
Dive knives act as a multitude of tools, such as a screwdriver, a prying tool, and a digger. It can also be used for hacking or chiseling. Sharp tips can break while performing these tasks.
Sharp-tipped knives can also be a safety hazard as they can puncture hoses and damage the BCD. Overall, blunt-tip knives can be a safer option.
Do You Really Need A Dive Knife?
While having a dive knife is not considered necessary in many groups, having one is recommended as it could be the line between life and death for divers and sea creatures. Exploring the ocean can be a dangerous pastime. A diver might come across any measure of challenges.
Divers often come across forgotten fishing lines, nets, or grabby kelp. Often divers or sea creatures get stuck, and dive knives are the savior in an otherwise risky situation.
This practical tool also comes in handy when a diver wants to catch the attention of their peers underwater, as the knife can be used as a hammer or noisemaker. It can anchor a diver to the seabed when there’s a rough current or clear debris from a dive site, and it looks and feels pretty cool strapped to your thigh or arm.
Where Should I Put My Dive Knife?
Most dive knives come with a sheath and strap. If it does not come with a strap, you should buy one, as this allows you to be hands-free with easy access to your knife. A durable strap, like double-stitched nylon, will weather well and be comfortable.
You can strap your dive knife to your thigh, wrist, dive belt, gauge console, or buoyancy compensation device (BCD).
Conclusion
The best dive knife is the one that meets your needs. Always look for a knife that is non-corrosive and that will stay sharp for a long time. Consider where and how you would like to access your dive knife before purchasing it. At the end of the day, it might just save your life.
Resources
https://www.scuba.com/i/diveknives