You know how important it is to have your own diving gear to make you feel more comfortable underwater. But having a good dive knife might save your life! It will cut you free from fishing lines, ropes, vegetation, etc. in case you get into trouble!
We have already reviewed the best scuba regulators, scuba BCDs, wetsuits, dive masks, bags, snorkels, boots, gloves, dive computers and fins.
Today, I’m going to review the Best Dive Knives on the market to help you make the right choice. I recommend that you compare their features and choose the one that best fits your needs.
The next list contains the top rated scuba diving knives as indicated by consumers, along with those I’ve tested myself, to account for the best models.
Reasons why you might want to bring a dive knife:
Some people like to bring knives on their dives while others don’t. I think it has to be clear that a diving knife is not a weapon but a tool.
In normal situations you won’t have to use your knife. However, if you find yourself in any of the following situations, you will be glad to have brought it.
– If you or a buddy gets hooked with a rope or fishing net. Although this doesn’t happen very often, our oceans accumulate more trash and fishing waste every year. Unfortunately, there have been cases of divers who have died due to getting caught in ropes or nets.
– If you find any trapped animals. This situation may be much more likely to happen than the previous one. Hundreds of whales, turtles, seals and other animals get trapped daily in fishing nets and die within hours. If you find one of these animals and can save them with your knife, you will feel awesome!
– For warning your buddies. If you find some danger and you want to warn your dive buddy, you can use your knife by hitting it against the tank.
TOP 10 BEST DIVE KNIVES
TOP END
ATOMIC AQUATICS Ti6
“Top-quality, lightweight and resistant”
The Atomic Aquatics Ti6 is a versatile top-quality knife. It comes with both serrated and straight blades, a line-cutting notch and a really comfortable sheath.
No wonder why it’s one of the most popular diving knives.
Blade Length: 4 Inches
Material: Titanium
TUSA X-PERT II TITANIUM KNIFE
“High-quality all-around knife”
The U.S. Divers Titanium features a serrated edge for cutting through tough materials, while the bottom surface features a line cutter.
The knife completely disassembles for cleaning. It’s a 4.5-inch knife, which is still a good size for recreational divers.
Blade Length: 4.5 Inches
Material: Titanium
SCUBAPRO MAKO TITANIUM
“Compact knife for recreational divers”
The Scubapro Mako is a great ultralight compact knife.
It features extreme resistance to corrosion with a highly durable cutting edge and a very comfortable handle.
Blade Length: 3.5 Inches
Material: Titanium
MID RANGE
MARES FORCE PLUS
“Comfortable and secure grip”
The Mares Force Plus has a really ergonomic and secure grip. Most of the blade is serrated, but there is a small straight section near the tip.
It’s a stainless steel knife, but it features a special PVD treatment to prevent the blade from corroding. Its special shape makes it easy to release, even for gloved hands.
Blade Length: 4 Inches
Material: Stainless steel
SPYDERCO SALT
“High performance and affordable”
The Spyderco Salt is an H1 steel knife with high-performance cutting abilities and great resistance to corrosion, similar to titanium.
The Spyderco Round 14mm hole facilitates easy opening when wearing gloves.
Blade Length: 3.5 Inches
Material: H1 Stainless steel
CRESSI ORCA
Here at: Amazon
“Reliable professional knife”
The Cressi Orca is made of Italian high-quality 400 series stainless steel.
It is considerably heavy and large if you compare it to other models because this knife is also designed to be a work tool. The sheath has loops to attach the knife to your leg or your belt and comes with two leg straps.
Blade Length: 7 Inches
Material: H1 stainless steel
SEAC RIP
“Compact and resistant”
The Seac Rip Tek features high-performance martensitic stainless steel that provides excellent resistance to corrosion.
This knife has great performance in terms of penetration and control on hard materials.
Blade Length: 3 Inches
Material: Stainless steel
BEST BUDGET DIVE KNIFE
CRESSI SKORPION
“Great overall performance”
The Cressi Sub Skorpion has a robust construction and thick blade.
One of the sides features a really sharp straight edge, while the other side is partially serrated, including a line cutting notch. It’s a durable and resistant medium-sized knife at an affordable price.
Blade Length: 4.3 Inches
Material: Stainless steel
CRESSI GRIP
“Lightweight, practical and compact”
The Cressi Grip is a very compact ultralight diving knife that you can attach to your leg for easy access.
The sheath has a locking mechanism to allow you to easily release the knife with one hand. It would be hard to get something better for the price.
Blade Length: 2.8 Inches
Material: Stainless steel
MARES HERO
“Super compact and budget friendly”
The Mares Hero features 440 stainless steel with a PVD treatment for high resistance to corrosion.
It’s a great simple and really compact knife for recreational divers. Keep in mind that the full size is only 135 mm, so I find it too small for spearfishing.
Blade Length: 2.3 Inches
Material: Stainless steel
A few things to take into account to find your scuba knife:
STAINLESS OR TITANIUM
Almost all scuba knives on the market are made from either stainless steel or titanium. These two materials are meant to be strong, durable and corrosion-resistant. As most divers will be diving in salt water, corrosion resistance is one of the most important features to ensure the durability of your knife.
Nevertheless, there are some differences between these two materials:
Titanium is quite a bit stronger than stainless steel, which also means it’s more difficult to sharpen. However, once it’s sharp, the blade will last much longer. Titanium is also lighter, which can be an advantage when you’re traveling and want to go as light as possible.
Stainless steel is easier to sharpen (and typically gets a better “sharp”), but you’ll have to sharpen your blade more often. At the same time, this type of blade tends to be a little less corrosion-resistant than titanium blades. Stainless steel blades also tend to be a bit cheaper. They come in either 300 or 400 series steel. The 300 series is more rust resistant than the 400 series, but it is also a bit softer.
BLADE
The blades of dive knives can be serrated, non-serrated or mixed. Serrated blades are good for cutting seaweed, while non-serrated blades are better for cutting plastic and lines.
I recommend that you get a mixed knife with both a serrated and a straight blade so you’ll be prepared for any kind of situation.
BLUNT TIP OR SHARP TIP?
Scuba knives come in many sizes and shapes, and their tips may differ from one model to another. The most popular options are blunt tips and sharp tips. Your choice depends on the type of diving you practice.
Blunt tips are great for recreational diving because they are versatile, while sharp tips are usually the choice for spear fishing and other underwater activities. Also, many recreational divers choose sharp tips because they like to be prepared if they have to puncture something.
LENGTH
The size of your dive knife depends on what you need it for. If you want a knife in case you get trapped by a line, a small-medium knife will work. That means a knife between 4-6 inches.
If you need a big dive knife for specific activities, there are models bigger than 6 inches. However, keep in mind that they could be uncomfortable to wear.
ATTATCHMENT TYPE
Some models include a strap which allows you to attach the knife to your leg. Although this gives you easy access to it any time, keep in mind that the knife could get caught on rocks or other things.
Other models come with a strap or string that you can secure to any of your BCD rings or other elements while keeping the knife in one of the BCD pockets. Wearing it on the waist belt is another popular option among divers.
Other divers also liked:
- A simple and great PADI article about Dive Knives
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Hi, I’m Miguel; Adventure traveler, scuba diver and hiking lover. I have been traveling the world for the last 12 years and I hope my experiences, photos and hiking routes inspire you to travel the world too.
Just getting back into diving from twenty years ago. My old dive knife is in immaculate condition a cressi-sub totem used for many a scollop shucking…. i couldnt resist and had to grab another knife as have a small collection also and love my knives. Anyway i got a scuba pro tk15 its great , perfect fit and finish. I do like a couple on your list in particular the cressi orca
Hi Damo, I’m glad you liked the list!