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Old 10-06-2019, 01:33 PM   #1
TheMackDaddy
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Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

Is there a particular tool that is good to have on you to cut yourself out of kelp if you get stuck?, I feel like knives are too slow but correct me if I'm wrong.

I've been diving with surgical type shears on me for this purpose, but they seem too small to really do the job fast. Maybe I should practice cutting at depth with them.

I'm thinking something more heavy duty with knife-sharp blades like a gardening shear

any other ideas?
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Old 10-06-2019, 03:31 PM   #2
popgun pete
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

Working shears will take too long, a swipe of a razor sharp knife is the best provided you don't drop it. Years ago there were dive knives with a handle guard like an old cutlass handle that were maybe harder to drop, however I have never used one. I usually carry two knives, a kill knife and a general purpose knife with a hammer butt. A small pair of scissor style shears can cut line, including cable, but not so good for munching through kelp.
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Old 10-06-2019, 05:00 PM   #3
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

A well maintained blade will cut through kelp like butter.
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Old 10-06-2019, 06:30 PM   #4
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

And always have a loop of bungie cord attached to knife handle so you don't drop it.
When freediving at night I keep my main light on a floatline so I can drop it, mark a spot and return, and find it. It is not attached to my body. I also have a small mask light. And my wetsuit pockets have a knife, float, and small back- up light.
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Old 10-07-2019, 12:13 AM   #5
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

my thoughts on kelp: you thread yourself through it... but you need to leave enough air in your lungs to do the threading without panic. If you stay too long before coming up and hope for a straight shot to the surface, it may not end well. Kelp won't attack you so you don't have to fear it. At at night when you cant see what is above you and you run into heavy kelp, is can throw you off your game.... Always leave enough air for the unexpected.Familiarity breeds contempt. The more you do it the less intimidating it is. IMHO
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Old 10-07-2019, 09:13 AM   #6
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMackDaddy View Post
Is there a particular tool that is good to have on you to cut yourself out of kelp if you get stuck?, I feel like knives are too slow but correct me if I'm wrong.

I've been diving with surgical type shears on me for this purpose, but they seem too small to really do the job fast. Maybe I should practice cutting at depth with them.

I'm thinking something more heavy duty with knife-sharp blades like a gardening shear

any other ideas?
Hope this helps.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324515.php
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Old 10-07-2019, 01:06 PM   #7
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

If you’re caught, calm down. You only need to cut what’s got you. You probably can slip out of it. A few slashes with a standard free diving knife will get you loose. Shears will cut a lot of other things and are a great tool but may be slower. Definitely overkill for kelp. You can’t cut as much with shears and they would be slower in kelp. Remember, whatever you cut will probably come up with you and you may still be tangled in it. I have never been tangled and had to cut out. Dive from room to room when it’s thick.
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Old 10-07-2019, 01:43 PM   #8
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

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Originally Posted by mikelb View Post
And always have a loop of bungie cord attached to knife handle so you don't drop it.
When freediving at night I keep my main light on a floatline so I can drop it, mark a spot and return, and find it. It is not attached to my body. I also have a small mask light. And my wetsuit pockets have a knife, float, and small back- up light.
What light do you use on your mask??... I've been looking for a TINY rechargeable one that wont blind me.
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Old 10-07-2019, 10:25 PM   #9
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

More than one diver, both scuba and free; have been found with a kelp stalk attached to the back of their weight belt with weight belt still on...For some reason, divers don't or won't drop their "perfectly balanced" belt and live for another day...
...Another issue that can get you deceased is the buckle...scenario: the diver goes into a cave where he has to wedge in a little...the belt buckle drops into a depression and as the diver backs out, it wedges tight...the more he struggles, the tighter he becomes trapped...end of the line if you can't reach the buckle...
...I always have my buckle off to the side when lobster diving into caves and make sure there is sufficient space at one side to reach the buckle if needed.. surge can create a disaster for those not prepared...it drives you into spots you don't want to be....been there, done that....
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Old 10-08-2019, 01:30 AM   #10
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

Nothing beats a sharp serrated dive knife for cutting kelp. I have had to cut my way out of an entanglement that was keeping me below the surface when free diving...two quick slashes and I was free to surface.
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Old 10-08-2019, 07:23 AM   #11
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

One issue when shorediving is surge. It can roll you into/under kelp and roll kelp around you as well. Low tide is particularly hazardous since the kelp can mat up on the surface. It may be that no amount of cutlery will save you so being aware of the environment around you is critical.
Couple of things I do FWIW. First, straps for cameras, dive lights and etc. The ones with nice stretchy tubing with nylon cord inside with a cinch are called 'suicide straps'. The tubing that wraps around your wrist etc. should NEVER have cord inside it, such that it can stretch to release regardless of the cinch setting.
Manufacturers who sell lights equipped thusly should be sued out of existence, just my opinion:

https://www.leisurepro.com/Image/Pro...KTSL3EL2BK.jpg

Another thing is the weight belt. It should be virtually the LAST thing you put on before diving. If you are on SCUBA and your BC is buckled over it, the release might not go as planned. Some freedivers pull off the belt in dicey situations and carry it up. I keep an extra belt or two on the boat instead. Used to be Sport Chalet would hand you a free belt if you ditched one in anger.
Main dive knife goes inside of left calf. Backup goes under right wrist. Accessible to either hand and less likely to tangle in kelp. All straps tamed with keepers/tape. The twinky fin-dip divers only carry half length main knives with square tips, looking with disdain at 'seahunt' type divers as being too manly. Ever try to subdue a big fish in deep kelp with a blunt knife? Good way to die, wrapped in the gun line.
Floatline breaks away, gun bands over left shoulder for carry after shot.
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Old 10-08-2019, 02:13 PM   #12
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

Just reflecting on the D guard knife, the one in the photo is the US Divers "Vulcan" which appeared in the "Sea Hunt" series on TV starring Lloyd Bridges. Subsequently people pay crazy prices for them even though the knife was not that great and the sheath was a piece of hard plastic crap which easily split. Could be a market for a new knife with a plastic D guard that was easy to pull out of its scabbard once you got your fingers through the loop of the guard. Like scissor handles not so easy to drop when you have a case of the fumbles.
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Old 10-09-2019, 07:32 AM   #13
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

Something like this in a marine version with a serrated blade or a serrated section on top and maybe a hook line cutter at the rear of the blade. Sized for the job, not too long in the blade with a dive knife sheath.
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Old 10-10-2019, 12:06 AM   #14
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Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

An underwater trench knife? Really?
Forget about the speargun or pole spear. Just knock out those fish when swimming by.

Last edited by kodama; 10-10-2019 at 01:56 AM.
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Old 10-10-2019, 08:10 AM   #15
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Re: Tool to cut yourself out of kelp quickly?

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An underwater trench knife? Really?
Forget about the speargun or pole spear. Just knock out those fish when swimming by.
The D-guard handle is the only feature that I am interested in, the knife shown above is the only one that I could find that was not a sword amongst the various knife designs for terrestrial activities that are available right now. The ideal would be something like the US Divers "Vulcan" which was an early knife from Japan, but not a great knife in terms of its hard plastic materials and wobbly construction, if you look through a bunch of them the guard has various shapes depending on how it was bent up to shape the "D". I remember meeting a German diver who had a D-guard dive knife, I bumped into him on a few dives at a certain location, but never asked him what it was and it was not a “Vulcan”. "Sized for the job" was I thought adequate to explain that aspect.
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