Path five
Diving
Blades for salt water: titanium and corrosion-proof steel, a line cutter and a sheath that stays put at depth.
- Steel
- Titanium or 316
- Edge
- Plain and serrated
- Tip
- Blunt or pointed
- Mount
- Leg or BCD
Made for salt
Sea water destroys ordinary steel. Dive knives are made from titanium or highly corrosion-resistant stainless steel, and rinsed in fresh water after every dive.
The working edge
Most combine a plain edge with a serrated one and a hooked line cutter for fishing line and rope. Many have a blunt tip, so the knife can pry and probe without stabbing.
Collecting
Early military and Italian navy dive knives, and pieces from the first luxury dive-watch makers, are now sought by collectors. Some carried tools in the handle, like the Panerai knife with its built-in wrench pictured here.