Top 10 Best Scuba Diving Knife Reviews 2024
Last Updated: March 26, 2024
As with a dive light, many divers forget to carry a dive knife with them on a regular basis and often end up regretting it! A diving knife can save your life in emergency situations, or come in handy for many tasks while underwater. Being able to cut an entangled animal out of a bundle of line or rope is a great way to give back and help preserve our oceans. This is one piece of scuba gear that is definitely better to have and not need, than to need and not have...
Below are the best dive knife options we have selected for 2024, for each one having a variety of functions and price range. Our recommendation would be to look for a high quality titanium dive knife to avoid rust issues if you dive in salt water on a regular basis, but a stainless steel divers knife can be easier to sharpen and still resist corrosion if you remember to rinse it after every dive. Given the fact they are so light weight and easily strapped to your thigh, or tucked into your BCD, there is really no excuse not to bring one with you on your next scuba diving adventure. There are many styles on the market from fixed blade, folding, blunt tip, sharp and serrated etc, and our goal is to help you find the best scuba diving knife that fits your needs and budget. Let's get to it!
Top 10 Best Dive Knives of 2024
Cressi Skorpion Dive Knife
The Cressi Skorpion is our top pick for best dive knife of 2024, it is an extremely versatile scuba diving knife that has all the 3 major functions most divers look for. There is a serrated back edge that is great for cutting and sawing harder materials, a line cutter to quickly and safely cut through even the toughest line, and a sharp front edge to the blade. This divers knife can be found with either a blunt or a sharp tip, depending on your needs as a diver and the ergonomic handle makes it comfortable to use. The blade is made from corrosion resistant stainless steel which makes it easy to sharpen, just remember to rinse it along with all your other scuba gear after a salt water dive. This is an extremely affordable dive knife which makes it attractive to a wide range of divers.
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ScubaPro Mako Titanium Diving Knife
ScubaPro makes really high quality scuba gear and this compact diving knife is no exception. Good things come in small packages, or so they say, and despite the smaller size, the ScubaPro Mako packs in every feature you could want. A serrated cutting blade, a line cutter, and the tip is a great combo of blunt and sharp thanks to the angled end to the blade. This makes it great for both prying and useful as a quick kill knife for spearfishing enthusiasts. The sheath is high quality and holds the knife in place firmly until needed. While a bit more expensive, this is a titanium dive knife, so it resists corrosion and rust far better than cheaper stainless steel dive knives, and requires less maintenance. The Scuba Pro Mako is a great choice for those looking for high end scuba gear that will last.
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Tusa X-Pert II Titanium Divers Knife
Another awesome all-rounder, the Tusa X-Pert II diving knife has both a serrated back edge, and a wickedly sharp front cutting edge. The included line cutter can slice through line quickly and efficiently, while the rubber ergonomic grip is one of the most comfortable we have gotten our hands on... The sheath is a high quality plastic shell with a push button release that keeps the knife firmly in place until needed. This is a titanium dive knife, so while it takes a bit more effort to sharpen, it will stay sharp longer and resist rust from sea water far better than other cheap alloy style diving knives, it also makes it extremely light weight. The price range falls squarely in the mid range when it comes to high quality gear and helps round out this fantastic option.
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Aqualung Squeeze Diving Knife
In our opinion this dive knife has one of the best sheath mechanisms out of all of these. You simply grab the handle and squeeze the comfortable colored tabs to unlock and unsheathe the knife. It is great as you are not stuck fumbling with buttons or catches. The blade itself is 3 inches long, so it is a compact stainless steel divers knife that has all the essential features included. The Line cutter works great, and the serrated edge will tear through light to medium rope with ease. The blunt tip makes it great for chipping away barnacles or prying things open. Slick and compact at a reasonable price sums up the Aqualung squeeze. One of the best dive knives for those looking for a compact option
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Spyderco Atlantic Folding Dive Knife
This knife is a bit different than the others on this list. It is more like a saw! The Atlantic diving knife has a folding blade that locks into place and has a very rugged saw like blade that is good for slicing through tougher materials like heavy rope and wires. The nice thing about the Atlantic vs standard fixed blade dive knives is that it folds up small enough to easily fit in a pocket of your BCD so you don't have to worry about forgetting it on board the dive boat. While not quite as versatile as other options on our list, this is one of the best dive knives for those who need a more powerful option than a standard sharp blade. It can come in very handy in our experience!
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Promate Titanium Dive Knife
Promate makes quite a few high quality dive knives and this is one of our favorites. A medium sized titanium blade (4 3/8") with a comfortable handle with covered in studs for extra grip. This is another knife that comes in either blunt tip or pointed, and comes in a ankle sheath. The entire knife is titanium all the way through, and there is a hammer nub at the base of the handle that can come in handy. This knife is very sharp right out of the box and thanks to the line cutter and ridged back edge, will have you covered for 99% of situations you would need it for. A very high quality diving knife that won't break the bank. Certainly worth a look.
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Cressi Borg Stainless Steel Divers Knife
Another awesome scuba knife from Cressi, the Borg has a full sized 5.5 inch blade, finishing in a drop point tip, or you can also find a blunt tip version. The handle is super comfortable, and fits the hand extremely well, with non slip rubber being a welcome addition over the cheap, slippery plastic handles found on some dive knives. The thing we like about the borg is the extra deep line cutter that can really chew through tough line quickly. Given the blade length, the serrated back edge also works great, as you can saw with it pretty efficiently. The sheath design for this knife has a handy one hand release clasp and keeps the blade securely in place until needed. Great value even for those on a budget.
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Promate Barracuda Titanium Dive Knife
For those looking for high end scuba gear and who always like to have the best equipment, the Promate Barracuda is a good option. Like the standard promate scuba knife above, the Barracuda has sharp tip, a line cutter, serrated and flat blade.However the handle is thicker and more ergonomic and the titanium blade has some extra thickness and is one of the sharpest dive knives on this list. All the materials on this knife are matte and when it is sheathed on your ankle, there are no glinting parts that could attract unwanted attention from predatory marine life. While the Promate Barracuda is more expensive than some of the mid range diving knives on our list, it is also one of the highest quality options on the market in 2024.
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Cressi Lima Dive Knife
A smaller size blade that still manages to pack in all 3 essential features. This is also one of the cheapest dive knives on our list in terms of price. The Cressi Lima can actually be found in either a stainless steel or titanium construction, and to be honest, both are extremely affordable. This dive knife is compact enough to be tucked into a BCD pocket or can be attached to a guage hose for easy access. Very popular with divers looking for a great piece of scuba gear at a bargain of a price, without compromising quality.
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US Divers Titanium Knife
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Looking at the US Diver's Titanium knife, you will see a nearly identical design to the Promate Barracuda above. This is intentional, they took a great divers knife design and replicated it, while adding a matte military finish to the entire package. This is another extremely sharp full size blade (5 inches) with the line cutter just below the sharp blade, unlike many others where it is found on the back. This blade is full tang, and the entire knife can disassemble for quick cleaning, which is great seeing as salt water can seep into every crack, and this makes rinsing the knife after a day of diving easy. It is a little more expensive than the Promate Barracuda which is the only downside, but it also does have an great user reviews
Stainless Steel VS Titanium Dive Knives
When looking at the various models above, you probably noticed that the blades are either constructed from stainless steel or titanium. These are the two materials used in 99% of dive knives on the market today. Both stainless steel and titanium are naturally corrosion resistant, which is essential for any scuba gear that is going to be spending many hours submerged in a salt water environment. There are pros and cons for each material, which we will dive into below.
Overall, stainless steel is a "softer" metal, which means sharpening your blade edge is much easier and quicker when compared to a titanium blade. The only downside to this is steel blades need to be sharpened more often and are slightly less corrosion resistant. But they also tend to be not as expensive as titanium dive knives overall. Titanium is a much lighter and stronger material however, so while sharpen​ing the blade might take more effort and time, the knife will stay sharper for much longer. Any diver concerned about weight or has to travel with their gear will probably opt for a titanium model to keep weight down and maintenance minimal.
Blunt Tip or Sharp Tip?
This is the other major question we get from divers looking at all the various models of dive knives for sale these days. It really comes down to what you are looking to get out of your purchase. For those divers looking for the most versatile knife that is primarily going to be used as a tool, then blunt tip is the best choice. Having the squared off tip makes it not only a great cutting tool, but also a powerful prying tool. Anyone doing any type of maintenance diving such as boat cleaning or underwater welding, blunt tip is the way to go.
For the more sporting crowd, such as spear fishers, sharp tip is where it's at. Many spear fishing enthusiasts like to have a sharp tip dive knife on hand as a quick kill knife out of respect for any fish they spear, ending the animals suffering quickly with a single sharp thrust is essential. Also, anyone doing spearfishing on a regular basis knows how quickly having a distressed or injured fish on your spear can quickly attract unwanted attention from various marine predators. Having a sharp tipped dive knife on hand for self defense in these rare situations can add some piece of mind to anyone diving in areas with larger, more aggressive species.
And there you have it! Our current pics for the top 10 best dive knives of 2024. There are literally hundreds of diving knife options out there and finding the right one for your needs can be a challenge, so hopefully you agree with out choices. Do you think a certain divers knife deserves a spot on our list? Leave a comment below and we will do our best to give it a thorough testing! Safe diving starts with the right gear!