Is it ok to bring dive knives?

[fergusonjlf]

We'll be sailing with Royal Caribbean in May and will be taking our full set of dive gear. My husband always brings a dive knife as part of his checked gear.

 

Has anyone experienced any problems with doing so on a cruise ship?

[themons]

You can bring a dive knife, but you have to check it in. They give it to you just before you leave the boat to dive. As soon as you get on board, you have to give it back to them. This causes additional logistical issues particularly if your are doing an excursion and you are trying to get off the ship quickly. It is possible if they can't get you the knife in time that you will have to leave it behind on the ship.

 

With this issue in mind, you are allowed a three inch non-serrated blade without having to have it confiscated. I kept mine in my BC pocket. No one said anything to me and it was never confiscated through security.

[IPA region 30 member]

If you are diving in Cozumel, don't bother bringing it, they aren't allowed there.

 

regards

 

Scott

[Pilot70D]

There is no consistancy about being ableto bring dive knives aboard ship and sometimes even within the same cruise.

 

On HAL our dive knives were always confiscated once we get back abord. They were always available and waiting for as though when we went to leave the ship for diving excursions even though we NEVER use cruise line dive operators.

 

On our first Celebrity cruise the knives were confiscated when we first boarded and again at the first two ports. After that no one said anything and they stayed in our BCD's. On our most recent Celebrity cruise no special notice was paid to our dive knives and they stayed with us the entire voyage. This was a surprise given how many cruise ships have been hijacked recently by SCUBA divers weilding three inch Gerber knives.;)

 

As a previous poster mentioned, there are many dive locations where divers cannot have dive knives and in some cases cannot wear gloves. These sites are mainly in marine parks but I would check before packing that blade.

[Dive Master]

The last time I packed a dive knife (Celebrity) I was made to feel like a terrorist----security stopped me every time I went on or off the ship(diving or not)--over a 4" blunt tip dive knife!!! I now take a pair of EMT shears and have never had any trouble--they also are much better for cutting fishing line and only cost $15 or so at most dive shops.

[scuabacruiser]

The last time I packed a dive knife (Celebrity) I was made to feel like a terrorist----security stopped me every time I went on or off the ship(diving or not)--over a 4" blunt tip dive knife!!! I now take a pair of EMT shears and have never had any trouble--they also are much better for cutting fishing line and only cost $15 or so at most dive shops.

For that reason and the others stated, we stopped trying to take dive knives and just take EMT shears. Besides our regs, bc, and wet suit, the only extra gear we take on a cruise is a small dive light, whistle, safety sausage, shears, small reflective mirror, and a small underwater note pad/pencil. All of it is stored in my bc pockets before I leave. I'm on vacation and I just want to get wet:). I don't need the aggravation and extra weight to mess with.

[scubaran]

Unless you're planning on fighting a shark, just leave it at home. If you think you'll run into an entanglement (which I've never seen a diver have a problem with in the Caribbean in the decade I've been diving there) get the EMT shears. I dive locally in a lake known for it's fishing and carry a knife then, but not in the Caribbean.

 

Randall

 

P.S. I agree with previous posts, I've had my knife confiscated about 60% of the time when I used to carry it on board the ship.

[fergusonjlf]

Thanks for all of the helpful answers... Sounds like we should just leave the dive knife at home!

[bruce-r]

Thanks for all of the helpful answers... Sounds like we should just leave the dive knife at home!

Yep, that's what you should do. Get DH a pair of shears as a gift before the cruise and you'll be a hero.