The thing about an emergency cutting tool is that one hopes not to have to use it. It’s a good thing to have, however, particularly if you are using reels and lines while diving. That applies to many Cape Town boat divers, all of whom should be in possession of an SMB and possibly a reel to deploy it while at depth. One might also encounter other, non-emergency situations, which would make one glad of a handy blade.
Monty of Scuba Culture supplied us with these fantastic Eezycut emergency blades around Christmas time. It’s nearly (but not completely) impossible to cut yourself by accident, and the blade comes in a pouch that mounts easily on webbing or on your wrist. I went for the webbing option, and mounted it on one of the vertical straps of my BCD where it’s out the way but easy to grasp if needed.
Christo had an incident with some line the other day while diving with Tony, and the Eezycut sorted the problem out “as easily as tearing wet paper”.
There are some videos on the Eezycut website showing the ways of using the blade, including how to hold it. It can also be used by climbers, paddlers, fishermen, and paragliders – in short, by anyone who encounters potential entanglement or rope problems. I think it’s an excellent investment in your safety.
