Looking to spend money for my sibling for Christmas. She’s almost done with her dive instructor cert (already a dive master). I want to buy her a quality dive knife.

Benchmade was what I was looking at. Does anyone have any suggestions?  Theirs is stainless steel, but I vaguely remember her mentioning titanium was preferred. Is that accurate?

Spyderco's Salt knives are specific alloys for salt water.  We have a very small one, and it's great.

I just got a Dragonfly 2 Salt. I normally prefer a knife with more handle but I also wanted something that would be out of the way. I normally wear gloves when I'm diving so I'm not as worried about cutting my hand.
I normally have a DGX buttpack attached to my backplate or buttrails. The Dragonfly 2 fits perfectly in the outside pocket/sheath. I just need to get a lanyard. I used to have a Dive Rite line cutter in that pocket but the blades always rust so I ditched it.

I have a titanium fixed blade knife on the belt of my backplate rig, but it's a pain in the ass to draw and put back. I usually only use it to clean stuff off buoys.
Not a huge fan of the whole strapped to the calf thing.

I considered the Native 5 Salt since I EDC a Native 5 G10 which I absolutel love, but I thought it might be too big. I don't think it fit into the pocket on my buttpack. That being said, I may still buy one down the road to replace my fixed blade. I was a little disappointed they didn't make that one in H2 steel though. Not sure if it would be worth holding out to see if they do.

Someone say dive knives? THESE are dive knives...

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Been carrying 1 of these for the last 30 years or more. I've had some of the smaller ones, but always had a Sea Hawk (or the Japanese clone Navy Knife) on my inner calf.

Have you been in many knife fights with sharks or evil enemy frogmen with those?

No, but I have done many epic battles with kelp entanglements in the California Pacific and 1 ghost net while stationed on Okinawa and have plucked many an unwilling scallop or abalone with them.

I have yet to lose.

I understand that reference by the way. "Mike Nelson" was my inspiration to learn SCUBA.  

There are times when you need a big-ass knife.

Depending on what kind of diving you're doing, sure.

She going to be mostly fresh or salt water? For fresh, just get a good stainless knife. I know the tradition is to have a huge honking fixed-blade knife strapped to your ankle, but I always had a Spyderco Snap-It on one of the buckles of my BCD. Used it constantly for fish line and ropes. Held an edge like crazy.

For salt, the Spyderco Salt's mentioned above are great!  I lived in HI for a while and had a Pacific Salt clipped to me every time I was in the water. Never a single issue with corrosion, even when I'd forget to rinse it off. Edge-holding is great too.

Looks like now you can get the best of both worlds with the Snap-It Salt.

https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/C26YL/975

Trilobite Easycut

Aqualung Big Squeeze Titanium.

I’m not a believer in expensive knives. Less inclined to stick my hand somewhere it doesn’t belong after dropping a $75 knife versus a $250 knife.

I have two of these one attached to my right bc pocket and one on my inflator hose. I hate leg strapped knives. Great for cutting lines of all sizes and finishing off a speared fish.

I just ordered one of these.

^ This, or one of the other similar variants around $20.  

https://www.divegearexpress.com/tools/cutting-tools

It's convenient not having to worry about stabbing yourself as you try to put a knife away, and these cutter-devices work much better than a knife on most forms of webbing and line.

@SlugMug

Oh, look, a 21’er.

I received my aqua lung titanium knife yesterday.  It’s the same as the older wenoka labeled models and fits the same sheaths.  It came plenty sharp.

Spyderco Pacific Salt.