Clear Water is a universal knife finish (internal id hy_ocean_knife_90, catalog 579, Rare). Valve’s line is simple: blue camouflage applied with hydrographic printing. Float range 0.00–0.50, so you can land anything from Factory New to Battle-Scarred—the camo depth and scratch layer shift with wear, which is why this skin is a classic “open inspect, don’t trust the thumbnail” pick.

Release & source

It entered the game 15 June 2016 with the Gamma Exposure update. Not a Workshop submission—official Valve pool, same design era as the rest of the Gamma lineup. Drop path: Gamma Case unbox, or pick one up on C5GAME / Steam Community Market if you want a specific knife model without rolling the case.

How it looks on different knives

Because every knife shares one finish file, Karambit, Flip, Bayonet, etc. all wear the same blue camo—but blade curvature and surface area change where the pattern sits. Low floats tend to read cleaner blocks of blue; toward 0.40+ the camo grays out and edge wear shows harder, which some buyers actually prefer for a worn-in look.

Shop checklist

1. Inspect in-game before checkout: compare spine and both edges if you want an even cool-blue wrap.
2. Match float to vibe—chase ~0.00–0.15 for crisp color; 0.40–0.50 if you like battle-scarred character (still within the skin’s cap).
3. On C5GAME or Steam, cross-check wear number + seller screenshots; Gamma-era listings sometimes show stock art that doesn’t match the blade you receive.
4. Loadout fit: clean water-blue tone pairs well with CT-cool gloves and other Gamma-update cold-tone rifles if you’re building a set.

Verdict

Buy if you want an entry-friendly blue knife that works on any model and doesn’t depend on rare pattern hunts—just wear and blade shape taste.

Pass or wait if you need a loud, story-driven finish; Clear Water is about color and simplicity, not flex patterns.

Editor’s aside

I treat Clear Water as the “default blue knife” in cold loadouts: cheap relative to neon finishes, honest at high float, and boring in the best way for daily carries—provided you spend thirty seconds in inspect so the camo lands where you want it, not where a marketplace icon guessed.