Clear Waters (internal id hy_ocean_knife_90) is one of those knife finishes people keep coming back to: a blue camouflage hydrographic that follows the blade instead of screaming with metal shine or neon gradients. Cool blocks stretch across curves, overall brightness stays controlled, and it holds up as a daily driver skin rather than a weekend flex.

Release snapshot

It landed September 21, 2021 with Operation Riptide. For collectors that date marks a clear slice of recent knife history; for buyers the practical note is listings show up on Steam Community Market and C5GAME, with price swings driven mostly by knife model and wear tier.

Who made it

Valve in-house—no Community Workshop author. The official line is blunt: this weapon has been painted with a blue camouflage pattern. The design bet is camo layering and blue depth, not embossed metal or hyper-saturated fades.

Specs that matter at checkout

| Item | Detail |
|------|--------|
| Category | Knife |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Finish | Hydrographic |
| Wear range | 0.00 – 0.50 (Factory New through Field-Tested band only) |

Rare sits in the sweet spot: people pay real money, but you are not chasing top-tier scarcity. Hydrographic wraps the whole blade, so the same texture reads differently on each knife silhouette—community chatter often centers the Butterfly Knife: opened, the wide face shows the camo best; folded, check spine and side panels so you do not miss awkward breaks.

Above ~0.35–0.40 float, blues can gray out and edges soften, but the camo identity usually survives. Lower floats keep transitions cleaner if you care about crisp blue blocks at the tip and spine.

Shop checklist

1. Always inspect in-game before you commit. Spin the knife and compare spine, tip, and edge bevel—look for camo continuity and any blotches you cannot unsee.
2. Thumbnail listings lie across models; a FT on one knife can look cleaner than another at the same float.
3. Lock budget + max float first, then pick the handle you actually want to flip. Cross-check Steam and C5GAME once those two numbers are fixed.

Buying verdict

Worth it if you want a Riptide-era blue camo knife that does not fight every outfit and you are willing to inspect for a clean pattern. Pass or downgrade wear if you need mirror-bright blues at minimum cost—mid floats trade gray for savings.

Editor’s aside

I treat Clear Waters as a “set and forget” blue: not the loudest knife in the case, but it stops looking cheap after a week of play. On Butterfly, budget a few extra minutes in inspect mode; the wide blade is the billboard, and a dull gray patch there ruins the whole buy.