The hydro-hammer sampler is a new type of sampler compared with traditional ones. An important part of this new offshore sampler is that the structure of the core cutter has a significant effect on penetration and core recovery. In our experiments, a commercial finite element code with a capability of simulating large-strain frictional contact between two or more solid bodies is used to simulate the core cutter-soil interaction. The effects of the cutting edge shape, the diameter and the edge angle on penetration are analyzed by non-liner transient dynamic analysis using a finite element method (FEM). Simulation results show that the cutter shape clearly has an effect on the penetration and core recovery. In addition, the penetration of the sampler increases with an increase in the inside diameter of the cutter, but decreases with an increase in the cutting angle. Based on these analyses, an optimum structure of the core cutter is designed and tested in the north margin of the Dalian gulf. Experiment results show that the penetration rate is about 16.5 m/h in silty clay and 15.4 m/h in cohesive clay, while the recovery is 68% and 83.3% respectively.