Info Aqualung Financial Troubles

[Divin'Papaw]

I'll be watching closely how this shakes out. I've got all of the regulators I need currently. I don't own any other AL products besides regulators. My concern is the long-term parts availability. Given the size of Aqua Lung's market share, I'm hopeful that whatever shakes out, the ongoing availability of maintenance parts won't be an issue. I'm having one of my Legend sets serviced right now and none of my remaining AL regs should require servicing again until 2025/2026.

If AL completely tanks over the next couple of years, I'd probably replace my AL regs as they become due for service. I'd probably look to replace them with Atomic. I'll only go that route if things turn out badly for AL.

 

[thomschoon]

I was in the process of buying either an Apeks MTX or a AL Legends Elite, AL was giving away a octo as a special so it brought the price down. But now, will wait for a while as I have worked with PE firms and don’t want to get stuck with a product that isn’t supported after they rationalize the product mix.

 

[rmorgan]

We bought Apeks reg sets in 2019 and took them on two trips, so, ~55-60 dives. Aqua Lung's "free parts for life" program was not critical to our purchase, but was noted. Then, the pandemonium times began. In early 2021, anticipating that the world would one day allow us on an airplane, I took the regs in for service. No parts were free, for any period, because I'd not brought the regulators in for service in the first year. I'm not sure, but I think they actually considered the entire warranty voided. I get contracts, and did not contest their right to stick to the letter of their policy despite the worst pandemic in, oh, a century. But I think it would have been decent of them to extend the policy given the circumstances, and likely would not buy anything from them again.

(We bought i330s at the same time, part of a package I think, as backup computers. Mine crapped out on the first trip. It was replaced with little hassle--then the second one crapped out.)

 

[Outbound]

I think people are jumping to a lot of conclusions about the future of AL’s product lines. I’m no expert on the world of finance and PE, but I’m going to assume that AL regulators are likely to stay. They have pretty good market penetration with their regulator lineup, with an excellent reputation. Yeah, some product lines might be cut or reduced (I’m thinking their computer line would be a likely candidate) but I’d be shocked if they stopped making or supporting their regulators.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I think people are jumping to a lot of conclusions about the future of AL’s product lines. I’m no expert on the world of finance and PE, but I’m going to assume that AL regulators are likely to stay. They have pretty good market penetration with their regulator lineup, with an excellent reputation. Yeah, some product lines might be cut or reduced (I’m thinking their computer line would be a likely candidate) but I’d be shocked if they stopped making or supporting their regulators.

I tend to agree. I own 3 Legends and a Mikron. I really love their regs.

 

[evandroairton]

The military and commercial operations are still with Aqualung? If so, speccially the military, where Aqualung used to be strong (many navies and armies used their equipment), it would be atractive for the new owners to mantain the line.

 

[BoltSnap]

Aqua Lung isn't just the "Scuba" equipment part you all know, there are other brands/product lines. The cut, if there is one, will probably come from the other lines. OMER is an Apnea/Spearfishing product line that was acquired by AL not too long ago. OMER, an Italian company, was one of the best known brands in the world that was turned into shiit by AL takeover. The French management of Omer pissed off the Italians who worked for Omer in Italy. The Omer senior management left Omer as well as some of the big name spearos that were promoting Omer left also. These management and very famous spearos went to work for another Italian company, C4. C4 went after the Omer business which I think was made easy by the way AL managed Omer. I have personally dealt with the Italians and then the arrogant French who took over. I just couldn't work with them and their most unprofessional and arrogant attitude. I understand that the Italians who left Omer had the same issues.

 

[evandroairton]

Aqua Lung isn't just the "Scuba" equipment part you all know, there are other brands/product lines. The cut, if there is one, will probably come from the other lines. OMER is an Apnea/Spearfishing product line that was acquired by AL not too long ago. OMER, an Italian company, was one of the best known brands in the world that was turned into shiit by AL takeover. The French management of Omer pissed off the Italians who worked for Omer in Italy. The Omer senior management left Omer as well as some of the big name spearos that were promoting Omer left also. These management and very famous spearos went to work for another Italian company, C4. C4 went after the Omer business which I think was made easy by the way AL managed Omer. I have personally dealt with the Italians and then the arrogant French who took over. I just couldn't work with them and their most unprofessional and arrogant attitude. I understand that the Italians who left Omer had the same issues.

Indeed, i've noted the omer fading with the spearfishing comunity

 

[scubadada]

Current Aqualung Group represents a very wide range of prior and current brands. The Aqualung Group represents a consolidation of Spirotechnique, US Divers, Sea Quest, Deep See, Technisub, and Whites. I would imagine Pelagic Pressure Systems is also part of the Aqualung Group. Apeks and Omer remain separate brands.

I may be wrong about some of these relationships but it illustrates the broad scope of Aqualung. It will be fascinating to see the evolution as Barings takes over the wheel from Montagu.

If Aqualung does not regain sales and service reputation, it may be a steep road.

 

[runsongas]

@MrVegas in those cases, it is split with either a spinoff so higher growth can be realized as separate companies with the notion that they are more agile to adapt to market conditions or innovative or so certain parts can be sold to another company that values them more highly. the case with Aqualung looks more like classic cost cutting to maximize free cash flow that the PE then can take out as profit, but it ran into the buzzsaw of rising interest rates.