Review Diving the Avelo System

[scubadada]

Hi @inquis

You might want to ask @RecklessAmateur also. He dived Avelo in Catalina with a 7 mm and a drysuit

Avelo system review

Hi divers! I thought some of you might be interested in my quick review of the Avelo system. A couple weeks ago my buddy and I took the Avelo certification class on Catalina Island with Catalina Divers Supply. For context, I’ve been diving for a while and have about 650 dives in all kinds of...

scubaboard.com

 

[tridacna]

Were you interested in something in particular?

What it looks like on a diver. Nothing else.

 

[gordonscuba]

I applaud anyone who innovates, and drives technological advances that make diving better and safer. In that spirit I'd love to meet the ppl who invented this and buy them a beer.

With that said, I think what's going to prevent this system from just catching on like wildfire is the costs vs benefits. With a little searching, one can score a very high quality, lightly used BP/W for under $500. With such a system, a good diver can achieve very precise buoyancy control, such as holding a safety stop for 3 minutes without a line, horizontal trim and without depth changing by more than 1 foot in either direction. How much more above $500 would you pay for equipment that makes that (already easy and natural) process easier?

 

[MidOH]

Way better than a poodle jacket and overweighted noobs. This could be huge for them.

I doubt the 1% bpw guys are their market. Right now it's rental fleets only.

Looks hp120 long.

 

[scubadada]

Way better than a poodle jacket and overweighted noobs. This could be huge for them.

I doubt the 1% bpw guys are their market. Right now it's rental fleets only.

Looks hp120 long.

Yes, the 10 liter tank is tall. I hear that the 8 liter tank is about 7 inches shorter and 7 lbs lighter.

 

[mattfish]

This was the first real-world report I’ve found of this system, and I really appreciate you sharing it @scubadada

I’m very interested in seeing how this catches on.

How was the battery life for the pump? Did you get multiple dives per battery/charge?

 

[scubadada]

This was the first real-world report I’ve found of this system, and I really appreciate you sharing it @scubadada

I’m very interested in seeing how this catches on.

How was the battery life for the pump? Did you get multiple dives per battery/charge?

For the certification dives and the 2 guided dives, we switched out batteries after every dive. On our independent dives, we used one battery for the 1st two dives and then switched out the battery for the third dive. Seems like a couple of dives is perfectly OK, if not more.

 

[lowwall]

How does it feel compared to your normal setup. Do you think there are advantages to a backplate with small wing?

How was it on the surface with their SMB? It looked pretty awkward in the Diver Ready video. Have they made any changes? Did you repack it?

 

[scubadada]

How does it feel compared to your normal setup. Do you think there are advantages to a backplate with small wing?

How was it on the surface with their SMB? It looked pretty awkward in the Diver Ready video. Have they made any changes? Did you repack it?

Hi @lowwall

I've dived a Scubapro Knighthawk for 18 years and believe that my buoyancy control is good, second nature to me. I have 2,350 dives. Easily, the most striking feature of the Avelo System is the loss of the BC and the near perfect neutral buoyancy at all depths. I found myself reaching for my inflator hose a few times, just out of habit. At first, it was quite remarkable to swim up or down and realize it was not necessary to vent my BC or to add air. After some time, this was taken for granted. The Avelo System is quite streamlined, probably a bit more so than my usual equipment. I'm not sure I was aware of this attribute while diving. The Avelo System seemed a bit tippy, rolling a little from side to side. This might be because all the weight is in the back. The four pounds of weight I had were in slots in the tank boot. I might try putting the weight in the front on a weight belt to see what the effect is. I suppose you could also put the weight in pockets on the waist belt. I am extremely comfortable diving with my usual equipment, I was just as comfortable with Avelo.

The large, yellow SMB is attached inside a pocket on the left waist belt. I only used it once, as a skill on the second certification dive. It was very easy to deploy and to manually inflate. I tried putting it around my neck, sitting on it, or simply keeping it in front of me. It was quite buoyant. Obviously, in addition to supplying extra buoyancy, the SMB could be used traditionally, as a surface marker, but can't be deployed from depth. You start the dive slightly positively buoyant prior to the first pump. At the end of the dive, following the ballast water purge, I found it very comfortable on the surface.

 

[rmorgan]

Dada, how many units do you think DF has?