Wow, what a prices for something to try out and later try to sell. We have sometimes here try out dives for drysuit. Costs nothing and if you haven't ever dived a drysuit, there is an instructor available. 150 dollar for only 1 dive, that is probably more than 2 dollar per minute as I guess that the dive will not last 75 minutes. With 8 breaths a minute, calculate what 1 breath costs.
I am still very sceptic about the 'need' or market for the system. A normal bcd does the work, a bp+wing does the work if you want to dive a little more 'DIR', then there are bigger tanks available if needed, 300 bar is not available everywhere. And 200 bars does the job (but does not with avelo if you need a bigger tank than 10 liter 200 bar)
No extra servicecosts, only the regs, bcd and pressuretests for the tank and service the valves. Servicing of regs and valves and bcd can done by a lot of divers themselves. The avelo system is something like a ccr that must be done by factory approved people? Are recreational divers willing to pay for this extra costs?
But I am also very sceptic about the 'need' of a course.
I see an Avelo course something that can be usefull, but not needed for every diver. Is is also way toooo expensive in my eyes. For 150 you can do the whole course as 1 dive and some explaination is way more than enough for experienced divers with tons of dives. Maybe an ow needs more dives, but then make a course optional with also optional an extra day of training. This makes more sense in my eyes. And make it better for all divers. The same as drysuit or sidemount. Can be usefull, but can also learned the autodidactical way or with a buddy that explains you. And in all cases the insurance will pay here.
You are already a (very experienced) diver. you know how to set up a bp+wing. You know how to setup the equipment, this is already written online and the photos are clear enough. So a good diver that is interested in the system is already informed when renting it for a trydive. If you go in the water from shore and feel in knee deep water if the weighting is ok, then go to 2-3m for bouyancy checks, there is nothing that can go wrong for experienced divers. It is still oc. Of course you don't jump in from a boat and go to 20m if you don't know if the weighting is right.
Maybe an big smb or other type of liftbag is not an bad idea, but of course know how it works. I read this is required, good. So know how to use it then.
But 1 thing that is also important for me:
What if you don't get enough bouyancy at surface in waves or at dephts of 40m+ with a thicker wetsuit that looses bouyancy due to depth as weighting is very critical, this is something you will find out later, probably after a course (this is the thing I am most worried about.).
I write 40m+, as remember, the cmas recreational limit is 60m. And I have for example a cmas 3* single tank to 60m on air cert which is also a dm cert. With a wetsuit and single tank this depths are no problem to get enough bouyancy to get back to surface with a normal bcd (I don't talk about the safety of the single tank at 60m and the air breathting, that is another discussion, but with a normal bcd at least you can take an 18 liter steel to do this dive). This means the avelo as recreational system must also work to the recreational depths of a cert. And then the amount of gas is very limited, even if you start with 300 bar in a 10 liter, there is with the gaslaw less than 3000 liter in the tank. So less than an 15 liter. For a dive to 50m in France you take a 15 liter or an 18liter. Yes, this kind of recreational dives are still done there on quite a regular base.
Remember stay within your certification level means for some divers the 60m on air single tank. So they will do. So it is important to know if the system can still bring you up. The amount of gas is user error as this can also be done with a normal bcd, but the bcd at least has enough lift.
And what about solodiving with the avelo? Can the system hold a stage for redundancy? This is also important as recreational divers also can be solodivers. Then you have with an ali80 a few kg's negative. So you must be able to compensate. Also you must be able to compensate if you drain that ali80. The redundant solo equipment also makes it to a 'twinset' for longer solodives for recreational divers. All things I have questions about. But all things that are important for a recreational bcd set.
This is something I also want to figure out if I do a trydive with the system as I take an extra cylinder with me on Bonaire or Curacao for my solo recreational dives. And use both cylinders then.
