Kyalami offering Avelo training

[scubadada]

...On the use of the system, I agree to a point.

However, Avelo is touting this system using grossly inflated weight for a standard scuba system. All that to show a significant weight savings. If that were true, they may have a point. In my case, the differences in weight between my gear and Avelo is much more moderate. Maintaining neutral buoyancy is just not enough of a problem for me to justify the cost of a certification. Let alone the cost of the system.

I'm sure the system works great as intended. It is an interesting innovation. Avelo Marketing, however, does nothing for me.

Hi @Belzelbub

Maintaining neutral buoyancy with traditional scuba gear is not an issue for me either and my gas consumption is good. Yes, the Avelo System works as advertised and depth independent neutral buoyancy is simple to attain and maintain.

Avelo could do a better job of marketing the weight advantage over traditional gear. Using information available to me in the Recreational Avelo Diver materials, I calculated the weight of my BC, an AL80 tank, and the 10 lbs. I use with a 3 mm suit in warm water versus an Avelo Jetpack, Hydrotank, and the 4 lbs. used with the same wetsuit. Traditional equipment came in just under 15 lbs. heavier than the Avelo System. This is a reasonably significant amount of weight, but less than the 30 lbs. Illustrated on the Avelo website. I have suggested to Avelo that they make the information available to make this comparison easier for everyone.

Last December, with Dive Friends in Bonaire, I spent $700 to get certified for Avelo and do 2 additional guided dives so that I could independently rent gear. Not an inexpensive endeavor, but a small drop in the bucket compared to my expenditure on my favorite activity for my nearly 2400 dives since 1997. Now, rental gear for a 3-dive day in Bonaire runs $110. My wife and I return for 2 weeks in Oct, I will likely spend a couple days diving Avelo. Currently, I have no plans to dive Avelo with Force-E in SE Florida, but you never know.

 

[Belzelbub]

Avelo could do a better job of marketing the weight advantage over traditional gear. Using information available to me in the Recreational Avelo Diver materials, I calculated the weight of my BC, an AL80 tank, and the 10 lbs. I use with a 3 mm suit in warm water versus an Avelo Jetpack, Hydrotank, and the 4 lbs. used with the same wetsuit. Traditional equipment came in just under 15 lbs. heavier than the Avelo System. This is a reasonably significant amount of weight, but less than the 30 lbs. Illustrated on the Avelo website. I have suggested to Avelo that they make the information available to make this comparison easier for everyone.

Agree. That is significant. I used the weights from the manufacturers of my gear and tanks. Omitting things like wetsuits, mask, fins, and regulators as they would still be needed. My difference between my gear and Avelo was less than 10 lbs.

The thing that makes me uncertain that Avelo will take your advice is how their numbers have changed. In the other thread, another user posted screenshots of the weighting comparison on Avelo's website from earlier in the year and more recently. Their system weight went up by around 5 lbs. Suspiciously, the standard gear weight, which I feel was high to start, went up by 5 lbs as well.

Last December, with Dive Friends in Bonaire, I spent $700 to get certified for Avelo and do 2 additional guided dives so that I could independently rent gear. Not an inexpensive endeavor, but a small drop in the bucket compared to my expenditure on my favorite activity for my nearly 2400 dives since 1997. Now, rental gear for a 3-dive day in Bonaire runs $110. My wife and I return for 2 weeks in Oct, I will likely spend a couple days diving Avelo. Currently, I have no plans to dive Avelo with Force-E in SE Florida, but you never know.

Oh, for sure. While not cheap, I don't really feel that the cost for the certification and dives is ridiculous. Just that nothing I've seen from Avelo, or mostly happy users, has convinced me that I need to part with it. Their disingenuous representations of weights are certainly not helping things.

 

[tekkydiver]

I saw the setup in Force E. I see only limited situations where this system has utility. I'll hang on to my 15+ year old Zeagle Ranger and Steel Hundreds

 

[lowwall]

I saw the setup in Force E. I see only limited situations where this system has utility. I'll hang on to my 15+ year old Zeagle Ranger and Steel Hundreds

An HP80 or 100 with your preferred BCD is much more reasonable comparison than the AL80 they use in their marketing. A high pressure tank is still much less expensive than renting or purchasing Avelo and cuts the weight differential by 10 pounds (lighter tank + reduced need for lead) for the HP80 or 5 pounds if you want the extra gas of an HP100.

My steel plate with harness + small wing + HP80 is actually lighter than the corresponding parts of the Avelo system.

Avelo still has the advantage of keeping the same buoyancy characteristics as you change level. Whether there are enough divers willing to pay the price premium they are asking for this advantage is the big question. For me, the answer is a clear no at current prices. But I am intrigued and if the premium gets small enough, I'll give it a try.

 

[Belzelbub]

An HP80 or 100 with your preferred BCD is much more reasonable comparison than the AL80 they use in their marketing. A high pressure tank is still much less expensive than renting or purchasing Avelo and cuts the weight differential by 10 pounds (lighter tank + reduced need for lead) for the HP80 or 5 pounds if you want the extra gas of an HP100.

Yeah, an overweighted new diver (or possibly cold water) with AL80 seems to be the basis for their average weight claims.

I use steels primarily and the differences in overall weight are much more modest than the claim. The Avelo system would be a bit lighter than my current setup(s), but nowhere near the 30 lb claim.

Avelo still has the advantage of keeping the same buoyancy characteristics as you change level. Whether there are enough divers willing to pay the price premium they are asking for this advantage is the big question. For me, the answer is a clear no at current prices. But I am intrigued and if the premium gets small enough, I'll give it a try.

Same. I am intrigued by the approach. For most of my diving (Gulf of Mexico) I see very limited use. We don't have large drop-offs, so the area to explore during the dive is in a narrow depth range. I add some puffs of air at the beginning of the dive and vent a couple times (at most) during the dive.

If pricing was considerably less, I'd consider it. And currently it appears you'd still need to rent the tanks.