The Real Future Of Diving? Introducing the Avelo System

This is the future of diving. Meet Avelo.
It's DEMA Show 2022 time. I check in with my good friend Jennifer Idol who is the marketing director for Avelo, a new light weight scuba system using revolutionary technology to turn traditional, heavy scuba set ups into a thing of the past. Learn more here: diveavelo.com/
Everyone is talking about it on the exhibit floor and at the cocktail parties. It is truly out there, so I had to take a closer look...
In 2019, we asked if the russian rebreather helmet the hydroid was going to be the future. Darth Vader and HALO? No. We never heard from them again. Avelo is well past the prototype stage and has a brought a viable product to the dive industry that will revolutionise the way the world dives.
Thanks for watching,
D.S.D.O
James
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Though we are based in Florida, Hawaii, California, and Michigan have 100 ft and 300 ft ocean and lake underwater coral reef, shipwreck, cave diving, freediving, scuba diving, and closed circuit rebreather trips. To learn full face mask, beginner scuba diver, advanced scuba diver, tech scuba diver, cave diver you can reach out to a professional scuba diver. Everyone should get scuba diving insurance with Divers Alert Network.
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This is the Hydroid Aquabreather. Is it a rebreather? No. Is it SCUBA?
People were either queuing up to watch a man drown, or they were eyeing the future of scuba diving.
Part HALO, part NASA, part Darth Vader, the Hydroid Aquabreather uses proprietary canisters of a chemical blend that, once popped, gives off Oxygen. This is then cycled through your helmet and you can dive to a max. depth of 42m.
Dive safe, dive often!
James
The Real Future Of Diving? Introducing the Avelo System

[@237bar]

What is the lift capacity of this system? Is there a way to manually inflate/deflate the buoyancy control system in the event of an electronics failure or battery depletion?

[@csjrogerson2377]

All I can say is "Why?". It does what we've always done in a different way. I've been able to maintain my buoyancy quite adequately since I started diving in 1982 and still going. BCDs can be inexpensive; they are simple and cheap to maintain; durable (mine is 22 yrs old and all the consumable parts have been replaced) and they work. I might have 2 or 3 cylinders with me, I don't want another one. Giving divers gills is the future of diving, not a cylinder full or empty of water. .

[@kirkyorg7654]

not sure I would want to put my life in the hands of a battery and a circuit board if you consider the failure rate of most electronic gadgets, they are not built to! last. If it ain't broke don't fix it has always served me well

[@stephenschulte3996]

I just replaced my BC after a similar age as yours. As another person commented, a BC on the surface waiting on the dive boat is great - inflate & wait! I've done 144 dives in about as many years (it seems sometimes…) hope to be diving more often now -- but I'm getting better-and-better at neutral buoyancy without using the BC -- and many instructors / monitors with whom I dive seem to rarely use the BC to maintain neutral buoyancy while on the dive - especially below 12 meters or about 40 feet. Artificial gills or a special sponge-in-the-mouth would be a SUPER breakthrough! (But I might still wear my BC!!) Thanks for your comments!

[@946towguy2]

Maui is warm water, so if you are properly weighted, you only need about 6-10 pounds of buoyancy compensation. I've done shallow (18-30') diving in Maui without a BC at all. I bring an extra 8# of weight with me and drop it in the sand to anchor my dive flag at the beginning of the dive. I pick up 2# at a time as I expend the air in my tank, so I am 2# negative at the end for the swim in underwater. In cold water like Northern California, I am wearing 13mm on my torso which needs adjustment at 40-75' depth as it compresses. I usually use exhaled air to inflate to avoid wasting tank air, only using the power inflator and quacker at the end of the dive on the surface or for urgency.

[@Mark-jb9hx]

Planned obsolescence. Let's allow salt water into the tank so it can corrode from the inside.

[@DontScareTheFish]

What if the battery dies/floods ? The elephant in the room is "You shouldn't need much gas in your BCD because you shouldn't be over weighted" I've done technical dives in my drysuit where the only gas that went into my suit was to take off the squeeze and that was with multiple stage cylinders.

[@brendanvista]

Agreed, as a properly weighted dry suit diver I don't think this would buy me much.

[@ReelTeaseFishing]

Would be interesting to see the safety systems involved. simple questions come to mind such as battery failure. manual "inflate/deflate". possibility of water in the tank to mix with breathable air such as a ruptured bladder? etc.

[@pablorivera376]

Agree and how do you maintain positive buoyancy at the surface if you have equipment like a big camera etc? Whit a bcd it is easy.

[@pablorivera376]

If the idea is to replace the weight of lead with the weight of water, I'm sure it can be done more simply without the need for a water pump.

[@pablorivera376]

How to do technical diving without bcd? When you have to change cylinders to breathe another gas? When you bring more than one cylinder?

[@pinnacledivingco]

What's the actual capacity (in liters) of the space for the gas, and to what working pressure can it be charged to? What are the operating limitations for this system? What types of gasses can be used with this system? In what configurations can this system be used (backmount only? Sidemount? Twins? Stage?)? Those are extremely important questions to know before any consideration by anyone who might be even remotely interested in using this thing.

[@johnsexton3841]

If this is both the weights and the floatation for my dive, I doubt sidemount will be a thing with it.

[@Master-ls2op]

they did not say if it was good interested or bad interested. its like a drug dealer saying i got plenty of interest. and they fail to say its the fbi, dea, DOD, and mothers angainst everything not good interest. i think the all rating and certification agencies are interested in this because they want to know the numbers and minute some one dies because it fails in some way that is not recoverable.

[@Master-ls2op]

@@johnsexton3841 so you run out of air in the tank... you no go up...

[@pinnacledivingco]

@@Master-ls2op 😂😂😂

[@HansenSWE]

At least the walk from your car to the water will be a little lighter. But that's about it, in my eyes. A new thing that does nothing new but requires another certificate from the other side of the planet. Then again, I never was a trailblazer, myself.

[@KimonFrousios]

Interesting! My only concern is the reliance on a battery. A BCD can be orally inflated as backup, I doubt the avelo can be manually pumped to tank pressure. But maybe you can still end the dive safely? It also relies on not running out of air to push the water back out, so may finally be a sane scenario to be ditching lead underwater in an emergency.

[@ahmedsamy8406]

And if you are properly weighted you can ascend all the way up without bcd just by kicking

[@Tbm-ov5ky]

It looks by design the purge valve is manual, so as long as you have more than ambient pressure in your tank you should be able to purge all the water out of the tank.

[@mustang6599]

Any time something is advertised as "The future of Diving", it isn't. Will it keep you afloat on the surface as BCD can? I am sure once really looked into with regards to average diving, it's limitations will start to present themselves.,

[@tpavan]

Before we didn't even dive with BCD's, LOL! Also no concern for the battery... how long do you plan to dive in a day? 20 hours? ;-)

[@testboga5991]

Good luck inflating your jacket if you run out of air

[@TheMagistrate8]

I got to see this system in action in Maui back in September. It was amazing! I'm very excited to see this being available in the future.

[@KreeH2023]

Having back troubles is fairly common, especially as we age. Dive equipment is typically heavy and bad backs hate anything heavy. Having a system that reduces the overall weight and the strain on your back is a good thing. This is an exciting product. Because it COPV construction, I wonder if future renditions might have more body hugging shapes vs standard tank shape.

[@JordanReedYT]

@@theessexhunter1305 Diving sidemount requires additional training.

[@duaneogrant]

I’ve had bladders burst in home water pressure tanks, the resulting fragments cause lots of issues downstream. Having my air supply stop because of something similar is a big concern.

[@mynameismynameyourname6197]

This, Ill wait a while for it to get really established and work out any kinks.

[@christianriedel7017]

Been watching this system for a while now, can't justify the trip to Maui but when there are classes somewhere near where im anchored on my boat I'm going to be all over it.

[@stephenschulte3996]

YES! Me too!

[@barryinkpen6026]

Sorry James. My opinion is, it is a gimmick. Dacor had an automatic compensation system years ago and it didn't survive. Honestly; how hard is it to learn to properly control your buoyancy? I noticed they didn't state the air capacity of the unit. Snake oil...

[@jenniferidol8833]

Yes. Just a gimmick. Don't worry about it. 🙃

[@Anaxagoran]

Lmao @ you thinking it's a gimmick. You're quite ignorant.

[@barryinkpen6026]

@@Anaxagoran Well. I'm entitled to my opinion. But ask yourself; "how much gas does this hold?"

[@barryinkpen6026]

@@jenniferidol8833 Well; Like I said, its my opinion.

[@Anaxagoran]

@@barryinkpen6026 the tank is a 10L tank that has an approved working pressure of 4,500 PSI.

[@kylegrimm8808]

Why, why, why? We want less failure points, not more. This definitely has an engineers hands on it.

[@ner12800bb3]

Same here - why do you need this thing, i dive with 2 tanks all the time for safety measures and for a sidemount. This thing can break underwater - so what then?

[@stevewarren6608]

Potentially, I can see this being useful to cameramen. If you can maintain hands free buoyancy while following a subject through different depths, then it does solve the issue of taking your hands off the camera to make inflator/dump adjustments midshot, introducing instability.

[@stephenschulte3996]

@@theessexhunter1305 Very good points you make-- but the way you made your comments is so insulting and just plain impolite. Often in life it's not WHAT you say but HOW you say it. And in writing this I hope I'm not sounding impolite to you-- that is not the intent. So I'm re-reading this before I send it. OK I hope you (and others reading this) take it in the way it was intended-- to be constructive, not negative nor impolite. Thank you.

[@stephenschulte3996]

@@theessexhunter1305 Yeah, I think you did not understand my comment. I AGREED with your technical comments -- I just didn't agree with the insulting way you replied to the person. You wrote: "…so go back and get some lessons.." Why the need for the aggressive reply? And your comments to me are non sequitur -- I was talking about politeness, not rusted and rotten equipment… OK this is why I hesitate to reply to these KZbin posts… Fröhliche Weihnachten

[@tintinmcs]

Will be interesting to see how this pans out over the next couple of years.

[@meddude1959]

I agree, Interesting. I don't know if I want to change to this for every dive, but it would be nice to travel to Maui and give it a few test dives over a week.

[@janedoe6350]

@@meddude1959 I would need a few years of evidence before i switch. It may be fine for Maui but lets see how it fairs after a few winters of UK diving. For me, i would feel happier with a quality BCD while at the surface in a large swell waiting for the dive boat to pick me up.

[@stephenschulte3996]

@@janedoe6350 Good point about having that BC on the surface waiting for the dive boat!! Hey, I often dive with my snorkel, too -- have spent a fair amount of time on the surface before and after diving. Great comment you made - thanks!

[@stevemellor7989]

Interesting… I had the predecessor to this. Dacor made the Nautilus CVS (constant volume system) in 1977-78 that worked on same “Q” principle. Not many sold because it was bulky and the recreational diving world wasn’t ready for it. It did not have a battery pump system, rather it used the lp hose to regulate water/air ratio. I had one and it worked great. In fact, I used it for 40 years (when diving vintage equipment) and had to Mcgyver my own parts to keep it operational. If the Avelo works the same, I want one.

[@bigrich6750]

I’m glad someone in diving is thinking outside the box. Heavy scuba tanks have been the norm since the ‘50s, and there[s been no real innovation. I have lots of questions though. How will salt water affect the inside of the tank? What is maximum depth? How much air volume does the tank hold? How long is battery life? What happens if the battery fails at depth?

[@EhCloserLook]

Indeed! SOOO many questions! 😆

[@hayatel2557]

It the worst case scenario you die😅

[@TheLoosenit2]

sounds interesting but would love to hear more detailed questions. 1. Is the cylinder USDOT approved? 2. What will maintenance schedule be? 3. Can they be doubled? 4. What are the potential system failures and associated emergency procedures? (i.e. if water pump fails does it fail off so you get lighter and can swim to surface or can the water pump fail on and continuously pump water into the tank making you negative? what is the backup if this happens?). In other words it would be nice to get past the marketing details and into the depth of the product.

[@narkeddivers]

Following! hopefully you get an answer!

[@Eluderatnight]

What happens if your airbladder fails? Do you get a lung full of water?

[@TheLoosenit2]

@@Eluderatnight personally I dive a neutral rig, which means I am never more than 10 lbs negative so I can swim to the surface if my wing fails. In those instances when I can’t dive a neutral rig I have redundant lift, ie a dry suit, a double bladder wing, or a lift bag that can be used as redundant buoyancy.

[@Eluderatnight]

@@TheLoosenit2 but are you breathing air from your BCD? That is my concern.

[@Master-ls2op]

DOT no... the blatter inside makes it not rated... cant hydro tested it.

[@rolf-smit]

This sounds amazing, and would obviously make diving (especially the buoyancy part) way easier. But on the other side, it also adds a lot of complexity to an otherwise pretty simple system (purely talking about recreational diving). Complexity on it's own is not so much a concern, however it does add failure points and also makes diving more expensive I would say (the latter not necessarily being a problem). However one major failure point in this system could lead to buoyancy loss or gain. Yes, you could drop weights. Yes, you could still manually inflate a vest, but what you cannot do is compensate for the lack off experience in manual buoyancy control. Because if divers only learn to dive with this... I don't think they will be quick (or even learn at all) to get a natural feel for it. Or am I overthinking it?

[@rolf-smit]

Note: the video mentions you need OWD certification before you can take a specialty to dive this. But it takes more than just 5 OWD dives to master buoyancy.

[@janedoe6350]

I'm concerned that there appears to be no ability to manually inflate the buoyancy device at the surface if you get into trouble with a blown tank "o"ring or an out of air scenario. It's easy to inflate a BCD manually by blowing down the exhaust tube while holding down the dump button. But with this system ????? As for only requiring Open Water Diver.... i don't see an issue. PADI OWD permits diving to a depth of 18 meters right? If you haven't mastered buoyancy and your diving to 18 meters, you are not worth of the OWD qualification in my eyes. Controlling buoyancy in the first 10 meters is always the trickiest because that's where the changes are most pronounced... after that... the deeper you go, the easier it gets... so stay shallow and practice fin pivots until compliant. I see a few problems here when diving with a dry suite as you need the gas in the suit as well as the air in your BCD to manage buoyancy but how dose that work with this system? Plus, more to service too i bet, especially if you dive nitrox.

[@jason950216]

Get your smb out and orally inflate it, now you got a backup BCD

[@janedoe6350]

@@jason950216 Hmmmm... You obviously never dived UK in winter and had to wait for the dive boat to pick you up in a large swell. Anyhow, i keep my SMB and reel in my BCD pocket to streamline my kit. Maybe i can just let it dangle from the harness D ring of the Avelo system in future, right? I think this system is fine if you shore dive in flat calm conditions however, due to it's apparant lack of redundancy, i think i'll give it a miss. I'll stick with my AP Commando BCD which has it's own mini inflation tank, a valve i can breath through and an easy to use oral infiltrator that's always fast and easy to access. All i have to worry about now is not being buddied up with a Avelo user when i next book a boat space. However, I WILL TAKE THE AVELO TRAINING (as every responsible Divemaster should) when i get the chance, just in case i am buddied with a Avelo user on my next overseas holiday.

[@TheJoeyboots]

Your thoughts are the same as mine in this.

[@arimunic]

Biggest issue I see with this system is that the water pump must overcome 4K+ psi of pressure at the start of the dive. While possible, I can't imagine what the maintenance and upkeep on such a pump would look like. Furthermore, unless I've been misinformed, there isn't a way to hydro COPV tanks, so these will have a certain lifetime then need to be thrown out. I'm curious if these are even DOT approved, perhaps that's why they're only in Maui. I would also be very hesitant to shove a bunch of salt water into a metal tank (even if it's aluminum) with no good way of rinsing/inspecting.

[@sailordan140]

As a cylinder inspector, I agree with your questions wholeheartedly.

[@Gstrowes]

I can't seem to find any information anywhere that tells exactly how much breathing gas the cylinder holds. That's a fairly important detail to leave out.

[@MetalcoreGuitar1]

The website says: „Enjoy longer dives with the Avelo System. Our Hydrotank is designed for a working pressure of 300 bars (4,350 psi). The gas capacity of the Hydrotank is 106 cubic feet (3,000L) which means it is ready to provide 33% more gas than standard tanks if the compressor in your local dive shop can fill to that pressure.“

[@Gstrowes]

@@MetalcoreGuitar1 So, a 10l cylinder, that’s not terrible, if you can get a 300bar fill. If you can’t, and I’ve not seen many places that do fill to that pressure, it’s not brilliant.

[@joakimdiver1120]

Dont you use 300 bar steel tanks in US?;)

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

@@joakimdiver1120 That would require a DIN, and Americans hate everything that doesn't come from the US, so no...

[@joakimdiver1120]

@@bloodymarvelous4790 I should have known that (blame it on the american IPA I’m enjoying now). Interesting and expensive product anyway.

[@donfinlayson7887]

How would you travel with it? I dont see airlines being too excited about letting you take a cylinder onboard. Also, will a regular dive shop compressor be able to fill it?

[@davideaston8314]

2 phrases come to mind.... "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should" "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

[@Cthippo1]

I'm going to disagree with you you on this one. One of the hazards of SCUBA is the positive feedback loop where if you are descending you will tend to descend faster and if you are ascending you will tend to ascend faster. Yeah, we all learn to ride that buoyancy knife edge and manage it, but it is a far from ideal system. If this system can largely solve that problem, then I think it will make diving a safer sport, especially for new divers. The thing that needs to change is that students need to be taught on this system and then take a supplementary buoyancy class to learn to manage it themselves if they want to go onto more advanced diving.

[@diveavelo]

@@Cthippo1 Bingo!

[@markweaver3458]

Sounds like a complicated solution to a simple problem. Much rather carry my wing on holiday rather than one of those things.

[@jenniferidol8833]

Just as with current scuba tanks, the intent is to rent your Hydrotank from your destination. While you can fly with it (we did for DEMA Show), it’s easier and simpler to rent.

[@markweaver3458]

@@jenniferidol8833 is it going to be the same price as renting a single or twin cylinder?

[@WodnikJarek]

And it's only 20lbs of possible buoyancy change. It won't take the market: too expensive, not sure it can pass the inspection everywhere in the world.

[@pablorivera376]

Carbon fibre is a bad material under pressure. It will eventually break.

[@pablorivera376]

I think the old Dacor cvs system was simpler and safer.

[@stevenwallenda8698]

HUH.... ya, several questions immediately... gonna have to do some reading on the system. Thanks for posting an intro to new technology.

[@the_boatswain]

Awesome!!!!! Cant wait!!

[@fsantini81]

James could you please officially disclose if this was a sponsored video? Did you receive any money or other benefits from Avelo for this video? It would help framing the content and it would be necessary for transparency.

[@sportdiver0077]

Your reading to far into it. He's just offering a public eye into DEMA you wouldn't get unless you are here in Orlando for the show. The demo was cool I just wish I was there the day they did to ask more questions and see it in action. Down side is it doesn't travel well.

[@DiversReady]

This is NOT a sponsored video. I received no financial or monetary compensation of any kind. I always disclose when my videos are sponsored and by whom. I am genuinely intrigued by this product and looking forward to a time when I can take it for a test dive. I will also state again, as I did in the video, that Jennifer Idol, who works for Avelo, is a personal friend of mine.

[@scubadude4940]

@@DiversReady If you were going on a two tank dive, would you need two of the tanks? What is the addtional cost of that? How are the filled? To what capacity? While I love your video's, there was a lot of information that was left unknown. Keep the vids coming mate!

[@escamoteur]

​@@DiversReadydid you get a chance to test it? How can they reduce the weight so much?

[@leviathan_dive_mma_group]

That’s awesome. It’s something I’d be interested in. I’m from Honolulu so I’ll be sure to take an island hopper to Maui

[@klicksteratgmail]

I've got to wonder how much cheaper this is compared to closed circuit diving, because it seems like for most purposes, rebreathers are going to be a better option, although most of us find it cost prohibitive...

[@ReverseCard]

This isn’t closed circuit, it’s still open circuit. Why the comparison?

[@TfD123]

Very promising, but one question, how do you check your remaining air? SPG would not work as you are compressing the air bladder with water inside the tank, less volume for air means more pressure, so you could keep 200bar through all your dive by reducing the volume, until you are out of air? 🤔🤔

[@fsantini81]

The bladder is separated from the actual cylinder containing 200-bar air. You wouldn't be able to push the water against 200 bar, so there must be a regulator inside to fill the bladder.

[@usmarine51519563]

Let the new things run the process. Only time will figure things out. Meanwhile carry on and enjoy. Be safe always.

[@practicaltheory]

Good idea. Accumulator tank with a pump. Cool.

[@UNgineering]

it sounds like an amazing all-in-one system. i think it has way more potential than the regulator-in-a-helmet from last(?) year. some questions if you don't mind: - what is the depth rating for it? - what is the lift capacity? - what happens if the battery fails? is there a hand pump? (equivalent of mouth-inflating the BC) - any issues with carrying that on a plane? - how do you hydro test it? - what kind of maintenance would it require?

[@dmitriykagan3883]

really wonder if you get answers to your very valid and interesting questions.

[@mikeramsey9747]

Wow, being able to shed 30 lbs, will make diving a whole lot easier for us older divers.

[@wrxkyle]

i don't think i could resist trolling the guy checking tanks at the dive boat ladder... hey, i didn't forget my wing again did i? splash....

[@jenniferidol8833]

😂

[@PoetOnTheRun]

This is so rad...I'm very curious. Thanks James!!

[@Dikus27]

Several things wrong with this system in terms of comfort and safety…. That is not so apparent. What would happen if a diver gets caught in a very strong down current? It has happened to me several times and being able to inflate the bcd to help is hugely important. Second point is the tank looks massive and definitely something you would kick when finning on a dive

[@uniquediver]

Really smart and nice people who have no idea how archaic the dive industry is..

[@divemore941]

Very interesting, I love the concept of losing some of that weight

[@luisnouel3407]

Interesting idea, it is not really an option unless it becomes mainstream, is adopted widely (no one will travel with a cylinder) and has proven to be a reliable system. Having said that, it is good to see people thinking outside of the box and innovating. I’m just wondering the capacity on the cylinder.

[@sdcoinshooter]

Many (many many) years ago when I was a professional diver, US divers came up with an automatic buoyancy system. It died a quick death

[@robertshort9121]

So you need to lug a 40 pound tank and system with you wherever you go diving? And the tank fills like a standard tank? Requirements for testing? Lots of questions including what the cost may be. Interesting to see where this will go.

[@Troitube]

In the website says the working pressure is 300 bar (a normal bottle is filled at 200-210 bar) so you need a better compresor. Equivalent tank size is 80-106 cubic ft (they show 2 sizes in the video)

[@jenniferidol8833]

Hi! Great questions. Just as with current scuba tanks, the intent is to rent your Hydrotank from your destination. While you can fly with it (we did for DEMA Show), it’s easier and simpler to rent. Just as with standard scuba systems, this system undergoes an annual visual inspection and hydrostatic testing every 5 years. The cost will be comparable to standard scuba systems when it is available for purchase from future Avelo Dive Centers.

[@jenniferidol8833]

@@Troitube Thank you for checking the website! While you can fill the working pressure to 200 bar to reach the full capacities, you don't need to. You can still fill to standard 200 bar pressures. Our 10L tank has a 106 cubic foot capacity and the 8L has an 80 cubic foot capacity. At 200 bar, the 10L tank capacity is equivalent to an Aluminum 80 and the 8L is equivalent to an Aluminum 63.

[@csmith1453]

@Jennifer Idol I understand the idea is to rent this, but I specifically buy gear to avoid renting. Many of us do because those who travel frequently to dive often see poorly maintained equipment. Price is no barrier - transportability is. If you could address that your product available market will expand significantly not just in numbers but in less price sensitive members. Love the technology though and may join you in Maui anyway.

[@BlackBuck777]

As a brand new diver - only a few hours logged - anything which helps my buoyancy is of great interest. Sadly I'm nowhere near Maui so until this reaches either the Caribbean or Scotland (!) I'll have to keep practising.

[@leonda4817]

This adds a lot of complexity to the system just for the small benefit of having to fiddle less with the buoancy. At this level of technical effort you might as well use a rebreather, which has more advantages. However, the usage of the submarine principal is pretty cool, and i'm sure it's more fun and easier. However i'd prefer a seperate, non-comressable "steel-bcd" that can be operated like a regular bcd and could be strapped onto your normal bottle. You'd still have all the advantages of this product, plus all the compatability to what's already on the market. Furthermore, you avoid the unnecessary electrical system, which will be a dealbreaker to many. So why not create something that people can use with their existing gear? Seriously, who want's to depend on one single manufacturers (expensive and failure-prone) bottle?

[@peterturnham5134]

Yes, too complicated, not availiable all round the world which is where I dive. From what I can see it will reduce air capacity in the tank, I like lots of airt. If I want to go complicated and not generaly availiable rebreather is the high performance future. Of course I am probably the worst possible reviewer, after 30 years of diving I still prefer and still use my Scubapro BCD which dates from 1990. Simple, reliable and I maintain it myself.

[@Don-uz9om]

Why would you take simple easy system make it complex? Inducing more failure modes in a system that's simple I really don't see the point. Now you're adding a battery and more maintenance to a system that requires almost no maintenance. In an emergency if I need to drop like a rock like say a boat is approaching the system from what I understand cannot support that. I'm all for change but not to a simple system like this. Looks like just a company trying to make a buck. What about the safety features few stranded out somewhere and you need to rely on your buoyancy vest as a life preserver for days. I'll stick with my old school BC.

[@stephenschulte3996]

@TheFutureIsImpenetrable I think this started as a way to remove weight (which it does) and then they realized other advantages -- like neutral buoyancy at any depth for the first 30 minutes (then a slight re-adjust). OK but at the expense of a LOT of complexity / potentially reliability… I hope to be doing a fair amount of diving in the next 10 years, but I can't see this system becoming available worldwide for at least 10-20 years from now. But let's see!

[@peterturnham5134]

@TheFutureIsImpenetrable Reduce weight you are joking. Divers like me fly around the world to the top dive spots. I am already loaded 20+kg at an airport with my dive gear cameras and stuff. You want me to add a fancy tank to my baggage? Do you know how they freak out at an airport if yoiu try to put a dive tank on a plane? Rebreathers could be made light and small if someone worked at it. Lookk at Hanns Haas, diving the same time as early cousteau. read his books see his films. Rebreather could be superlight. OK I followed Cousteau, still dive with a knife strapped to my shin on air. Yes I am an anacronism

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

Looks interesting. I query the life of the internal bladder. Also there was no mention of the scooter system.

[@unchartedodyssey]

Looks like a product geared towards the high end vacation market. Seems very niche and not very flexible hopefully they can make a run of it. Lots of potential for older divers or divers with backproblems. Glad to see some more innovation from the standard set up.

[@garymattscheck9066]

I like to keep up on the sport of diving. I haven't been diving in a long time.

[@michaellee2472]

So many questions here, in an out of air situation is there anyway to purge the water from the cylinder? Is there any way to gain surface buoyancy to float?

[@heyselice]

This is really fascinating and I will be very interested to see how this penetrates the market as time goes on!

[@mrstihl16]

How much air does it hold? What are the service requirements like?

[@gabrielex]

What happens in case of failure of the pump/battery? A BCD can always be inflated by mouth if anything goes wrong and it has safety valves and cords. Also I really don't like the idea of having to rely on a battery. What about the actual usable capacity?

[@gracez2595]

It basically puts the bladder of the bcd into the tank to make it not compressible? But I'm still confused why it can be much (30) lighter than the standard scuba system. The bladder itself is not of much weight. The backplate is still there and you still need a tank to hold the same amount of air, and you need additional battery&pump now. Is the material of the tank that makes the major difference?

[@Vega_Sera]

She said it's a COPV, which is a Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel, frequently used in spaceflight applications because it's very lightweight and very good at containing pressure. It's much less metal than a typical tank.

[@gracez2595]

​@@Vega_Sera Yeah, right (Originally I though she said "there is An aluminum shell inside"...) Then I assume the weight reduction benefit has nothing to do with the new bouyancy control mechanism. I'm probably more interested to see that lighter COPV tank itself to be widely adopted.

[@Vega_Sera]

@@gracez2595 It could be, but I feel like the reason we dont see it a lot yet is cost/benefit tradeoff. With current systems, every pound you take off of the tank, you'll likely have to compensate for with extra weight on your weight belt. Aluminum has a point where it's neutrally buoyant, and then can get positively buoyant. However if you're displacing the same amount with a lighter tank and you dont have the extra functionality that Avelo has, I can only imagine the COPV tank being extremely buoyant. Also worth noting that you heard correctly. COPVs have a thinner than normal metal shell on the inside, with the composite wrapping providing the structure that the extra metal would typically provide.

[@gracez2595]

@@Vega_Sera Since COPV can sustain higher pressure, not sure if the tank can be made much more compact to be negatively buoyant all the time. But I agree that 30lbs reduction is a lot (the al80 tank is just around 32 lbs). The COPV tank must be very light to reduce that much weight...

[@Vega_Sera]

@@gracez2595 I think part of the total weight reduction is the fact that they claim you often don't need to wear extra weights with their system. Also, you don't have a BCD to carry around as well.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

Doesn't seem very travel friendly. Once you opt for this system, instead of a regular BP&W or BCD Jacket, you're going to have to travel with it, or hire SCUBA gear at your destination. Let's disregard the weight it would add to your luggage, and just consider that it cannot travel pressurized, and it can't be filled at your destination without undergoing a hydrostatic test. I think I'll stick with my BP&W for now.

[@jenniferidol8833]

Just as with current scuba tanks, the intent is to rent your Hydrotank from your destination. While you can fly with it (we did for DEMA Show), it’s easier and simpler to rent.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

@@jenniferidol8833 That's assuming this tank will take over the world, which I seriously doubt.

[@ampex189]

I can't wait!

[@Erockzee]

Super fascinating… Would love to try it. Looking on their website there are some more specs that give some information. Looks like high pressure tank fill and comparable to potentially greater breathing gas volume than a standard aluminum 80. Guess it’s time to plan a trip to Maui!

[@jhkleinberg2]

I have been hearing about this thing for years now. It hasn't taken off because their is no market for it, and like said before, it's gimmicky. Best of luck 👍

[@Vandroy58]

I doubt this is the future of diving. Never talked about how to give maintenance. If salty water is let inside the tank, disassembling the whole thing for cleaning must be a challenge. I think experienced divers who already own a BCD and perfectly control their buoyancy get no benefit from this at all. Only old or weak people would, but if still, OW is required, it doesn`t make much sense switching to this system.

[@EhCloserLook]

IDK about you guys, but I am seriously considering going to Maui to check this out.

[@morphingjar]

Trying to wrap my head around traveling with this thing and it's just too much hassle.

[@AlexRibeirosportsandculture]

I see it as a complicated solution for a problem that doesn't exist.

[@Will-ol9lp]

Hey James, What is the MOD, and can you dive Nitrox with it? How do they handle the hydro test on the system? Thanks Will

[@paulgee8253]

It seems to cut your front surface area and eliminate drag as well.

[@jplflyer]

I want one!

[@Foxtrap731]

This rig adds water into the tank that also holds you air. They are separated by a bladder. Can’t think of anything that could go wrong there. Gimmicky.

[@Str8Flossin]

It’s an interesting concept. In its current form, I can see this gaining some traction for a small percentage of divers. Couldn’t really tell from the video but I’m going to guess that cylinder is close to an 80 in size. Did seem to have smaller diameter thought. Cool to see a new product👍🏼

[@ekun87]

I have so many questions when watching this.. how is this setup gonna be lighter than conventional scuba gears? How do we monitor our remaining air? What happen when the battery or pump fail at depth?

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

I'm no expert, but looking at it, you're going to attach a normal 1st stage to the cylinder, so you'll be using your regular SPG. You just don't need an LPI hose. It's gonna be lighter because you don't need a BCD. Just the backplate. The material from which the system is made is lighter than Al or Steel. When the battery or pump fails it's the same as your BCD failing. You should still be weighted correctly so you can make a safe ascent. Don't think it's suitable for sidemount though.

[@janedoe6350]

@@bloodymarvelous4790 So how do you manually inflate the buoyancy device if you find yourself at the service after an Emergency Controlled Swimming Assent because a failed tank "O" ring blew all your air ?

[@sailordan140]

A regular SPG won't work, because if I understand this correctly, the water displaces the air. That should keep the air pressure the same throughout the entire dive, so a gauge will always read full pressure.

[@ekun87]

@@sailordan140 after giving a thorough thought I think normal SPG might work, instead if having the whole tank to regulate buoyancy, they just need to have a different low pressure chamber that connected tank and pump. So it’s like a build in BCD that instead of add/remove air to control buoyancy, they are adding/dumping water. It doesn’t make sense as to how this system can be any lighter than conventional scuba

[@sailordan140]

@@ekun87 but the SPG works on pressure. So if I breathe some gas, the gauge drops as normal. But if I need to adjust my buoyancy by pumping water in that closed cylinder, I am now increasing the air pressure. I agree that it wouldn't really be lighter. The tank is half the weight of a standard cylinder, but the battery and pump likely make up for that.

[@voorbeeldfunctie]

this is really cool.

[@gullinbursti118]

Mmm battery powered buoyancy. What happens when that battery fails?

[@gullinbursti118]

Ya thats a scam account, isnt it?

[@ScubaHockeyDoc]

What is the gas volume capacity of the tank?

[@jenniferidol8833]

Our 10L tank has a 106 cubic foot capacity and the 8L has an 80 cubic foot capacity.

[@ScubaHockeyDoc]

@@jenniferidol8833 thank you. Does this use a proprietary first and second stage?

[@jenniferidol3981]

It uses standard din regulators.

[@HiTechDiver]

As with anything there are trade-offs. I can imagine that one of those trade-offs is price. When we go diving, we usually take 3 to 4 tanks each, as fuel is expensive to get out that far, so we make a day of it. 3 or 4 of these tanks must be a small fortune.

[@angelopia1282]

The system is very promising! . My concern is about "logistics" so if im planning multidives on a dive trip. I need to bring more avelo cylinders. Not like reg. Scuba tanks that i can rent and no hassle in bringing tanks on my trip. (just saying)

[@PFfourtynine]

🤔 How much lift can this provide on the surface? The idea seems neat, but would it keep my head above water with some waves?

[@jenniferidol8833]

Great question! You have ample buoyancy before and after your dive for your head to float above the water with waves. The system is neutrally buoyant and as a swimmer (with or without exposure suits), you are positively buoyant. You are buoyant by an additional 5 pounds of buoyancy at the end of the dive as well. It's a lot like swimming and freediving with a way to breathe underwater.

[@PFfourtynine]

@@jenniferidol8833 Thank you for the fast answer and insight Jennifer. Do I understand you correctly that with a full gas fill the system is neutral? Ie. It does not provide any additional lift at the start of a dive? Otherwise, what is the maximum additional buoyancy (beyond my body and suit) the unit can provide (when full with gas and when depleted). Thanks, Marius

[@markhinkle2451]

Very cool James!

[@Tradesatwork]

This would be outstanding if they do twin tanks.

[@stephendoherty8291]

Why the need for a special type of tank material. Could the water displacement not be automatic as well as manual? Does a BCD not offer a surface "lifejacket" when your return to the surface. Also does a BCD not offer some heat insulation in colder or longer duration dives. Still very interesting and one of the few innovations we have seen since "consumer" rebreathers and weight integrated BCDs (and Dive computers). It would allow more divers who might be unable to move so much current fixed weight by moving some displacement control into the cylinder.

[@markseubert9779]

1 how long of a dive is possible 2 the battery how long before replacement is needed 3 the jet pump want to see the result after mutiple dives from shore with heavy sand conditions

[@Marco-bq4hj]

Every technical diver started as open water recreational but not every recreational become a technical diver. I don’t like this product as it would prevent any newbie to develop any buoyancy skills and it add a additional level of maintenance aspect that might be underestimated by occasional divers

[@ryanbeck8004]

Fair point! I’d say this is just for someone who wants to dive once in a blue moon so you aren’t just messing with your BC the whole dive trying to get neutral. Idk though

[@Marco-bq4hj]

@@ryanbeck8004 I agree and this is what probably will be the market for this product (thus very limited despite being an ingenious idea). But I see an issue here: the type of diver you described it’s probably not into the sport enough to spend much money for this not conventional device and mostly to maintain it properly (just think about charging the battery properly) while dive centers which will offer this would be mainly in exotic locations where (to my experience) they go cheap of maintenance

[@ryanbeck8004]

@@Marco-bq4hj great point as well on the money aspect. Unless you’re very rich there’s much better things a person can buy for a once in a blue moon hobby

[@daniwalmsley611]

Actyally, you can transition nicely from this to closed circuit rebreathers. With CCR you don't lose weight over the dive and therefore only need to inflate your bcd for ascent My biggest issue is no advertised redundancies and the encouragement to use this without a bcd. This could be used for tech diving though, even without the redundancies, so long as you had enough buoyancy available from your dry suit or you paired it with a a bcd for emergencies. No reason it couldnt be sidemounted and they do a 15L 300 bar version I think the main market for this is in the hire shops/beginner-taster groups. On my first dive my instructor controlled my bcd. Didn't bother trying to teach me, just let me get comfortable in the water and experience the joy without worrying aboyt the technical side. So I dont see an issue with a system like this for newbies to learn with before graduating to bcds

[@rbakken2999]

How many cu.ft. of air and who and how much to hydro test every five years? It sounds fantastic!

[@Cthippo1]

What is the buoyancy range on this thing? How much negative or positive can it overcome with different exposure systems?

[@geemac44]

Hi James, Any further updates on the AVELO system? Will it become a retail product or become a leverage buy-out by a major player, shelved and never heard of again? Or maybe “no news is good news!” Your thoughts

[@cprguy]

Great new product! thanks. Quick question, I'm heading to Nassau, Bahamas this Jan 23' could you recommend a good dive center , thanks in advance.

[@1989Goodspeed]

Interesting video...I think Alec Pierce showed something similar with the DACORE Nautilus (from the 1970s) that was marketed as a “constant volume system”…but Avelo seams to have taken the next step and put this inside the tank itself and powered it by a battery. So it is basically the same as a submarine use with bales tanks. What if the battery goes flat? How do you “Emergency Blow” the system? Cool video and cool concept but this should really be tested and reviewed after extensive testing. Know any good scuba gear reviewers the really pressure test the gear before giving it a review that Avelo can maybe loan a unit to?… Maybe someone that has lots of experience and might even be into tech diving? In the promo video...Why are they diving with the 1st stage facing away from the diver?

[@jelteklaswijnja4055]

If I understood correctly, the air bladder is at a higher pressure than the environmental pressure too. So the purge valve should at all times release water, increasing your buoyancy. This sounds like a fully analog process, thankfully.

[@jenniferidol8833]

Great questions! If the battery does not power the pump during the dive, then you cannot add more water to the system. Your buoyancy does not change until you breathe a significant amount of gas. You have ample time to signal to your buddy to end the dive, ascend, complete a safety stop, and surface. There is not considered an emergency but we do recommend that you end your dive. Unlike the standard scuba systems today, the buoyancy changes are not instant powerful forces up or down.

[@jenniferidol8833]

@@jelteklaswijnja4055 Exactly! The purge valve is manually operated and the bladder always wants to expand to push the water out. The purge valve is a knob that you turn to open and release water. You can release some or all of the water. This system is fully manually operated.

[@Tbm-ov5ky]

@@jenniferidol8833 When they become widely available what is the price tag going to be? I am mainly interested in the significantly decreased weight, since my favorite shore diving spot was recently ruined by the Corp of Engineers building up a jetty that we used to be able swim over at high tide and making it stick 8ft out of the water, if I could decrease the weight enough that I wouldn't kill myself I could easily climb down the rocks from the beach.

[@neil27pearson]

What's the redundancy plan for when the pump goes wrong? What about corrosion of the cylinder 🤔🤔

[@ChibiButo]

I'm guessing the scooter boot portion would drop off if you needed to become positive in an emergency situation or some side weights. Or there is a bypass valve for the compressed air to push the water out of the chambers bladder instead of the pump?

[@escamoteur]

Absolutely fascinated by this idea and especially by the weight reduction. Why are normal tanks so heavy? Just because they are cheaper?

[@user-ku2ef6og9i]

1. Because they should be strong enough to not explode. 2. Because you need this weight in any case to compensate for their buoyancy (volume). 2a. Yes, you can find a smaller weight tank (yes, it will be more expensive) only to hold extra led then.

[@alle_namen_schon_vergeben708]

Does the pumped in water affect the pressure of the diving gas?

[@frosty3693]

I am guessing a smaller tank capacity? And a comparative maintaince nightmare. A bit like rebreathers, the extra care for most divers is not worth the hassle. And how much adjustment does it allow for in dive corrections?

[@HenryOliver-es3pj]

I would be hesitant to use for deep tech diving adventures.

[@scmsean]

I wonder how this would work with a dry suit. Where I live in the winter a dry suit is pretty much required. CA water gets very cold in the winter. I've dove in water in the high 40s.

[@jeffsatterwhite6373]

I have been using the 100blue steal tank with BCD no weight belt suites me just fine even with nirox

[@aquious953]

It's always best to keep the systems simple and as free from potential failure as possible, especially in this circumstance. Accident waiting to happen.

[@ibgarrett]

O.k. - I'm on board... but what the heck am I supposed to do with all the stuff I carry during a dive? ;) (rattler, flashlight, etc. etc.)... :D

[@1badsteed]

FOr people who cannot use WIng BCD's, this appears to function the same as a wing, all buoyancy is back oriented.

[@crislorenzoowsi5874]

Would love to try. New things scare a lot of People.... but we need to try stuff before we say no

[@Will-ol9lp]

James I left a comment about 4 months ago about this system and you never responded what’s up with that?? Do u know if the system holds 3000 PSI?

[@DiversReady]

Been busy. The pressure of the system is somewhat irrelevant as it will go up and down during a dive. As you pump water in, the gas pressure will actually increase! Which is wild to see! But if you're referring to gas volume, which I presume you are, yes, it's a standard 80 cubic ft cylinder.

[@andyrichmond1714]

Is there a reason why the cylinder is on back to front with the valve facing away from you?

[@johnstoll4474]

Doesn't this system require a 4500psi compressor???

[@jenniferidol8833]

Thank you for checking the website! While you can fill the working pressure to 200 bar to reach the full capacities, you don't need to. You can still fill to standard 200 bar pressures. Our 10L tank has a 106 cubic foot capacity and the 8L has an 80 cubic foot capacity. At 200 bar, the 10L tank capacity is equivalent to an Aluminum 80 and the 8L is equivalent to an Aluminum 63.

[@timgosling6189]

On their website they say the system has less mass than a conventional rig mainly because you don't need weights. So you get in the water, at which point a reserved but variable volume in the tank can be filled with water to make you neutral. So if you normally use a full 5/6mm wetsuit and need 5kg of lead you're going to need 5 litres of space in the tank. If you're in a dry suit and need 8-10kg you'll need to get up to 10 litres of water in there. Now although they say the tank has a gas capacity of 106 cuft/3000 litres, that's at 300 Bar, so it's actually only 10 litres, which tallies with something that looks in the video to be about the size of a 12, with some extra stuff inside it for the water volume. And that's assuming you can use a 300Bar compressor! Even then I don't see how you are going to get enough breathing gas in there. Also, where in the tank does the variable water mass sit; will there be trim changes? What is its lift capacity? Is it really aimed just at people in swimmers or 2mm shorties? Or what am I missing? Tell me, I'd really like this to work!

[@nashuadive]

Not even... If you need 10 kilos of led to sink in a drysuit, you can add 10 liters of water, it will displace another 10 liters , so you won't sink... 🤣 You need to be negatively buoyant to start with. Then you don't need to compensate the buoyancy changes in the bcd, but still you do for the drysuit This system can work in tropical conditions, can't see any advantage in cold water. Also how does it lift on the surface?🤷🏼‍♀️

[@timgosling6189]

@@nashuadive I can see that if you add 10 litres to the tank you are displacing air so the tank will gain that 10kg of negative buoyancy, just like flooding the tanks in a submarine. My point was that if there is 10 litres of space for breathing gas then the floodable part can't be big to have more than a couple of litres available, so not enough to weight you correctly on the surface unless you're in no more than a thin shortie. And vice versa if there is 10 litres for buoyancy there's going to be a tiny volume left for your gas.

[@nashuadive]

No. If you displace 10 liters of seawater with 10 Lt of seawater, buoyancy does not change. If you're 10kg positively buoyant on the surface, you can add as much seawater to the system as you want, you might get slightly less buoyant, but not much... So you still need led, and compensate buoyancy changes in the drysuit.

[@timgosling6189]

@@nashuadive You miss the point, the cylinder is rigid. Empty it will float. If you fill it with water it will become less buoyant and sink. This is why it's bad for ships to fill with water. But I agree it looks like you will need lead too, making this rig just as heavy as a conventional BC and tank.

[@nashuadive]

I understand the point. But ships are negatively buoyant, only float because of water displacement. Divers in wetsuit/drysuit are positively buoyant, need led to sink, and depth changes effect the suit, so the diver would need to adjust this system just as much as the conventional buoyancy compensator. Hence it doesn't help, just add complexity.

[@AndrewBradfird]

interesting - how does this work if you're running with multiple independent cylinders?

[@ninjatuna87]

Might need an air compressor in the boat to refill the air if planned to do 3 dives without coming back to the shore🤣

[@jenniferidol8833]

We definitely do back-to-back dives!