Avelo Offers a New Approach to Buoyancy Management

by Jennifer Idol. Images courtesy of the author

What is the Avelo System? 

The Avelo System is a lightweight scuba system that takes a new approach to buoyancy control by adding or removing water from the system, thus creating a safer and more enjoyable dive experience. The Avelo System has  two components: a Hydrotank and a Jetpack. 

The Jetpack consists of a backplate, harness, and a battery that powers a pump with an on/off button. The revolutionary Hydrotank is a lightweight, high-capacity  composite overwrapped pressure vessel, i.e. a specialized scuba tank that contains a flexible bladder. Breathing gas is stored in the bladder, and the pump adds water to the Hydrotank when the diver pushes the on/off button on the Jetpack. 

Since the Avelo System also eliminates much of the mass required for standard scuba equipment, the total weight divers must carry in and out of the water is significantly reduced. However, the biggest advantage of the system is its ability to reduce diver workload and mental task load via Avelo’s buoyancy diagram data. 

With the Avelo System, buoyancy does not change with depth changes. Gas in any inflatable buoyancy compensation device (BCD)—either a backplate and wing or a wraparound vest—is subject to compression and expansion with depth changes. This leads to rapid buoyancy changes and the need to constantly manage one’s buoyancy, even for very experienced and professional divers.

Divers using the Avelo System are positively buoyant on the surface—they float. To descend, they establish neutral buoyancy by activating the pump for 30 to 60 seconds: This fills the Hydrotank with water. Buoyancy decreases, and the diver sinks. To hover, the diver stops kicking, and to ascend, the diver swims up. As divers consume their breathing gas, they become more buoyant, at which point they can add more water to the Avelo System and reestablish neutral buoyancy. At the surface, divers attain positive buoyancy when they release water from the Hydrotank. As a result, the diver does not require a buoyancy compensating device(BCD).

What about potential malfunctions?

Everything we know about scuba diving originates from our current experiences and, more specifically, from recent experiences using inflatable BCDs. When a malfunction occurs using an inflatable wing or jacket, rapid buoyancy changes can be catastrophic. If an inflator hose gets stuck, it could rapidly shoot a diver upwards at increasing speed within five seconds.

It should be noted that an Avelo System malfunction is not an emergency; the diver has ample time to manage the situation and abort the dive. If the pump, on/off button, or battery fails to add water to the Hydrotank, the diver’s buoyancy does not change until they have consumed enough gas to become a little lighter. Even then, the buoyancy change is no more than ≤ 1 kg/2-3 lbs. 

If the purge valve does not release water, the diver’s buoyancy does not change until they have consumed enough gas to become a little lighter, in which case they add water. If the pump continually adds water, the diver can release the water, and the rate at which the diver becomes heavy is not substantial enough to cause excessive negative buoyancy.

How it started

The Avelo System was invented by Aviad Cahana, a scuba instructor and engineer who questioned why we must carry heavy and cumbersome gear. Developing his idea for this invention was the easy part. What followed was several years of making it into reality. Years of product development, rigorous testing, and prototype iterations led to the Avelo System. As soon as the first real-world testing took place, Cahana knew it would change scuba forever.

Beyond an invention, the Avelo System is a new discipline in diving that reimagines the dive experience. Cahana not only invented the Avelo System, but he also started a new method of training to support diving the Avelo System. 

Certified divers can obtain their specialty certification through any Avelo Dive Center. Avelo is a certification agency that created the Recreational Avelo Diver (RAD) course, a one-day class with two dives. During the course, divers conduct a series of skills. Diving the system a second day provides divers with the opportunity to experience all the sensations of the system beyond the course. 

Any certified Avelo diver can rent or buy the equipment. Avelo Dive Centers also provide access to the equipment through direct sales, long-term rentals, and short-term rentals. Each Avelo Dive Center sets prices for both equipment and courses that reflect their regional dive environments, such as boat or shore diving. Specialty courses tend to start at $450, and a total Avelo System package consisting of a Hydrotank (black), Jetpack, one battery, and charger costs $3,990.

To become an Avelo Dive Center, key staff should gain experience diving the Avelo System and complete the application on the Avelo website. Avelo Dive Centers are required to have one instructor and to provide access to one technician. Numerous packages from direct purchase, lease-to-own, and rental options are provided for Avelo Dive Centers to offer the best access to equipment.

Getting Technical

When Cahana applied his engineering expertise in thermodynamics to the scuba industry, he also meticulously captured all data surrounding the invention. He used a variety of dive computers to log and manually download profile spreadsheets. In reviewing the emerging data from thousands of dives, he noticed numerous trends. With perfect neutral buoyancy, divers were not only experiencing longer dives, but their diving efficiency workload dramatically decreased, even for dive professionals.

Since the Avelo System uses water contained within its system to manage buoyancy, Cahana could calculate the relationship between workload and buoyancy. Through a dive profile represented as a graph, he could read every operation of the system: when water was pumped into the Hydrotank, when water was purged from the Hydrotank, and the volume and mass of contained water.

Cahana also noticed that, when added water compresses the bladder, dive computers and gauges record momentary pressure increases. Cahana took this into account to establish neutral buoyancy on the surface, establish a rule of thirds based on maximum starting pressure at the surface, and (eventually) develop a dive computer integration called Avelo Mode.   

With the Avelo Mode, Cahana created a method for the dive computer to calculate the percentage of gas remaining. Pressure readings in terms of psig and bar are still visible on the computer integration; however, by representing gas in terms of percent remaining, divers can more simply communicate about their gas supply with their teammates.

More uniquely, the Avelo Mode enables the calculation of a diver’s buoyancy status and provides a buoyancy status reset to neutral during a dive. Using the reset, divers can note when they feel perfectly neutrally buoyant and adjust their future dives accordingly.

Instructors use the Avelo Mode as a teaching aid to assist with diver efficiency and to help divers comprehend the relationship between their buoyancy and their diving experiences. The Avelo Mode is available on Shearwater Research and Scubapro dive computers.

Industry Partners And Global Reach

Shearwater Research, a global leader in dive computers and diving electronics, announced a strategic R&D partnership with Avelo Labs: the innovative training organization and dive technology company behind the Avelo System. This collaboration aims to drive the advancement of diving systems and human performance, uniting Shearwater’s technical expertise with Avelo’s revolutionary approach to buoyancy control and advanced dive analytics. 

Shearwater introduced Avelo Mode on the Peregrine TX, in addition to the Teric made available earlier in 2024. Avelo Mode will be available on even more Shearwater air-integrated dive computers in early 2025, which will ensure seamless integration with the Avelo System and deliver precise gas-time management—critical to safety and the overall dive experience. Through this partnership, the companies plan to expand upon this collaboration and explore further advancements that blend Avelo’s technology with Shearwater’s precision dive electronics. 

Scubapro announced the Avelo Mode on their G2 Console computer, available as a firmware update through Scubapro Tech Services. They highlight the personalized biometric integration that the Avelo Mode provides. This allows the diver to reduce workload, increase overall diving efficiency, and increase dive time. Scubapro is actively working to add the Avelo Mode to all of their current dive computers, as well as building it into their future products.

Of the Avelo Dive Centers around the globe, four also offer the Avelo Pro course: the professional pathway to becoming an Avelo Instructor. These dive centers are Abyss Scuba Diving in Sydney, Australia; Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Key Largo, Florida; Catalina Divers Supply in Santa Catalina Island, California; and Dive Friends Bonaire. They also teach the Avelo Technician course so that dive centers can learn how to maintain and service the Avelo System. A growing number of established diving career development centers around the world are working toward offering these services worldwide, with emphasis on Europe through Planeta Azul in Spain and the Red Sea regions. 

Where Is Avelo Headed Next?

Avelo, which won the Boot Düsseldorf 2025 Dive Award for Innovation, is focused on providing greater access to its equipment by expanding the regions in which Avelo is available. They opened applications to become an Avelo Dive Center for businesses whose staff have become Avelo divers. The Avelo Tour launched this year and will continue to help dive centers access the Avelo System and help their team gain the experience they need to offer services as dive professionals. 

As a company focused on innovation, expect more technological developments and announcements regarding collaborations with partnering training agencies next year. Although Avelo is focused on making the system available for recreational diving as a single tank, designs that include configurations for sidemount, backmount, and rebreather are in development with existing plans. These custom designs account for the buoyancy mechanisms unique to Avelo and are more custom than adding a manifold and tank bands or sidemount rigging. Once availability of Avelo’s recreational system is widespread, you can look to the company to expand on that innovation for technical diving.

Find an Avelo Dive Center: Avelo Dive Centers

Learn More:

Dive Avelo

Scubapro and Avelo

Shearwater and Avelo

Jennifer Idol is a diving and visual storytelling expert dedicated to connecting people with the natural world. As the first woman to dive all 50 U.S. states, she chronicled her journey in the book, An American Immersion. Her work has appeared in DIVER, SCUBA Diving, and Alert Diver, and she is a Fellow of The Explorers Club and a two-time PADI® AmbassaDiver.

Jennifer is a core team member of Avelo, promoting the revolutionary Avelo System, which integrates the Hydrotank and Jetpack to redefine the diving experience. She also inspires others through expeditions with Big Fish Expeditions.