I rode the Apollo AV1 this weekend when I hired one from a local dive school here in Lanzarote. I use the word "rode" deliberately because it was fitted with the optional "saddle." What a fantastic experience! You actually sit down on the scooter, so that it is between your legs. There is then a pull lever with six positions on it to control the speed. Leaving it on speed one is basically and idle with the prop just turning, but maximum is awesome, flying through the water at around 3 knots. You literally "fly", controlling turns, ascents and descents by adjusting your fins like an aircraft - it's even possible to loop the loop! Battery life is excellent at 80 minutes on a full charge, and the maximum depth rating is 50 meters. The unit is heavy to haul around on land, but is just right in the water, being slightly negatively bouyany, so you can leave it on the sea bed and go to explore something like a cave safely. Some words of caution here though - if you use one, don't wear any additional kit as the slipstream (aquastream?) really pulls on any loose hoses, knives or compasses, and you really have to watch your computer carefully, as you can ascend or descend very fast indeed. I printed out my dive profile afterwards, and we went from 5 meters to 38 meters in less than five minutes, simply by following the contours at maximum speed. One major safety issue is that the device doesn't have any kind of cut out, so if you do become detatched from it at any speed, the scooter will simply carry on without you. It really needs a lanyard attached to a kill switch. The biggest benefit is the time it can save - we covered an area which would have taken four conventional dives to see, and came back with plenty of air as we weren't exerting ourselves at all. In summary - this is what I want for Christmas!
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€3000
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