Keen sport divers David and Angela Parker founded the A.P.Valves in 1969, they recognised that more effective emergency breathing systems were needed to assist divers, as a result they set about designing and creating a suitable piece of equipment. Since then the now famous A.P. Valve automatic mouthpiece has thrived, allowing divers to breathe with ease, being able to get air when crucially needed from a buoyancy jacket, in those critical first few seconds of an out-of-air emergency. It became an overnight lifesaver, proving to be invaluable to generations of divers. The basic yet reliable concept has been able to withstand the test of time and is still present today in adapted forms in the Auto Air octo-inflator and the AP200 power inflator.

For more than 40 years A.P.Valves has been a market leader- innovating, designing and manufacturing diving equipment of the highest standards. Recently they were the only manufacturer in the world to achieve three dive products voted in the Top 10 of Diver Magazine’s Top 25 ‘very best in current dive-gear’ poll. Their evergreen BUDDY Commando got voted 3rd and was the only bcd to make the Top 10. Since being founded in 1969 A.P Valves has grown from strength to strength. Starting out as a small family business, it has flourished to their current position selling in over 50 countries worldwide: supplying sport & professional divers, military, search & rescue and coastguards world-wide.