AP Valves founder dies

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AP Valves founder dies

Written by Jo Mattock Friday, 18 November 2011 15:28

David Parker, company chairman and co-founder of AP Valves, has died.

For four decades, David helped shape UK diving, inventing the AP Valve, which allowed divers to breathe from emergency air bottles fitted to their jackets. Before alternate air sources (octopus) were used, the AP Valve gave a diver access to breathing gas in an 'out of air' situation.

In 1972, David created the first Buddy jacket, one of the first BCs to have a direct feed low-pressure inflator. Always an innovator, two years later David produced polyurethane HF welded buoyancy jackets - a production technique that is used today for BCs.

David also invented the self-sealing SMB, was a founding member of North Warwicks Sub Aqua Club and leaves as his legacy AP Valves and Ambient Pressure Diving.

Tags: AP Valves Parker Ambient Pressure Diving Buddy

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