What AP Diving does

AP Diving is a UK-based designer and manufacturer of diving life-support equipment, founded in 1969 as AP Valves and headquartered in Helston, Cornwall. The company specializes in closed-circuit rebreathers (CCRs) under the Inspiration product family — the Inspiration evo, evp, and xpd — and in technical buoyancy control devices (BCDs) such as the Commando, with 51-100 employees and a privately held, family-owned ownership structure. Its served markets span sport, technical, military, and commercial divers globally, with documented use by the UK Royal Navy dating to 1981.

The Inspiration platform is built around electronically controlled oxygen set-point management with two independent oxygen controllers, an axial-radial scrubber design, and a fiber-optic heads-up display, paired with the 2020Vision handset supporting 13 languages. AP Diving was the first manufacturer to mass-produce an electronically controlled CCR (1997) and the first CCR to receive CE certification; the platform also holds CE approval to a SIL3-equivalent electronics standard and is endorsed by all major CCR training agencies (TDI, IANTD, RAID, PADI, NSS-CDS, NACD, IART). Around 95% of manufacturing is performed in-house at an ISO 9001-certified facility with a dedicated R&D test centre, and product evolution continues with the 2023 launch of the RB160 DSV mouthpiece and RBSM safety mouthstrap and ongoing development of a Head-Up Screen option.

Commercially, AP Diving runs a dual-channel go-to-market combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce with an authorized distributor and instructor network covering 45+ countries, including a Netherlands-based EU distribution hub and partners in the USA, Italy, South Korea, and South Africa. Pricing for rebreathers begins at £6,329 inc VAT, positioning the products in the premium technical-diving tier, with revenue supported by an aftermarket stream of consumables (scrubbers, oxygen cells, batteries, mouthpieces) and firmware/software upgrades. Sales of safety-critical configurations are gated through certified training channels, which deepens the instructor and agency ecosystem supporting the platform.

Name

AP Diving

Legal name

AP Diving Ltd

Website

https://apdiving.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

AP Diving is a UK-based manufacturer of closed-circuit rebreathers (Inspiration platform) and technical BCDs, serving sport, technical, military, and commercial divers globally via direct e-commerce and an authorized distributor and instructor network across 45+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Helston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Rebreather Sales: Sale of Inspiration rebreathers (evo, evp, xpd models) as the primary revenue driver. Rebreathers are custom-built to customer specifications through online configurator. Base prices from £6,329.
2. BCD Sales: Sale of buoyancy control devices including Commando, Commando Explorer, Commando Escape, and Tekwing models along with accessories.
3. Spare Parts & Consumables: Replacement parts, service kits, maintenance tools, cylinders, valves, and consumables including Sofnolime scrubber material, oxygen cells, batteries, and disinfectant.
4. Firmware/Software Upgrades: Revenue from software upgrades including Nitrox Deco (£118.70 ex VAT) and Trimix Deco (£237.40 ex VAT) activation codes, and optional feature additions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AP Diving manufactures closed-circuit rebreathers (CCRs), buoyancy control devices (BCDs), cylinders, valves, and accessories for sport, technical, military, and commercial divers. The flagship Inspiration rebreather line (evo, evp, xpd models) uses the proprietary 2020Vision electronics platform and is sold as custom-configured units from £6,329. The company also produces the Commando, Commando Explorer, Commando Escape, and Tekwing BCDs, plus consumables, spare parts, and PC-based dive planning software.

Product overview

AP Diving manufactures closed-circuit rebreathers and buoyancy control devices for sport, technical, military, and commercial divers. The core product line includes three Inspiration rebreather models (evo, evp, xpd) sharing the same Vision/2020VISION electronics platform but differing in size, cylinder capacity (2-3 litres), and scrubber duration (2-3 hours). Rebreathers offer over-the-shoulder or back-mounted counterlung options and are configurable with upgrades including ADV, OCB bailout mouthpiece, Scrubber Life Monitor, CO2 Sensor, and Head-Up Screen. The BCD portfolio spans jacket-style BCDs (Commando, Commando Explorer, Commando Escape) and wing-style BCDs (Tekwing), all built with proprietary Endura FX100 fabric. Software offerings include DiveSight LogViewer, Colour Theme Designer, and AP Projection Dive Planner. The company also produces cylinders, valves, and dive accessories. Products are 95% manufactured in-house at the Cornwall UK facility with ISO 9001 quality assurance and CE certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inspiration evo Rebreather
• Inspiration evp Rebreather
• Inspiration xpd Rebreather
• 2020Vision Electronics System
• AP Commando BCD
• AP Commando Explorer BCD
• AP Commando Escape BCD
• AP Tekwing
• DiveSight LogViewer Software
• Colour Theme Designer Software
• AP Projection Dive Planner & DiveStore
• Rebreather Cylinders & Valves
• APV100 Auto Air (post-2007)
• APV200 Inflator (post-2007)
• APV300 Inflator
• Surface Marker Buoys (SMBCs)
• Pocket Reel
• BUDDY Blast Air Horn

Quantifiable outcome

• Dive times at 30m typically double compared to open circuit - 3 hours at 20m with no deco vs 36 minutes on open circuit
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Silent Diving LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized US distributor for AP Diving rebreathers and BCDs. Located in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. Provides sales, support, and service for US customers.
• Sea Dweller DiverscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized Italian distributor. Based in Rome, Italy. Handles AP product distribution and support for Italian market.
• Aquatek Co.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized South Korean distributor. Located in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Provides distribution and support for Korean market.
• Alpha OmegacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized South African distributor. Based at Komati Springs, Badplaas, Mpumalanga. Handles distribution for Southern African market.
• Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance LtdminorOthersThird-party quality assurance agent verifying AP Diving's product specs and manufacturing processes to achieve ISO 9001 manufacturing standard.
• Rebreather Education and Safety Association (RESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAP Diving is a founding member of RESA. RESA publishes minimum training standards for rebreather courses. AP supports RESA's mission for rebreather safety standards.
• Training Agencies (TDI, IANTD, ANDI, IART, ETDS, PTA, SSI, ITDA, BSAC, PSA, RAID, PADI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAP Inspiration rebreathers are approved by all major rebreather training agencies. Certification available through TDI, IANTD, ANDI, IART, ETDS, PTA, SSI, ITDA, BSAC, PSA, RAID, and PADI.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Suunto: Finnish manufacturer of sports watches and dive computers (D5, EON Steel). Overlaps AP at the dive-electronics layer and consumer-sport-diver demographic, though without rebreather manufacturing.
• Mares: Italian dive equipment manufacturer (now part of Head Group) producing regulators, BCDs, computers, and spearfishing gear. Overlaps AP in European distribution and BCD/regulator categories at mass-market price points.
• Aqua Lung: Historic diving brand (originally La Spirotechnique/Cousteau-era) producing BCDs, regulators, and dive computers at recreational and light-technical tiers. Broader portfolio and global retail footprint than AP.
• ScubaPro: One of the largest global dive equipment manufacturers (a Johnson Outdoors brand). Overlaps AP on BCDs, regulators, and dive computers, but at a mass-market recreational tier rather than the CCR/technical niche.

Direct peers

• Hollis: Manufacturer of technical diving equipment including the Prism 2 rebreather, BCDs, and regulators. Competes head-to-head with AP in the technical CCR segment serving sport and expedition divers.
• Dive Rite: US-based technical diving equipment manufacturer producing BCDs, regulators, and the Nomad/O2ptima rebreather lines. Comparable niche technical-diving focus with strong US distribution and instructor base.
• Shearwater Research: Canadian maker of technical dive computers and electronics (Petrel, Perdix) widely integrated into third-party CCRs. Competes both as an electronics platform choice for rebreather manufacturers and as a stand-alone integrated rebreather supplier.
• Poseidon Diving Systems: Swedish manufacturer of electronically controlled closed-circuit rebreathers (MkVI) and dive electronics. Direct competitor in the CCR and technical diving space, with overlapping instructor/training ecosystems and similar premium pricing.
• Ocean Reef: Italian manufacturer of full-face masks and diving communication systems with technical diving applications. Comparable specialty focus and Italian/European distribution overlap with AP.

Emerging players

• Ratio Computers: Italian maker of technical dive computers and integrated CCR electronics (iX3M). Increasingly competing in the rebreather-electronics space AP has historically dominated with Vision/2020Vision.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/APDivingTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/APDiving
• Instagraminstagram.com/apdivinguk
• Xx.com/APDiving

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AP Diving