Long time AP Valves/ AP Diving user here
Same here - a daft AP Valves story for you.
The 2001 BBP expedition to lift the wreckage was the first all rebreather exped ever so we got quite pally with Martin Parker, owner of AP Valves as he supported our mostly frozen 'breathers with spares while we splashed in the lake.
Fast forward to 2003 and I took my then girlfriend to Rome for a weekend break. We met up with one of the Rome divers we'd met on the 2003 Britannic exped, Edoardo Pavia, and whilst having a sip of vino he mentioned that Martin was in town too.
"Oh, where's he staying?" I asked.
Turned out he was in the same hotel as we were so when we got back I gave the receptionist some sob story about how embarrassed I was to have arrived for a meeting with Mr. Parker only to have forgotten which room he was in. The reception sympathised and gave me the room number - turned out Martin and his partner were in the room next door!
I knocked on his door and after a few moments a very sleepy and bleary eyed Martin opened it wearing a towel.
"Hi Martin..." I said in a very cheery and wide awake voice. "I'm in the room next door. Fancy coming out for a beer?"
He looked at me a bit sideways then shook his head and closed the door. I went back to my room and explained that Martin was indeed next door but he wasn't coming out. Then, a couple of minutes later, there was a knock on our door and there stood Martin, awake this time and wearing some clothes.
"That really you, Bill? I thought I'd dreamt that..."
So we went for a beer.
Trevi Rainstorm!.JPG
The other pair of Tourists.JPG
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I'm only a plumber from Cannock...
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.