Diving helmets expected to fetch half a million pounds at auction

An extraordinary collection of diving equipment is being auctioned in Exeter. It took 45 years to put together by a couple who literally wrote the book on the history of diving.> It's thought to be the fourth biggest diving collection in the world and it was amassed by former diver Tony Pardoe and his wife Yvonne at their home in Exmouth. Age and poor health means they now want to pass it on. The auction in Exeter has now attracted world-wide interest.

THE COLLECTION

Many divers have come to see the works, keen to add to their own collections. One professional diver from Weymouth much prefers his modern scuba gear to this traditional equipment.

It took the Pardoes 45 years to build their collection, travelling the world and constantly adding to the knowledge. Their two volume book covers more than 150 years of diving history.>The collection is valued at more than half million pounds. Efforts to keep it all together didn't work out, but that's given other collectors a chance to acquire some remarkable bits of diving history.