Wetsuits: the early years
HUCK takes a look at some of the early models from O'Neill.
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Jack O’Neill first started to sell wetsuits from his surf store in San Francisco, California in the early 1950s. The simple motivation for Jack was “I just wanted to surf longer.” The first cumbersome designs came in the form of vests made from gluing together pieces of neoprene. Recalls Jack: “They used to laugh at us but as then they realised the person with the wetsuit was the first in and last out.”
And with this, Jack was onto something. The insulating suits soon made Jack’s Northern California home an all year round surf destination and the popularity of the suits soon helped opened up frigid breaks the world over.
In honour of this pioneering invention that has bought so much to so many, HUCK takes a look at some of those early vision for what we take for granted nowadays.
One of the first raw foam neoprene vests sold circa 1952.
Jack O'Neill modelling another early 'long john' wetsuit.
The inflatable wetsuit designed for icy water. Bouyancy wasn't a problem.
Twenty years after the initial idea, the wetsuit had developed into both long and 'shorty' suits with double lined neoprene, stitched and taped seams.
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