Many people in the wetsuit-wearing community don't know how wetsuits came to be. It is quite important (and sometimes quite entertaining) to know how the first wetsuits were developed. By knowing its history, we can find ways on improving future designs. So, let's have a look at wetsuit history, shall we?

The wetsuit creator
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact person who thought of the wetsuit. The earliest possible record of the wetsuit entering the thoughts of a man is a letter dated June 21st 1951 by a Hugh Bradner. He merely toyed with the idea of keeping warm by using water that is trapped underneath 'something'. But, that was it. He never actually patented a design.

The person we probably should credit for the modern wetsuit is the eye-patch wearing Jack O'Neill, founder of O'Neill sports equipment and a giant in wetsuit history. His creation stemmed from the need to prevent himself from freezing to death whenever he surfed in the cold waters of San Francisco. Also, being an architectural aluminum seller by day, he needed to be healthy all the time.

The first wetsuit
Jack's life-changing moment was when he was going over blueprints of a building during a surfing break. At the exact moment when his head of the was on top of the important and original designs, his sinuses opened up and the water from the last surfing session poured all over the table. He was kicked out from his job and went on to open a surf shop.

The pinnacle (or the starting, for that matter) of wetsuit history began when Jack found neoprene, a lightweight and easily manipulated material. Back then, the material used was raw, unprocessed neoprene, which was rather uncomfortable to the skin. However, in the 1970's double-lined neoprene came to being; a single sheet of neoprene were lined on each side with nylon.

Many modifications later, the modern wetsuit with various types (fullsuit, longjohns, shorties, two-piece) were made. We can say that wetsuits are the reason that surfing and other sports are so popular these days. Without them, these activities would only be possible in those areas that have warm weather and warm water and would not be nearly as widespread as they are today. You probably have to thank Jack that you can do what you do. And with the advent of new technology, perhaps there will be another Jack O'Neill revolution in wetsuit history.