Editor’s Note:
Welcome to our new series, Surf History 101, where we look at innovations in the world of surfing and beyond that changed the pursuit forever. In this edition, Sam George examines the history of the wetsuit and how it changed our view of surfing.
What Is It?
The O’Neill Supersuit was a first-of-its-kind, fully integrated surfing wetsuit that with its waterproof zipper, sealed seams, neck, ankles and wrists was the inspiration for all modern wetsuit designs to come.
Who Developed It?
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An early 1960s advertisement for Jack O’Neill’s “Surf Shop” in Santa Cruz, California, featured a fetching young female model wearing a long-sleeve “spring suit” dubbed “The Thermo Surfer.” The accompanying copy read, “This suit is responsible for the tremendous increase in popularity of surfing in Northern California.” Big claim, especially considering that neoprene rubber wetsuits had been used by surfers for at least a decade, since South Bay surfer/diver Bev Morgan first got his hands on newly released specs of U.S. Navy dive suits in 1952. These first rubber outfits, however, were never intended for surfing, but for cold water diving, an activity that requires far less physical flexibility. This goes far to explain why surfers of the 1950s and 1960s regularly endured blue lips and slurred speech in less-than-full rubber coverage, rather than collectively embrace the thick, inflexible dive suits currently available. First came the simple vest, then the sleeveless, short-legged “short john,” followed by the sleeveless, long-legged “long john.” In fact, as late as 1970, prominent wetsuit manufacturers like Body Glove, Sea Suits, and even O’Neill were still marketing the “long john” as their cold water go-to, occasionally suggesting layering a pair of cropped rubber sleeves or “beaver-tail” dive jacket in extreme conditions. While a marked improvement from the past decade’s bare shoulder versions worn in more temperate waters, surfers in