We throw them on every day without even thinking about it, but where did wetsuits come from, and what on earth did we all do before them?
Surfing first became a thing in the sunny climes that bless Tahiti and Hawaiii, and swimmers needed very little help staying warm in the balmy waters of The Polynesian Ocean. Soon the sport grew in popularity and, as it spread across the country, so did the need for extra protection.
Originally cold-water surfers would only be able to go out for 15 minutes, catching four or five waves and then heading back to shore to warm up.
However, it wasn’t a surfer who discovered the wetsuit. Instead, it was Berkeley physicist Hugh Bradner. In1952 he invented the first wetsuit by working out how to trap water next to the skin with Neoprene rubber. At the time he was working with the US Navy to design a diving suit for the military.
But without a patent in place, his work was left open for others to work on. The founders of O’Neill and Body Glove (those oh-so successful brands we know today) built on the idea and, motivated by the core aim of surfing longer, developed the wetsuit by using a more flexible plastic foam.
Wetsuits became more widely available after a few years, but they still continued to evolve. Soon the fragile Neoprene was sandwiched between a tougher material, which at first was nylon and then later became Lycra. This not only made the suit easier to get on and off, but also helped to prevent tears.
Needle holes were still an issue, as small amounts of water were able to penetrate the suit. Soon seams became taped and glued to prevent leakage, until finally the blindstitch method was developed.
By the time the 1970s came around, Body Glove had designed the first non-zip wetsuit and we’re seeing improvements all the time. As new machinery, materials and ideas are developed, so does the technology behind the wetsuit and material cutting and contoured panels have allowed fit and comfort to play a bigger factor. But boundaries are constantly being pushed and in 2008 Rip Curl even made the world’s first heated wetsuit!
The advances in wetsuit production have allowed surfing to become what it is today – a sport enjoyed all around the world. So next time you’re sat on your board waiting for a cold water swell to come in, just remember the patience of those chilly surfers back in the fifties!
However, it wasn’t a surfer who discovered the wetsuit. Instead, it was Berkeley physicist Hugh Bradner. In1952 he invented the first wetsuit by working out how to trap water next to the skin with Neoprene rubber. At the time he was working with the US Navy to design a diving suit for the military.
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