History of Wetsuits
Wetsuits first gained popularity in the early 1950s, and continue to be used today to keep people warm while engaging in water sports. Early designs were flawed, but advancements in design have helped to overcome these flaws. Wetsuits come in different styles and they are currently manufactured by a variety of wetsuit companies. While Jack O'Neill gets credit for designing the first wetsuit, other inventors helped along the way.
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Purpose
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Wetsuits are used for scuba diving and other water sports. The purpose of a wetsuit is to keep your body warm while surfing, scuba diving, water-skiing, swimming, or participating in other water related sports. Wetsuits are designed to allow a small amount of water to be trapped between your body and the suit itself. Your natural body heat, combined with the water, helps keep you warm. The thickness of the neoprene, the material used to make wetsuits, determines how warm or cool the wetsuit will be. The thicker the suit, the warmer it is.
Early History
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Jack O'Neill gets credit for inventing the first wetsuit in California in the early 1950s. Other inventors of the era were also experimenting with wetsuit design. Jack's early designs were made out of neoprene, a synthetic rubber material with the ability to stretch, and came in the form of a vest. Bob and Bill Meistrell also began experimenting with neoprene suits in 1953, and Jack's brother, Robert, helped to create the first wetsuit design.
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Design
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Early wetsuits were created by sewing two pieces of neoprene together, but his caused a variety of problems. The holes needed to sew the suits together allowed too much water to enter the suit. These holes grew larger as the neoprene stretched. Eventually, blind stitch sewing was developed, which allowed the suits to be sewn without penetrating all the way through the material. This eliminated the holes. Nylon was also added to both sides of the neoprene. The nylon protects against tearing and enables athletes to remove the wetsuit with more ease.
Types
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Wetsuits are available in three basic types: full suits, "shorties" and spring suits. Full suits are designed to cover your entire body and protect against cooler waters. "Shorties" cover your body but leave your arms and legs exposed. Spring suits cover your body and legs, but leave your arms exposed. Wetsuits extras include boots, gloves and hoods.
Companies
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The popularity of wetsuits led to the creation of numerous wetsuit companies. Jack O'Neill and his brothers started their own company in San Francisco in the 1950s. Gordon and Rena Merchant first founded the Billabong Company in 1973 in Australia and the company continues to make wetsuits. In 1953, Bill and Bob Meistrell founded Body Glove in California, another company that specialized in producing wetsuits. Other wetsuit companies include Rip Curl and Xcel.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit surfing image by bacalao from Fotolia.com scuba diving 01 image by Undy from Fotolia.com
