In 1952 Jack O’Neill opened the Surf Shop in Santa Cruz near the famous surf spot Steamer Lane. O’Neill shaped balsa wood surfboards and sold surfing accessories such as wax and vests made of neoprene. When the surfer’s neoprene vests started selling Jack decided to move into the wetsuit business.
O’Neill’s Surf Shop became a gathering place for surfers in the Santa Cruz area. Jack O’Neill brought in talented surfers and shapers like Phil Edwards to make surfboards, and the sales of O’Neill wetsuits climbed. Jack continued to develop wetsuit designs, including a shorty, a long john, and also a long sleeve beaver tail jacket. The surfing craze continued to grow in California and surfers could now enjoy longer sessions in the West Coast’s cold water thanks to O’Neill’s wetsuits. In 1965, he pioneered the world’s first wetsuit boots.
As the O’Neill wetsuits improved with news styles and features added, the number of surfers and surfing territories grew. Northern California became a year round surf zone and surfers were even surfing New Hampshire and Rhode Island in January! Ocean lovers up and down both coasts and as far afield as Canada and Europe were now exploring the ocean during the coldest months of the year. Divers, waterskiers, and windsurfers were now wearing wetsuits and business continued to boom. O’Neill was forced to relocate his business to 41st street to cope with the demand. O’Neill began to produce surf lifestyle clothing and sponsor major competitions around the world. The brand also formed Team O’Neill, a team of hot water sports stars and talented young kids.
By the nineteen eighties, Jack O’Neill’s surf brand had become a huge international watersports company, producing the best wetsuits in the world along with great beach and surf clothing. In 1985, Jack O’Neill left as CEO and his kids, who had already been heavily involved with the running of the company for a number of years, assumed control. Jack was free to enjoy the surf he loved, sail, and continue to work on a number of environmental projects.
Now the O’Neill surf brand is sin ominous with cool beach clothing and the Californian surf lifestyle, producing high quality surf wear and wetsuits.