O’Neill wetsuits have a very interesting origin. Its inventor, Jack O’Neill, often goes by the title “the inventor of the first wetsuit.” As he moved along the West Coast of the United States throughout his young life and as an adult he settled in Northern California. Initially, O’Neill used to work as a window and skylight salesman. But he was too caught up in the waves and ended up spending a lot of time on the rugged Northern California coast. It was then that O’Neill began thinking and researching a wetsuit that would allow surfers to navigate the super-cold waters of Northern California. At first, he experimented with flexible plastic foam, and while this kept him warm to a degree, he wanted more. In 1952 he opened his first Surf Shop. There along with some balsa surfboards and accessories he started selling neoprene vests.

By the 1960s, the store had become very successful. He made full use of the marketing skills he had acquired during his early years to brand his innovative products. From Northern California, he expanded to other locations as well, continually improving his wetsuit design. There is a wide range of O’Neill wetsuits available on the market. The O’Neill Psycho series of wetsuits is environmentally friendly because it uses recycled neoprene. The suits come with the ZEN zip closure system or with the FUZE chest zip to keep out the cold. O’Neill’s superfreak wetsuits are intended for very cold water. Its XDS Air neoprene keeps you warm in such conditions. O’Neill Reactor wetsuits pack a variety of features into one package. These features include Fluidflux neoprene and Kevlar knee pads. The On’Neill Gooru wetsuit series provides lightness and flexibility with the use of 100% ultraflex DS neoprene and its special seam construction.

Matuse wetsuits are essentially ecological. Instead of using neoprene that is petroleum based, they use a material called Geoprene. Geoprene, because it is derived from limestone, is much more environmentally friendly. This geoprene is manufactured by Yamamoto Corporation. Matuse wetsuits are definitely very comfortable because unlike normal wetsuits, geoprene based Matuse wetsuits have a unique independent closed cell microstructure. Thanks to this independent microstructure, the suits will keep you warmer for longer. Matuse offers a range of premium quality wetsuits. One such wetsuit is the Matuse Hoplite, which not only has super flexible geoprene, but also a second layer of Hydrasilk Nylon to keep water out.