| Jack's Story: Sometime around 1952, Jack opened the first Surf Shop in a garage across the Great Highway. He shaped a few balsa surfboards and sold accessories like paraffin wax and a few vests he started gluing together from neoprene. When the vests started selling, Jack decided to go into the wetsuit business. His friends laughed. They asked him what he planned to do for business after the handful of surfers in the area had bought one. Jack said he’d cross that bridge when he got to it.
The Surf Shop became a local gathering place, and the number of surfers began to grow. O’Neill flew in talented surfer/ shapers like Phil Edwards to make boards, and wetsuit sales climbed. Jack developed designs for a shorty and a long john, and eventually a long-sleeved beaver-tail jacket. Soon surfers were riding more waves, and riding them better, in large measure because they could now enjoy longer sessions in cold water, thanks to Jack’s neoprene suits.
 Awards:
The O'Neill Psycho 2 Wetsuit and Mutant / Mod Boot Series Nominated for 'Best Wetsuit and Accessory of the Year' SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (April 3, 2008) — The Psycho 2 Wetsuit by O'Neill has been nominated by the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association as the 'Best Wetsuit'. The Image Awards gives the surf industry the opportunity to recognise fellow surf industry companies for their outstanding contributions to the industry. The goal of the SIMA Image Awards is to identify the surf industry’s most influential companies and recognise them for their efforts to advance and grow the industry over the past year. As the original wetsuit brand, O'Neill has been influencing the surf industry since it’s infancy but it is still rewarding for O'Neill to see the brand’s efforts recognised. “The product is at the heart of what we were about in the beginning and what we continue to be about today, so it is satisfying to see the O'Neill Psycho 2 and the Mutant Boot series be nominated in their product divisions,” stated Bert Aramburu, ONeill Wetsuit Director of Sales and Marketing. The Psycho 2 fullsuit has been the premier cold-water wetsuit on the market for the last half decade, but O'Neill exceeded consumer’s expectations again by further im proving the Psycho 2 in 2007. O'Neill made improvements to its patented Z.E.N Zip; a closure that was already the most sought after and imitated entry system on the market. The Z.E.N. Zip was reprogrammed with performance upgrades including the new Deconstructed Barrier, a Bassline Drain Hole, and a Seamless shoulder design for flexibility and comfort in key paddle zones. Add the new Firewall X-type with X foam , completely new D-tox Knee padz, and the Psycho 2 continues to be the ultimate cold-water wetsuit. ONeills commitment to Cold Water gear was also recognized with a nomination for Accessory of the Year for its Mutant/Mod boot series. Committed to designing the best performing boots available O'Neill took the Mutant boot series to the next level in 2007 by introducing the 6/5/4 internal split toe and Womens MOD versions to accompany the 3mm Mutant boot. Founded in 1952 by Jack O’Neill, the O’Neill surf brand has become one of the most reputable and well known brands worldwide. Jack O’Neill is credited for inventing the wetsuit – so dedicated to surfing he pioneered the world’s first neoprene wetsuit as a way to prevent the cold waters of Northern California from cutting short his surfing sessions! The first O’Neill Surf Store was from Jack O’Neill’s garage in Santa Cruz. The wetsuit itself has developed massively over the years, with technology advancing to develop O'Neill wetsuits such as the O’Neill Psychofreak today. O’Neill has always been at the forefront of the surf industry - the O’Neill spirit of innovation has always been credited with driving not only the O’Neill corporation, but also the boardsports industry forward. Now not only famed for their groundbreaking wetsuits, the O’Neill corporation are one of the world’s leading brands for surfwear – men’s, ladies and childrens apparel – from t-shirts and hoodies through to jeans, accessories and a whole lot more. O’Neill wetsuits and accessories are some of our most popular products, whether it be for surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, wakeboarding or diving. The O’Neill Psycho I and Psycho II are just 2 of our best selling mens and ladies O’Neill wetsuits – with the O’Neill Epic a sell-out favourite year after year. O’Neill are constantly developing their technology and each season they continue to exceed the last. | 
