Pat O'Neill interview

In 1952 Jack O’Neill invented the wetsuit vest to pacify the cold waters of Santa Cruz, California. Over fifty years later I met up with his son, Pat O’Neill, CEO of O’Neill Wetsuits, the most revolutionary business in surfing. The following article is taken from a number of conversations in California last year; notably upon the family boat, and cruising in Pat’s Porsche.
Initially in the UK hardy, crazy folk braved our waters in the summer, but today wetsuits facilitate more than 500,000 surfers. Short boards were a revolution, but wetsuits provoked a global explosion firmly placing surfing on the map.


Initially Jack experimented with plastics he’d found during his time in the Army Air Corp, but when he discovered neoprene, lining the floor of a passenger plane, he knew he had something. Friends laughed, saying business would be short lived once all the local surfers owned a wetsuit. Jack however forged on, and within months set up the first ‘surf shop’. Pat explained Jack had the whole family involved from the beginning, ‘he placed us in a paddling pool filled with blocks of ice at a San Francisco boat fair, it was freezing.’ But as the family grew up, technology progressed, business boomed, and the wetsuit spread worldwide. Having been involved with ‘Team O’Neill’ for years, Pat flourished when he took over in 1985. Raised on ‘Beaver Tail wetsuits and purple feet,’ Pat himself is very low key, plus shy to mention he was one of the pioneers of leashes. His kind, jovial manner is endearing, but camouflages a dry intelligent wit.

For me the O’Neill name was as much part of Santa Cruz as the infamous Steamer lane, and the proud seals guarding its cliffs. With the early stores still operating, O’Neill clothing is worn with the pride of a football jersey. Whilst we watched the surf, countless surfers and locals approached Pat, all proud to shake his hand. It sounds corny, but I realised at this point that for Pat, ‘O’Neill’ is more than a family name or a business – surfing is his life.


Cruising down the Pacific highway we chatted about Bush, Blair, and business. To beat the traffic we detoured by Pat’s old neighbourhood, which triggered a nostalgic conversation. Pat’s old school reminded me of the ‘wonder years’ TV show, whilst he told me he went to the university of life. Family seemed key back then for the O’Neills’ as it is today. Early surf sessions, and the opening of the iconic 41st street store made me envious.


Today O’Neill wetsuits spend millions on R&D, keeping the surfing world warmer. So I asked Pat if there is anything left he wishes to achieve. ‘Home is Santa Cruz,’ he answers, ‘but a place in Maui and maybe one in Avalon would be nice wouldn’t it?’ From the glint in his eye I admire his modesty. Pulling into the marina Pat told me he’s confident Santa Cruz will launch a world champion in the next ten years. With such good pedigree, I’ve no doubt they will.

Sam Lamiroy firewire interview

Sam Lamiroy (UK Pro Tour Champ 07) is one of the household names in British surfing, with a top career stretching from a time when Kelly Slater had hair. Five months ago the surf ambassador approached Firewire Surfboards eager for a burn on their demo boards – instantly hooked, the Jordie wave master became the companies first European rider.


JM: What are the advantages of riding sandwich construction Firewires over traditional boards with a central stringer?

SL: Fundamentally it’s like adding extra zest. Unlike other epoxy boards, these perform similarly to traditional boards. They don’t feel too different, but you get better life, spring and acceleration.


JM: Do you feel the parabolic rails give you an edge in competition?

SL: In contests it’s about consistency not experimenting, and I felt really confident on the boards. I actually used my Firewire at the end of the BPSA tour (2007), waves like Thurso, Ireland and Cornwall.


JM: What are your thoughts on the current state of surfboards manufacture?
SL: The surfboard industry is not environmentally friendly. But seeing the Firewire factory was impressive. Epoxy gives of far less fumes, the boards are carbon neutral, with 1% of profits going to protect the planet. This is definitely a step in the right direction.


JM: In the long run do you think technology will replace custom shaped bespoke surfboards?
SL: It depends how far in the future you look. In 20 years I imagine everything will be online and computer shaped, possibly with some hand finishing. You’ll probably surf stock boards at a demo centre, then the shop assistant will type in your specifications, the next week your new board arrives.

Photo credit: Sharpy

Surfboards get funky

Fancy some NASA style technology in your board? This month I’ve been riding a Firewire, a surfboard that has the pros acting like its feeding time at the zoo. Firewire surfboards are one of the most successful concept companies to emerge in the wake of Clark Foam’s closure; boasting parabolic rails, and the use of advanced composites. The technology is actually spawned from collaboration between Nev Hyman and Dan Mann, two individuals renown for their craftsmanship. Essentially the boards have flex memory much like a snowboard, providing far more speed than traditional surfboards. At the start of the turn the balsa rails accommodate you, then rebound to the rocker line releasing the stored energy through the turn. Myles Hutchins from Firewire described it as a ‘twang like’ sensation, plus I’ll assure you I noticed a marked difference in speed above my standard 6’2”.


Whilst the boards are new to Europe they’ve been going for 18 months in the states, and have none other than Taj Burrows as their principal rider. I’m told Taj’s board that he won the 2007 Jeffery’s Pro upon was in fact the same Firewire he came second on the previous year – an impressive advert for composite durability.

In the water a few people have commented that my board is nothing more than a gimmick, but those who tried it ate their words. The technology is different, but firmly proven. The boards are constructed in two phases, firstly a blank is built, and then its hand finished. The boards don’t have the traditional wooden stringers down the centre, but instead have two balsa rails embracing the solid eps foam core. High density foam is then placed on the top and bottom in a sandwich construction, before the board is placed in a vacuum driven rocker bed. This process creates a board that is highly flexible with an impressive rate of return. Scientifically speaking the kinetic energy Firewires release puts them far ahead of other epoxy boards. Longboard models are available, although I’ve not yet tried one. However it’ll be intriguing to see how progressively Dan Mann has shaped them and how flexible they can go.
On the environment front, Firewires release 50 times less volatile organic compounds during their construction and lifecycle compared to standard Polyurethane boards. In light of this Firewire received the EuroSIMA environmental product of the year award when they launched.
Slats, Shane Dorian, Rob Machado, and Jordy Smith have all been pictured free surfing on Firewires, accordingly it seems that they really are the epoxy boards with a difference. For me Tuflites are too buoyant and put me on edge, Firewire however seem to blend the pros of technology with the familiarity of your favourite stick. Fast and furious a Firewire demo tour is heading to a beach near you in 2008, check http://www.firewiresurfboards.com/.