Jack O'Neill

Who is Jack O'Neill?

Jack O'Neill is an American businessman, often credited with the invention of the wetsuit. In 1952 he founded the O'Neill brand while opening one of California's first surf shops in a garage on the Great Highway in San Francisco, close to his favorite bodysurfing break at the time. This led to the establishment of a company that deals in wetsuits, surf gear, and clothing. Jack O'Neill's name is attached to surfwear and his brand of surfing equipment.

In December 1996 he also began a non profit organization called O'Neill Sea Odyssey which provides students with hands-on lessons in marine biology and that teaches the relationship between the oceans and the environment.

O'Neill resides on a beachfront property in Santa Cruz, California, where he has lived since 1959.