Body Gloves 

In 1953, twin brothers Bill and Bob Meistrell co-founded Body Glove when they designed the first practical wetsuit. It all began in a pool in Booneville, Missouri.

Bill and Bob were fascinated with the water. When they were 14 years old, they fashioned their own diving helmet out of a vegetable can and a tire pump. One explored the bottom of a pool reading magazines while the other held the air pump on the surface.

They went on to expand the business to offer full lines of surfing and diving equipment, classes and apparel at multiple locations and thereby create a southern Californa retail institution untold numbers of people young and old to the oceans.

They found a new insulating material called Neoprene and invented the first practical wetsuit, opening the cold California waters to year-round enjoyment for surfers and divers, including early giants of surfing like Greg Noll, Mickey Munoz and many more. The suit "fit like a glove" and Body Glove was born.