Identical twins Bill and Bob Meistrell were born in Boonville, Missouri, with Bill on July 30, 1928, and Bob 20 minutes later on July 31st. As children they started diving in the farm pond using an oilcan for a helmet, a bicycle pump, and a hose for air. As Missouri farm boys, they dreamed of owning a submarine, becoming deep-sea divers, and going treasure hunting, and they said they somehow managed all three. In the back of their Redondo Beach shop, Dive N' Surf, founded in 1953, the brothers invented the first practical wetsuit. From those wetsuits began their legacy and the iconic surf brand Body Glove. Bill and Bob Meistrell are remembered as legendary watermen, lifeguards, avid surfers, and icons of the surf and dive industry.
