Remebering Bob Meistrell

In Loving Memory-Bob Meistrell from Body Glove on Vimeo.

Anyone who owns a small business can relate to the story and success of Bob and Bill Meistrell, founders of Dive N Surf and Body Glove International.  They loved what they did and did it to fuel their passion for the ocean.  Enjoy what you do and work hard to keep that love alive.

RIP Bob Meistell

This past Sunday I was on the road to Las Vegas with my co worker to go set up our booth at a tradeshow.  Matt and I were talking about work and life in general having a pretty good time as we drove down the 15 Fwy.  Minutes before we hit Barstow I checked my phone on got some horrible news.  Robbie Meistrell, son of Bob Meistrell, said his dad had just passed away 90 mins ago.  Matt and I pulled in to a parking lot just shocked and silent for minutes not knowing what to do.  Bob and his family were in Catalina for the Rock to Rock paddleboard race and Bob was the lead boat as always escorting the racers out of Catalina.  The Disappearance, Bob's beloved boat, suffered double engine failure.  He said that never has happened before.  While down in the engine room trying to get the boat going again, he suffered a heart attack.  Relatives, nephews, his son and then lifeguards all did CPR for 2 hours trying to bring him back.  It has been an emotional roller coaster these last few days, but glad I got to spend them with both Robbie and Billy (Bob's Nephew) in Vegas.  The pain is still there for them and will be for awhile but I think it was good for them to get away from it all for a little bit.  Bob was the co founder of Body Glove and Dive N Surf with his twin brother Bill.  I am fortunate and honored that I was able to work for Bob and be part of his family for almost 19 years.  I will miss the random breaks at work to go diving off his boat or hear his incredible stories and most of all his laughter.  Bob worked hard to build the empire of Body Glove to fund the lifestyle he grew up to love. Being out on the ocean.  RIP Bob Meistrell.  You will be sorely missed but glad you passed away doing what you loved on the Disappearance.  I am sure you and Bill are back together laughing and talking stories like the good ol days. Body Glove and Dive N Surf are in good hands and will carry on your legacy.

Jean-Michel Cousteau/Body Glove Dive Photoshoot

Just got back from a day and a half photoshoot in Catalina with 2 legends in the Dive Industry.  At age 86 and still diving Co-Founder of Body Glove, Bob Meistrell and Jean Michel Cousteau who is the son of legendary Jacques Cousteau.  I came over on the Body Glove boat and we met up with Jean Michel who was hosting a family dive camp on Catalina Island.  We were there for a product shoot with new co-op wetsuits and other products between Body Glove and JMC.  Never had to sleep on a boat before and that took sometime to get used to while trying to sleep. Thank god the boat ride back home was a lot smoother than the way to Catalina. Only one person was over the side throwing up his breakfast!

Co Founder of Body Glove and still diving at age 86, Bob Meistrell.

Son of the other co founder of Body Glove, Billy Meistrell.

Jean Michel's Field Producer and Coordinator, Holly Lohuis

Jean Michel Cousteau

Jean-Michel Cousteau

I drove down to Santa Barbara with my co workers and employer a couple of days ago to go see Jean-Michel Cousteau.  Jean-Michel is the son of the legendary Jacques Cousteau.  We went down there because they are going to do a cross branding of Body Glove and the Cousteau name.  So I had to go get some publicity photos of the two legends themselves.  Bob Meistrell, owner and co founder of Body Glove.  Bob is a legend in the Dive industry for developing the first modern wetsuit with his twin brother, Bill.  Jean-Michel Cousteau carries on his fathers work and helps educate and preserve our reefs and oceans. We thought we were just going up there for the signing but turns out that Jean-Michel was doing a screening of a film he made about his father.  Never shown in the United States so we were the first ones to see it. They are in the process of shopping it around to see who picks it up for distribution.  Anyways it was a really good piece that he had done on his father. There is some controversy going with him and his fathers estate so they did not participate nor did they want him to do it a piece on Jacques Cousteau. 

Bob Meistrell and Jean-Michel Cousteau

Ocean Futures is his HQ. You want to read more about it you can click here.

Some of the vintage equipment and trophies.

This is a water housing for a camera.  I asked him how old it was and he said, "Ah, it's not that old.  It was made in the 50's."  His father was the first to do underwater filming and photography as far back as the late 30's and early 40's.  His father was also the first to developed dive tanks and regulators to dive underwater.  He developed them because he wanted a way to stay under water longer.

One of Jean-Michel's film editing machines he used in the early years.

Jean explaining a little bit about his father's legacy and the film he put together.

This is Jim Knowlton. He is the Associate Producer and Editor of the film.  We talked a little bit afterwards and he explained the long hours he put in editing the piece.  

It was a pretty neat little road trip and I was pleasantly entertained by the experience.  

Bob Meistrell-Dive Pioneer

Spent Friday morning at Bob Meistrell's house doing a interview with my co worker, Greg Browning. The interview took place in Bob's shell collection room. As you can see he has a extensive shell collection. What you don't see is cabinets full of shells on the other side of the room. Shell collectors can see the value of some of the shells in the photos already. Bob told me he had another collection of shells valued at a 100k. Wow. Bob and his twin brother are the founders of Body Glove Wetsuits way back in 1953. He talked about stories of going diving in the early years and not knowing the basics and fundamentals that are taught now in dive classes. They learned from their mistakes. Surfing up north with no wetsuits with just heavy wool tops that they would swing above their heads to wring them out and put back on. Amazing how they changed the shape of surfing by inventing the wetsuit.

Bob Meistrell's Birthday Dive

Went out on the Body Glove boat today for Bob Meistrell's (Co-Founder of Body Glove) birthday dive.  Bob did a dive down to 162 feet for twice his age.  I didn't do that dive because if you remember last year I posted Bob's birthday dive that he did at 100 feet and my air tank came loose down there.  So I stayed up above and got land shots.  Bob did great and actually went down to 172 feet before coming back up.  I talked to my buddy Scott Smith who is a experienced dive instructor and dives all the time.  He said that was the first time he went down that deep and it was really crazy.  You really notice a difference between 130 and 160 feet. Things just start getting weird and you really have to concentrate to keep it together.

Bob Meistrell.

The computer from one of the divers.  It shows 162 feet for 26 min at a temp of 56F.  Crazy stuff.  

Bob Meistrell Dives to 100+' at 80 years old

Bob Meistrell, co-founder of Body Glove turned 80 today.  So family and employees went out on his boat today to go diving on his birthday.  We went off of PV to a sunken ship that was 100+ feet below.  Not only did he dive at the ripe ol age of 80 but he did it with retro equipment.  A set up from the 60's that he has.  This set up has no BCD.  I used modern equipment on my dive and I need my bcd to help swim and float around.  I get tired using that and Bob was down there swimming like a fish without one.  He had  Jocko, who is a expert at diving and dive equipment and Scott Smith (Dive safety) at his side at all times in case of emergency.  Everybody was worried of Bob doing this dive with that type of equipment.  Well turns out he did alright and I was the one who should have had the safety guys with me.  I'm down at a hundred feet shooting pics and I fill this tug on my regulator thinking somebody was yanking me from behind.  I looked and nobody was there so I started to swim.  When I started to swim I felt that I was kicking the bottom of my tank.  My tank had slipped down my bcd and needed to be reattached.  So here I am trying to get the attention of my dive partner because I couldn't swim or my tank would completely fall out and I would loose my tank and reg and have no breathing device.  So Greg Browning sees me by chance on the bottom of the sea floor and swims down to help me out.  He's holding a video camera and trying with one hand to fix it.  He gets it fixed and we start back up because we were getting low on air.  So I only got a few shots down below.  The underwater shot will be in the Daily Breeze newspaper tomorrow along with the story they wrote about Bob and his 80th birthday dive.  I'm just glad to be back on dry land for now.

Old 60's set up that Bob and Jocko used

A shot from the sea bottom just before I had tank problems.

Bob at 15 feet doing our safety stop.  At 100' you need to do this to safely eliminate absorbed inert gases from the body to avoid decompression sickness.

Bob Meistrell

Bob Meistrell Surfing at 79

Went out this morning with Bob Meistrell on his boat, The Disappearance. Bob Meistrell and his late twin brother, Bill, founded Body Glove Int way back in 1953 by being one of the first guys to develop the Wetsuit for surfing and diving. They have done some incredible things in their lives. Bob turns 80 at the end of this month and wanted to give surfing another try. The last time he surfed the Cove off of Palos Verdes was 40 years ago. He paddled over to the line up and stroked into a few sets that rolled in. He was tired as hell, but he didn't give up and wanted to go catch "one more" before coming in. Bob still dives regularly and we plan on diving in a few weeks on his birthday. Oh and as gas prices continue to be a pain in the ass be thankful we don't have to pay to fill up his boat. He just put gas in and didn't even fill it up and the bill was $6000.