{"podcast":{"title":"Bay Curious","slug":"bay-curious-6896","podcast_index_feed_id":6896,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC4698044094","website_url":"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/baycurious","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/405c75b6-01b3-11ea-b4dc-270e003b0694/image/KQED_Podcast_tiles_-_NPR_network_Bay_Curious.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"KQED","episode_count":521,"summary":"Bay Curious is a show about your questions – and the adventures you find when you go looking for the answers. Join host Olivia Allen-Price to explore all aspects of the San Francisco Bay Area – from the debate over \"Frisco\", to the dinosaurs that once roamed California, to the causes of homelessness. Whether you lived here your whole life, or just arrived, Bay Curious will deepen your understanding of this place you call home.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-09T20:17:41.297005+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/bay-curious-6896"},"episode":{"title":"The Wetsuit: Born of San Francisco's Frigid Waters","slug":"the-wetsuit-born-of-san-francisco-s-frigid-waters","published_at":"2026-05-21T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/bay-curious-6896/the-wetsuit-born-of-san-francisco-s-frigid-waters","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/bay-curious-6896","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC8082480685.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC8082480685.mp3","summary":"Jack O'Neill is often credited with inventing the first wetsuit and selling it out of one of the nation's first surf shops near San Francisco's Ocean Beach. But many people don't know that a UC Berkeley physicist had a big role in the wetsuit's early invention too. It's an invention that changed the sport of surfing forever. Now, people surf all kinds of cold locations due to the availability of flexible neoprene suits that keep them warm. Additional Resources: The Wetsuit Changed Surfing -- We've Got a Berkeley Physicist to Thank for It Read the transcript for this episode A Bay Curious Adventure: History in Bloom at the Conservatory of Flowers Event Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Gabriela Glueck. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"Jack O'Neill is often credited with inventing the first wetsuit and selling it out of one of the nation's first surf shops near San Francisco's Ocean Beac…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1349,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/bay-curious-6896/episodes/the-wetsuit-born-of-san-francisco-s-frigid-waters/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/bay-curious-6896/the-wetsuit-born-of-san-francisco-s-frigid-waters.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}