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The Berkeley Physicist Who Helped Change Surfing Forever

Alex Caffee walks through Sunset Dunes, a park on the former Great Highway roadway, to go surfing in San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood on April 9, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

The wetsuit changed surfing forever, making it possible for people to surf in the frigid waters of the Bay Area and helping the scene thrive. In this episode of Bay Curious, we learn about the Ocean Beach surfers and the UC Berkeley physicist who had a part to play in the wetsuit’s invention. 

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Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.

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