Sunday 9/15/2013 9am is the paddle out. It will take place just South of the Redondo Beach Pier. I'll be bringing a flower that I kept from Bill Meistrell's 2006 memorial to toss into the flowers on the water at Bob's memorial. Seems kind of poetic to join the two twins back together for their departure from this world.
Reception to follow on Sunday 11am - 3pm at Seaside Lagoon. I will be there, and you can reach me on my cell phone at eight-oh-five 44 zero - nine 1 4 four (please call me if you will be there).
Soon Bill and Bob, the Meistrell twins, will be memorialized forever at Redondo's Seaside Lagoon. Its a great honor for them, and well-deserved, IMO. Below is the statue (click to enlarge).
To donate to the memorial sculpture project, send a check payable to “Redondo Beach Chamber Community Foundation” to the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce, 200 Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA, 90277.
To donate to the memorial sculpture project, send a check payable to “Redondo Beach Chamber Community Foundation” to the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce, 200 Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA, 90277.
*****UPDATE 8/29/2013 (from Tony V.)
Bob Meistrell Passes Away on June 16, 2013.
The waterman has fallen, the wave continues on. Join his family and friends for the traditional paddle-out to honor the life of waterman Bob Meistrell.
September 15, 2013 from 9am to 3pm, just south of the Redondo Pier.
Please join us for Bob Meistrell's Memorial Paddle out and Reception. The Paddle out will take place just south of the Redondo Beach Pier at 9:00 am. Following the paddle out we will be hosting a reception at 11:00 which will be held at Seaside Lagoon, 200 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach, Ca. 90277. For more information please email Kenna@bodyglove.com
All divers, surfers, and waterman welcome. Please feel free to invite all friends and family to this event. Body Glove link to this event on facebook (click this sentence).
*****UPDATE 7/5/2013: (from Tom T.)
"All: I heard today that services for Bobby Meistrell will be held on Sunday Sept. 15th. There will be a paddle out on the South side of Redondo Pier in front of Veteran’s Park and services will begin in the water at about 9:45 am. Following the paddle there will be a gathering at the Seaside Lagoon to tell stories about Bobby and enjoy a Carl's Jr. burger or a taco."
I am going to try and make this special occasion to show my respects for Bob's wonderful life. Hope you can make it also. Like Bill and Bob's life, it will not only be a chance to show "pay your respects", but it should also be a lot of fun, which is how they would have wanted it.
Above (click to enlarge): "borrowed" from the BodyGlove.com website. So beautifully done...
Above (click to enlarge): Bob, me, and Patty at a special event in 2006. Bob and Patty were always kind enough to stop, say a kind word, have a laugh, and take a picture with us, like this one above.
*****UPDATE 6/20/2013: Dive N' Surf just posted this article about Bob on their website: Body Glove Co-Founder and Wetsuit Pioneer Passes at 84. The first paragraph of the article pulls you into the special magic of Bobby Meistrell:
"With heavy hearts the Meistrell family is sad to announce the passing of Bob Meistrell, waterman, adventurer and the co-founder of Body Glove International and Dive N’ Surf Inc. He had a wonderful life, and would have been 85 next month. He lived his motto of “Do what you love, love what you do.” until his last day when he was on his boat, The Disappearance. He was coming back from Catalina as the lead boat in the Rock 2 Rock Paddleboard Race."
I also found this article at Transworld Surf that indicates that a book about the Meistrell Brothers will be out in the Fall of 2013 entitled "Fits Like a Glove: The Bill and Bob Meistrell Story". Here's a quote from the article:
"Bob and his twin brother Bill, who passed away in 2006, helped to create the 'Surf Culture,' which changed the world, beginning with their designing, manufacturing and selling of the first commercially viable neoprene wetsuits. Bob and Bill are two of only three watermen to be inducted into the Surfers and Divers Hall of Fame. This year Body Glove International celebrates its 60 Year Anniversary, and Bob and Bill’s presence will be deeply missed. Even though they are gone, their stories and adventures will live on in a book 'Fits Like a Glove' that will be released this Fall. Bob and his brother Bill, will always be remembered as true waterman, honest businessmen, loving fathers, and overall legends."
*****ORIGINAL ARTICLE 6/17/2013: I just got word via email today that California waterman Bob Meistrell passed away on June 16, 2013. Sad to hear. I will try to be down for the Memorial in Southern California if possible.
As one of the "little people", I consider myself lucky just to have known Bob - one of the most special people I have ever met. Somehow, he always remembered who I was, even though I left Dive N' Surf in 1992 when we moved to San Luis Obispo. There is a saying about "character is about how you treat a person who can do nothing for you." Even though Bob was a successful businessman and California legend, he always had a moment or two for someone like me, who could do nothing for him. Bob is one of those rare people who could light up any room, just by being in it. It is an honor for me to have known Bob, even just a tiny bit, and my life is better having known him. Though I do not posess Bob's charisma and charm, I strive to make other people's lives better because I walked this planet, and to leave the world a better place. Bob has been a role model and an inspiration to me, and I hope that the huge shadow that he leaves behind will be a role model for his kids and family. Bob definitely made this planet a better place, and that is the highest compliment that can be paid to anyone. As the Dive N' Surf saying goes, he "kept this ocean blue."
Everybody who met Bob (and Bill, his twin brother, who passed away in 2006) is practically guaranteed to have a Bob Meistrell story to tell. I am no different. Right now, it is hard to be sad that such a wonderful person has left this planet, because Bob did indeed live life to the fullest - perhaps more than any person I have ever met. Also, at 84 years old at his passing, it is hard to argue that he went before his time. This leaves us with all the wonderful memories of a person that will never be forgotten - ever. RIP, Bob. Blessing to all his friends and family.
Read more about Bob's life in this Daily Breeze newspaper article, "Body Glove Founder Bob Meistrell Dies".
Above: Tim (at left) with Bob Meistrell during lobster season, 2011 - at Dive N' Surf in Redondo Beach, Calif. (click to enlarge). Just like in this photo, Bob was always beaming.
Story 1: When I was the head Scuba instructor at Dive N' Surf from 1988 - 1992 (5 years total), Bob and Bill did not work regularly in the store in Redondo Beach. However, they were there frequently. Whenever they came in, I would panic, because I could not tell the twins apart, and didn't know what to call himl! Finally, Scott J. (store manager at the time) instructed me that Bill (almost) always wore long pants, and Bob (almost) always wore shorts - whew!!! Was I rellieved to find that out, and that guideline was (almost) always true! Eventually, I got to where I could tell the difference between the two, just because I got to know them both a bit.
Story 2: I also had the privilege of being on the first Catalina Conservancy Divers ("CCD") Board of Directors with an outstanding crew that included Bob. We always met at Bob's home in Redondo Beach, where he and wife Patti were the ultimate hosts. Those first few years were awesome. We were able to make several trips to Catalina with the new CCD, including 2 on Bob's yacht, the Disappearance.
Above: At right is my current boat partner, Bill, talking with surfing legend Hap Jacobs. Hap started Dive N' Surf, but sold his share in the venture to Bill and Bob, so he could start Jacobs Surfboards.
Story 3: Years after I left Dive N' Surf, when my boat partner Bill wanted to meet the Surfiing Hall of Fame and Diving Hall of Fame member Bob Meistrell, I called Bob up, and he was thrilled to meet with us. At this time, I was sure he no longer remembered who I was, but he still did. Amazing.
Above: Tim (at left) with Bev Morgan. Bev (along with Hap Jacobs) sold the Dive N' Surf business to Bill and Bob Meistrell in 1953 - the rest is history! [Yes, I regret ever wearing that dopey hat - I never wore it again, except to do yard work at my house]
Story 4: When I was the head instructor at Dive N' Surf, Bob was always supportive of the store's instructor corp (no surprise there). As such, he took us out on the Disappearance (Body Glove) Boat to Catalina on several occasions for "instructor meetings" (i.e., dive partys!). The Disappearance is loaded to the gills with aquatic toys, and Bob let us use them all: Scuba compressor (to fill tanks for diving), underwater scooters (just like James Bond, Jet Skis and more - wow, we felt like the luckiest instructors in the world.
On these trips, Bob would dazzle the instructors with stories from the early days of diving in the 1950's and 1960's. Bob was like the West Coast version of Jaque Cousteau, but more fun! We also did some really stupid stuff while we are out there that I can't even mention. As always, Bob was in on all the fun with us. In fact, Bob was often leading the charge (see below), even though at that time he was in his 60s and we were all in our 20's or early 30's.
Story 5: The first time Bob took the instructors to Catalina on the Disappearance, he pulled up to Bird Rock and told us to jump out of the boat and climb up to the top (what? are you kidding?). The climb to the top of the 35 foot high rock is up a hard-to-see crack, and completely covered in bird poop! From the crested top (again, covered completely with bird guano), you start your walk out to the edge. Because it is stinky, wet, and slippery, once you start your approach, you have to keep going until the cliff edge and ocean water comes into view. From the edge, you can't stop even if you wanted to, and that 35 foot high leap looks MUCH higher when you are the one doing the leaping - believe me. We all did it (including my brother Brian, who was invited along even though he was not one of the instructors), and it was awesome. Brother Brian has a great photo of this jump that I would love to post here (if he can find it).
Above: I found this photo of Bird Rock (Sue in the foreground). The jump spot is where the top of the rock meets the left edge of the photo, and the crack that you climb up can barely be seen in this photo, if you know what you are looking for.
Above: Bird Rock. Climb up the crack at the left cliff face. Walk to the high spot in the middle. Carefully walk to the cliff edge and jump off!
Tim Waag - NASDS Instructor 2558. PADI Instructor 50599. Bob Meistrell - LA County Instructor Number 1! Bob and Bill Meistrell received many accolades over the years, but I know that being LA County Scuba instructor number 1 was one of his finest! Bob and Bill were lifeguards, divers, Scuba instructors, entrepenuers, innovators, go-getters, but most of all, made you feel like you were their best friend. Now that the duo is in heaven together, we can smile at the reunion that they are having. Vaya con Dios, my friend.
Read this article in Forbes Magazine about Bob Meistrell: The Octogenarian Entrepreneur: Seven Lessons From Body Glove Founder Bob Meistrell (April 4, 2013 Edition). Bob is still making the news, right up until the end!
