The Mission
To give Wetsuits a second life and enable less fortunate kiwis to live a better life through connection with the ocean.
The Beginning
Mike Corry and Sam ter Haar have been mates from way back when they used to chase swells around the Otago coastline whilst at University. They have both come to the realisation that surfing has enriched their lives, and know that spending time in the water, makes them better people.
Whilst doing the annual spring clean, Sam came face to face with a cupboard full of long-forgotten, perfectly good Wetsuits. It turns out he was not alone in his discovery. Nearly every surfer in NZ has an old Wetsuit they no longer use, and sadly since wetsuits can’t be recycled, throwing them away would not only be a huge waste of latent potential, but also a blow to planet Earth. Old Wetsuits need a new use.
From here, Mike and Sam teamed up and came to the conclusion that these dormant Wetsuits need a second life….Second Suits was born.
Together, their objective is to give these suits another life and help kiwis who haven’t had the same opportunity spend more precious time in the moana, all year round.
Pillars & Purpose
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Mental + Physical Wellbeing
Surfing (or just being in the ocean) is a highly sensory and physical activity, it allows participants to disconnect from the day to day. We understand the benefits of being able to get away from it all and immerse ourselves in mother nature.
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Sustainability
Unfortunately, for the majority of wetsuits, the core ingredient is neoprene foam. Neoprene is a particularly unpleasant synthetic rubber made from petroleum. If Second Suits can improve the lifespan of a wetsuit, and keep wetsuits out of landfill, we can make a dent in the 350 tonnes of wetsuits going into landfill every year and work towards a solution to recycle them.
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Water Safety
Water Safety NZ has released the 2023 Annual Drowning Report which shows 90 people lost their lives to drowning in Aotearoa last year. In 2022 the number of deaths represented the highest annual drowning loss in the past decade. Being in a good fitting wetsuit helps with buoyancy and keeping you warmer in the water. Our aim is to give Second Suits to people to enable them feel more confident and safe in the water.