Water Shoes: Who Cares About The Sea Bottom Anymore?

August 24th, 2009 | Posted in Water Shoes

Water shoes are an excellent invention that allows us to explore the sea or ocean waters, without getting concerned with what’s on the bottom: sharp, pointed rocks, stingy creatures or shattered glass. Fairly inexpensive, water shoes became the latest beach trend soon after their launch. In the beginning, they weren’t too differentiated, because it didn’t make a difference if they were for men or for women, and they didn’t need to match with the outfit, as we were supposed to wear them only when getting into the water.

However, the little fashion devil that resides in our minds soon got out to the light, so we now have a wide variety of water shoes brands, styles and prices. We are going to take a look at several mens water shoes models, as well as at some cool water shoes for women, and most of all, we are going to see which are the brands that started to dominate this market: Teva, Keen, Ryka, Vibram or Merrell.

Mens Water Shoes

If you thought men aren’t that picky when it comes to buying clothes and shoes, let me tell you that you’re completely wrong, many men being worse than women at this chapter. Besides, brand names seem to matter as much as for women. For brand addicted men who want to be comfortable and not step out of the crowd, a good choice of water shoes would be the Nike Aqua Sock Classic. Their wet-traction outsole provides an excellent grip on slippery surfaces such as big sea bottom rocks covered with algae or wet surfaces nearby a pool. Being extremely light-weight, these Nike Aqua socks are ideal for the beach. The shoes are safe to wear even during water sport activities, thanks to their four-way stretch mesh upper which fits the foot perfectly without becoming bothersome. Flexible, practical and comfortable, these water shoes can be the choice of any modern man who wants to practice water sports or water leisure activities such as snorkeling, swimming or even water polo or beach volleyball. I suppose that they can also be used as wedding shoes, in case you go for a beach wedding.

Another option of water shoes for men are the Vibram five fingers. More than twice as expensive as the previously presented option, these Vibram classic water shoes for men will surely attract all the looks on the beach. You are probably asking yourself what do these strange footwear pieces have so great in them that one would pay $75 to get them. One of the major edges is the fact that the shoes have individual toe slots which offer much better dexterity and control when walking on slippery surfaces. Their material has quick drying capabilities, which give you the comfort of wearing them even after you got out of the water. The special antibacterial foot beds help you stay odorless. These water shoes can be washed in the washing machine, but the advice from the manufacturer is to use only air for drying them. The low cut makes the shoes comfortable even in hot weather, and their average weight of 11 ounces is a reasonable one. A special use of these mens water shoes is outside water, in the wilderness, for doing wildlife photography, when  it’s very important to stay as quiet as possible when moving. They offer a walking experience very close to barefoot, so people who prefer walking barefoot have now the chance to try it without getting the obvious discomfort that goes with that. If you like, you can wear them with Injinji toe socks, for a better control of odors.

The Vibram Classic water shoes are also available in the varian for women, featuring the same qualities. As women are more prone that men to develop heel spurs, they could try to wear these water shoes in order to alleviate their pains. The biggest develo0pment in Vibram water shoes is probably the sole. Even other big manufacturers like Merrill choose to incorporate Vibram soles in their footwear.