1st, I love how they look. I got the ones with a cool pattern of white and black lines on grey; they look a lot less clunky than solid water shoes. And my feet love them! Very comfy. I got the 8½ to 9½ size for my 8½ sized feet, and they don't flop around at all, stay on securely while not pinching or chafing anywhere. They do work for swimming and protect my feet from rocks getting in and out, but if that was all I wanted them for, I might want to use lighter water socks, so they'd weigh me down less while I swim. These are a pretty good compromise bc they're fairly light, but still.... Where they shine for me is on rocks. I just got back from a Caribbean vacation: we stayed right by the sea at a place with occasional sandy entrances to the water but mostly coral rock running along the shore, more or less worn down, or yielding to small pools and patches of sand along the way. Every morning I'd go down along the shore, mostly on the rocks, exploring tide pools and shelling, or just standing as the water washed around me over the rocks in ever changing patterns. That's my bliss, and these shoes were so perfect for it! Even where the coral was pretty rough, I didn't get hurt; the grip on the rocks kept me safe; and where I was in tide pools or on sand, I got enough of that barefoot feel to enjoy that too. Maybe if I had a couple more vacations like this one and wore them a lot i might need to replace them, as they seem to be fraying just a bit. But the fabric remains intact so far, and if I do need to replace them, it'll be money well spent.
