The Finest Water Footwear of 2025

Extra Water Footwear That Went the Distance

Water Footwear Comparability Chart

How We Examined Water Footwear

Our Testing Grounds & Course of

Selecting one of the best water footwear right this moment represents a tough problem. Almost each footwear firm presents a “water shoe.” A few of these are legit footwear that can be utilized for all sports activities, whereas others are nothing greater than easy socks with non-slip rubber on the underside.

To seek out one of the best water footwear, we put dozens of pairs to the take a look at throughout a variety of environments. From paddling rivers in Colorado to wading via rocky shorelines in Baja, we evaluated efficiency in real-world circumstances. Our testing included paddleboarding, kayaking, creek climbing, fishing flats, and scrambling over slippery rocks. We paid shut consideration to traction, drainage, consolation, and sturdiness over months of use. Whether or not it was lengthy days on the river or fast dips on the native swimming gap, each pair earned its place on this listing via hands-on, multi-sport testing. 

Our Skilled Testers

Nathan Ward headed up this take a look at, first packing all of the footwear for a visit to the Caribbean after which testing them on the shores of the Arkansas River in Salida, Colo. Nathan is a lifelong adventurer who has kayaked rivers within the Himalayas, wade-fished Rocky Mountain rivers and tropical flats, paddled SUPs on oceans/inlets/lakes/rivers, snorkeled rivers, gingerly crunched over sea urchins, and spent too many hours on the decks of swimming swimming pools watching his son swim forwards and backwards.

He’s additionally a lifelong author, photographer, and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker dedicated to conservation, river restoration, and wildlife safety. In his adventures and work, he has worn out multiple pair of Astral Brewers. In 2025, Ryan Kempfer took over this information. Residing in Jackson Gap, Ryan checks water footwear on paddleboard journeys down the Salt River, raft journeys down the Snake, and on hikes and adventures with water crossings. This information represents one of the best water footwear in the marketplace. For those who’re searching for ladies’s decisions, try our information to the Finest Water Footwear for Girls. 

Purchaser’s Information: The right way to Select the Finest Water Footwear

Given the hundreds of forms of water footwear accessible, it is a robust query. Nonetheless, the most straightforward reply is usually one of the best. The place will you utilize your water footwear essentially the most, and the way usually? 

For instance, will you utilize them primarily on the resort or the pool, the place you want a water shoe to guard your ft from scorching sand, solar, and slipping? Then, the Speedo Surf Knit Professional or XtraTuf Riptide Sandal could also be one of the best shoe for you. 

Nonetheless, when you plan on paddling or swimming whitewater and tackling robust rocky aspect hikes on a multiday rafting journey, the Teva Hydratek CT Sandal, the Astral Brewer 3.0, the Eager Hyperport H2 Sandal or Merrell Moab Flight Sieve will likely be your best option. For those who’re browsing or paddling chilly rivers or waves, the NRS Paddle Wetshoe will likely be perfect. 

Shut your eyes, visualize the place you’ll spend most of your water time, and picture what options will make you essentially the most comfortable. One of many footwear on this assessment will work properly for you.

Use Sorts

Constructing on the idea above, totally different water footwear are finest suited to totally different makes use of. The commonest of those are journey, way of life, and chilly. And trend, in fact. Don’t neglect trend.

Generally these classes may be mixed for a broader vary of makes use of. No matter use, each water shoe ought to shield your ft, keep on, and assist forestall you from slipping on moist or slimy surfaces.

Journey

Once we image water adventures, we consider paddling sups, working whitewater in a raft or a kayak, jogging on the seashore, climbing routes that mix trails and water crossings, or wading over sharp coral to fly fish. Your ft want help, safety from rocks, and footwear that keep on if you’re washed via a churning whitewater speedy or pinwheeled within the waves. Journey footwear embody the Xero Aqua X Sport, the Astral Brewer 3.0, the Teva Hydratek CT Sandal, the Eager Hyperport H2 Sandal, the Merrell Moab Flight Sieve and the Teva Outflow Common. 

Informal/Way of life

Informal water footwear are oriented extra towards way of life pursuits like strolling in small lapping waves, strolling round city close to the river whilst you search for a scrumptious bagel, crossing the gravel between the car parking zone and the seashore, and stepping throughout sun-baked scorching concrete and sand. You may put on these footwear on the seashore, the water park, and the restaurant afterward.

They won’t essentially keep on in waves, working rivers, or any action-oriented water exercise. You usually discover single informal water footwear washed up alone on the perimeters of lakes, rivers, and seashores. 

Why not simply put on flip-flops? We love flip-flops, however water footwear positively keep on higher than flip-flops, provide a level of solar safety, and have soles designed to forestall slipping. The Speedo Surf Knit Professional, the XtraTuf Riptide Sandal and Kiata Drift Sneaker, and Merrell Hydro Moc match this way of life class. 

Chilly Water/Chilly Temps

To pursue chilly water sports activities, you want a water shoe that may assist preserve your ft as heat as attainable. This usually means a neoprene shoe. Or, you possibly can select a extra sustainable choice just like the Terraprene within the NRS Paddle Wetshoe or Kicker Wetshoe. Many firms promote low neoprene booties or socks. For higher safety, select a chilly water shoe that covers your ankle and tucks beneath the legs of your wetsuit.

You additionally need them to zip on the aspect for ease. A small tab to cowl the zipper so it doesn’t reduce into your wetsuit additionally helps. NRS has specialised in chilly water for many years. Its Paddle Wetshoe is the newest model of an extended line of paddling booties.

Another choice can be to make use of the neoprene NRS Kicker Wetshoe. Or, you possibly can put an NRS Wetsock beneath your journey water shoe. For those who do that, you will need to purchase an journey water shoe sufficiently big to suit the neoprene sock. The draw back is that the bigger shoe dimension will lower your warm-weather efficiency when not carrying the neoprene sock. There are at all times trade-offs when making an attempt to mix gear for very totally different circumstances.

Match and Sizing

All of the water footwear reviewed provide pretty large toeboxes, though none of them are available a large choice. Extensive toeboxes are standard as a result of you possibly can unfold your toes out. Nonetheless, sand and water generally acquire or pool in a large toebox. The NRS Paddle Wetshoe and Kicker Wetshoe provide a really large toebox.

Many water footwear don’t are available half sizes. More often than not, it is advisable order the half dimension bigger. For instance, when you usually put on a ten.5 common shoe, order an 11 water shoe. For extra energetic adventures, search for a shoe that is available in half sizes so you will get one of the best match.

On this assessment, the Astral Brewer 3.0, Xero Aqua X Sport, Merrell Moab Flight Sieve, XtraTuf Kiata Drift Sneaker, Eager Hyperport H2 Sandal, and the Teva Hydratek CT Sandal all are available half sizes. It’s possible you’ll wish to order the Merrell Hydro Moc and the XtraTuf Kiata Drift Sneaker half a dimension down as a result of the match is pretty free. The Astral Loyak runs large, and so they don’t are available half sizes, so order half a dimension down. The Speedo Surf Knit Professional‘s sttretchy material will stretch out to the width of your foot.

Weight and Packability

The footwear that provide essentially the most safety additionally weigh extra. Take a look at the NRS Paddle Wetshoe, the Athmile Water Sock, and the Teva Hydratek CT Sandal. Footwear with much less safety usually weigh much less. The exception right here is the Speedo Surf Knit Professional. It weighs fairly a bit for an off-the-cuff water shoe as a result of it’s constructed with a reasonably thick sole for added safety. 

Most of those water footwear squish flat, so you possibly can throw a rubber band round them and stuff them in your suitcase or pack them the place they are going to take up little or no room. The exceptions are the Teva Hydratek CT Sandal, Eager Hyperport H2 Sandal, and Merrell Moab Flight Sieve as a result of they’re constructed extra like supportive sneakers. For those who’re making an attempt to pack minimally, put on these on the airplane whereas touring.

The load, packability, and efficiency winner is the Astral Brewer 3.0, which is light-weight and doesn’t take up a lot room. 

Outsoles (Tread)

No matter what kind of water shoe is finest for you, a non-negotiable characteristic is a shoe sole that protects your ft from rocks, scorching sand, slippery algae, fish hooks, damaged shells, coral, limestone caves, burning concrete, and all the opposite environmental risks that may harm the delicate bottoms of your ft. Whereas some issues like very slippery rocks and damaged glass might finest each water shoe rubber sole, the shoe soles on this assessment, all do an excellent job. 

Some firms focus extra on rubber. For instance, earlier variations of the Astral Brewer used the confirmed nonslip Stealth climbing shoe rubber. Over time, Astral developed its personal proprietary rubber, which it calls the G.SS Rubber + Flex Grip Outsole, which it used within the Astral Brewer 3.0. It’s sturdy, grippy on moist surfaces, and doesn’t mark up the ground.

One other tackle a protecting outsole is the NRS Paddle Wetshoe, which makes use of a skinny however sticky sole mixed with a 5mm interior sole, a 2mm plastic shim, and extra safety on the heels, Achilles space, and toes. The tip outcome is a versatile water shoe that additionally protects your ft. 

Assist and Consolation

Many water footwear will not be very snug for lengthy durations, as they’re designed to be worn just for the time you might be within the water. In consequence, many don’t provide a lot, or any, arch help. The producers know most water footwear are designed to be worn immediately on a naked foot with out the cushion of a sock, so water footwear are sometimes lined with a cloth delicate on naked pores and skin. If you’d like some arch help, look to the Astral Brewer 3.0, the Teva Hydratek CT Sandal, the Eager Hyperport H2 Sandal and the Merrell Moab Flight Sieve.

Sustainability

As everyone knows, creating sustainable merchandise is a big problem. Footwear are made with supplies, glues, and compounds designed to guard your ft, not break down simply as soon as they put on out. That is an unlucky actuality, however a number of of the businesses manufacturing the water footwear profiled listed below are making a honest effort to design merchandise extra sustainably.

We’ve talked about many of those sustainability initiatives above and you may examine them in way more element on every producer’s web site. To spotlight just a few sustainability initiatives:

• Astral has moved away from PVC, neoprene, poisonous glues, and building processes. As we speak, it incorporates recycled supplies, hemp, and fewer intensive manufacturing.
• Teva makes use of numerous recycled supplies, makes its straps from recycled plastic bottles, reduces water utilization, and way more.
• NRS is shifting away from neoprene slowly and contemplating the environmental influence of its merchandise and manufacturing.
• Merrell posted six bold sustainability targets to attain by 2025 on its web site. 
• Xero is beginning to make its footwear higher for the planet. 
• Speedo has demonstrated its dedication to sustainability.  
• Eager has a large slew of sustainability initiatives.
• Merrell is pursuing a number of sustainability targets throughout their shoe traces.
• XtraTuf is beginning to pursue extra sustainable manufacturing, together with and Eco line. The Riptide Sandal matches on this line.

Might all of them do extra? In fact. Can all of them do extra and nonetheless keep in enterprise? We don’t know. Nonetheless, each greenback invoice is a vote, so when selecting footwear, you can also make an influence by deciding find out how to spend yours.

If sustainability is a vital consideration for you, spend yours on firms that aggressively pursue sustainable supplies and processes, each earlier than making footwear and after the footwear have worn out.

Steadily Requested Questions