Review on Speedo Women's Fathom AQ Athletic Water Shoe: Superior Performance and Style by Matt Welch

Fortunately considering they cost around 3 times what other models/brands they are 3 times better. Surprisingly, they resemble a thick rubber sock with some arch support rather than a shoe. They are very flexible and have a tactile feel. I didn't like that other water shoes looked like quick-dry sneakers. I'd rather be barefoot, but I'm going on a trip that has a lot of rocks and sharp marine life in the water. I've been pierced by coral before and that was enough. I usually find reviews about going up or down a lot of crap, but I ordered a half size up due to the sheer volume of comments about going up. They were at the top and maybe not even enough. I wear 7 women 99% of the time and I have 7.5 and they are still a bit tight. My instep is tight and the tongue is attached (I have the same problem with sneakers with attached tongues). The toe box is naturally shaped to be wide, but the rest of the shoe is regular/narrow and this shoe is very, very short. My toe is literally at the end of the shoe. I'm considering trying 8. What convinced me, apart from the barefoot feeling, is that nothing rubs or scratches on the inside of the foot. I'm very sensitive to spiky stitches and such and they don't have a single star. 1 star for size. I also wish the uppers were a little less stiff. Edit: I bought a size 8 to try on. It was comfortable but in fact the shoe felt better and more natural while being snug to the body with no room, so I'll keep the size 7.5 which is half the size of my regular shoes. The fit can be comparable to flat climbing shoes.