Trekking to remote haruan spots, doing a balancing act on rough ripraps, seawalls and wading through mud,sand and coral requires a special kind of footwear. It used to be all Teva, Columbia, Merrel etc. for me- a costly but essential expense for my pursuits. Years ago the local company Sandugo came out with their own line of watershoes and I was one of the first to grab a pair...it's been five or six pairs since and I've never had the urge to purchase anything else. The shoes give me the protection,traction and water drainage I require and expect from technical shoes yet cost only a third of what you'd pay for other brands. Durability is also 9/10 in comparison. The adhesives premium brands use still have an edge over the Sandugos but a tube of superglue helps keep pace.
I have three pairs now, two for everyday concrete pounding while the third gets to do all the fun stuff. When it expires, one of the two takes its place and I get a new pair. These shoes have passed my tests with flying colors. I wade mud, sand and salt. cross reefs, hike trails and do mountain goat acts on ripraps. I'm still around so I guess these shoes do a good job.
Caring for watershoes: Whatever brand or model regardless of whatever biocide the manufacturer claims their shoes carry, you have to wash them after a dunking especially in salt. Mild soap and a scrubbing will clean them out. Then most importantly, dry them immediately not in direct sun but in the shade and if your wife permits, the back of the ref is one of the best places.
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