Best shoes for hunting warm water surge lines?

Aegis

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penzfan

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Just starting up the hobby for leisure time fun in Hawaii. Unfortunately, I have a good case of haole feet plus a bad heel from plantar fasciitis. Can anyone recommend a good warm water shoe for working sharp shell surge areas and/or deep sand?

Thanks for any info,
Aegis
I use black OP Water Shoes with the Velcro strap across the top. The strap keeps the surf from taking them off your feet. They're sold at Walmart for $10. They last a long time due to the thick soles and my VA issued supports(plantar fasciitis)fit nicely inside them.
 

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Aegis

Aegis

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Just the kind of advice I needed. I like the idea of the Velcro since getting them pulled off by deep sand is a concern of mine as well. Thanks penzfan!
 

Higgy

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I use my fly fishing wading boots and a thick pair of socks. Total comfort. Total protection. Fits just like a good hiking boot, but with a stiffer sole to give you stability on rubble and rocks. If you want more warmth, you could use neoprene socks.
 

Rodbuster209

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I use an old pair of tennis shoes, I too have plantar fasciitis, I went to a podiatrist and he casted my feet for some custom inserts, they are hard plastic but they work in any shoe or boot! Good luck!
 

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Aegis

Aegis

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I use an old pair of tennis shoes, I too have plantar fasciitis, I went to a podiatrist and he casted my feet for some custom inserts, they are hard plastic but they work in any shoe or boot! Good luck!

Easy enough! I blame my heel issues on wearing flip flops too much here on the island. I am going to have to look into inserts and shoes lol since my heel seems to be getting worse. Thank you for the info.
 

dewcon4414

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I like Mares hard bottom dive shoes with zipper. I switched from normal dive boots because i was going thru them every 3 months. Ive had these a year and still going strong.... and are tight enough to keep the sand out still.
 

Treasure_Hunter

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Just starting up the hobby for leisure time fun in Hawaii. Unfortunately, I have a good case of haole feet plus a bad heel from plantar fasciitis. Can anyone recommend a good warm water shoe for working sharp shell surge areas and/or deep sand?

Thanks for any info,
Aegis
I use oceanic dive boots and sometimes crocs, I always make sure my shoes have good arch support.

I use to have plantar fasciitis bad in both heels and was so bad I was contemplating surgery when I stumbled on to a cure. Golden raisins soaked in gin made from juniper berries.


1 lb of GOLDEN raisins. (they must be the golden ones)
½ pint of gin.
Gordon's London Dry gin is a good choice, you want gin with juniper berries, not juniper flavor the cheap gin uses.

you place the raisins into a bowl and pour the gin over them. Leave them sit on the counter uncovered until the gin has been absorbed into the raisins. This also dissipates the alcohol. When the raisins have absorbed all the liquid cover them and put them in the refrigerator.

I ate about 10 a day and with in about 3 weeks both heels stop hurting completely..
 

Escape

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Easy enough! I blame my heel issues on wearing flip flops too much here on the island. I am going to have to look into inserts and shoes lol since my heel seems to be getting worse. Thank you for the info.

Freeze a bottle of water and roll your heel on it. Helped me.
 

TheSleeper

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I like Mares hard bottom dive shoes with zipper. I switched from normal dive boots because i was going thru them every 3 months. Ive had these a year and still going strong.... and are tight enough to keep the sand out still.

Have to agree with dew on this one, had a pair for quite a few years and still going strong. Great arch support and ribbed sole gives u traction on the sand and in the water.
 

RustyGold

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Dew and Sleeper are right! Mares for sure! Hard bottoms with excellent lateral support! image.jpg
 

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Fitzwilk

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I like Mares hard bottom dive shoes with zipper. I switched from normal dive boots because i was going thru them every 3 months. Ive had these a year and still going strong.... and are tight enough to keep the sand out still.

How are the sizes on these? I've been barefoot hunting for over two years but my feet get numb in the winter when it gets cold here in central Florida.
 

signal

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I use dive boots, nothing fancy, just cheap slip on ones. They work well, no problems with the feet. They will smell however, so you need to keep them clean with stuff you can buy at any dive shop. having good shoes makes a big difference when hunting the beach, particularly the wet and shallows.
 

dewcon4414

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Fitz..... i have the 6 mm ones and mostly water hunt so in the winter the feet stay warm and in the summer not really a problem for me. If you were a sand hunter they could get hot i suspect.... but running shoes would be my choice in that case. Size wise..... id go a half size larger they run a little small when used as walking shoes. Mares makes a real good boot. Most shoes ive used want to separate a bit at the sole or rubber after being in the water a LOT. Shoe goo or aqua seal works good for repairs.
 

jeepGold

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QUOTE=dewcon4414;4399637]Fitz..... i have the 6 mm ones and mostly water hunt so in the winter the feet stay warm and in the summer not really a problem for me. If you were a sand hunter they could get hot i suspect.... but running shoes would be my choice in that case. Size wise..... id go a half size larger they run a little small when used as walking shoes. Mares makes a real good boot. Most shoes ive used want to separate a bit at the sole or rubber after being in the water a LOT. Shoe goo or aqua seal works good for repairs.[/QUOTE]

I love my 6.5mm Akona boots. Great soul protection for the sand shovel and keeps your feet nice and warm. size runs a little tall so if you do get some get a 1/2 size smaller or just wear socks which is a good idea anyways to keep sand abrasion at bay. AKONA 6.5MM DELUXE BOOT-Exposure Protection-Scuba Accessories-Scuba-GEAR - Sport Chalet AKO-AKBT131.jpg
 

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penzfan

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Can't beat the Black OP's on the beach or in the surf.
 

mike b

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A cruel question to ask when you can drive a Buick on the water near me . But good luck/good hunting.
 

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Aegis

Aegis

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I use to have plantar fasciitis bad in both heels and was so bad I was contemplating surgery when I stumbled on to a cure. Golden raisins soaked in gin made from juniper berries.

1 lb of GOLDEN raisins. (they must be the golden ones)
½ pint of gin.
Gordon's London Dry gin is a good choice, you want gin with juniper berries, not juniper flavor the cheap gin uses.
you place the raisins into a bowl and pour the gin over them. Leave them sit on the counter uncovered until the gin has been absorbed into the raisins. This also dissipates the alcohol. When the raisins have absorbed all the liquid cover them and put them in the refrigerator.
I ate about 10 a day and with in about 3 weeks both heels stop hurting completely..


Treasure_Hunter - Never heard of this, but I will be giving it a try to see if if it helps heal the heel. Thanks so much!

Mike b - Sorry about all that weather you guys are getting!


Everyone, great input on the shoes and boots that work well in the water and sand. Looks like the Mares hard soles are a good long term solution for in the water hunting and the OP's, or old tennis shoes for mixed use. Valuable info for me considering my dumb heel issues. Thanks everyone!

Just got my Excal II and now waiting for my scoops to arrive in a few days. Learning curve and most importantly, fun awaits!

Aegis
 

jeepGold

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Do yourself a favor and ditch the Excal headphones for something more desired. They suck outright! As for tones, personally,,, at the beach i run threshold audible then turn slowly to barely audible then to barely NOT audible... volume full blast, sensitivity about 25% . discrim all the way left to the #1. I hunt in pinpoint. When I get a faint whisper (not a null) I dig a scoop or two then try again. If it gets louder I turn to discrim. If it nulls I move on. If it makes a tone in one direction its usually iron (nail). If it tones in both directions I dig it. If it makes a super bassy low grovel sound its usually aluminum (can) but I might dig for the heck of it because sometimes that noise is SUPER close to gold tones. Another awesome tip is that when you have a target and its hitting on the tones and you start to dig and then it just disappears and you have nothing.... What the heck?!!! Dig again and around the target. A lot of times the sound comes back.. I have about 120 hrs on my excal and I still don't know it. I don't really bother "learning" the different tones other than trash tones like aluminum, faints/whispers and nulls. Everything else I dig if it tones in discrim and pp.
 

penzfan

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Do yourself a favor and ditch the Excal headphones for something more desired. They suck outright!
Lost Items Recovery (Dave) does a great headphone mod on the Excals...
 

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