Water Shoes, Wet Shoes & Neoprene Boots

Water shoes that grip where thongs quit

Three kinds of footwear on this page, and they do three different jobs. Hydro shoes are the wet shoes: neoprene uppers and grooved, quick-draining rubber soles for the ski, the tinnie deck and rock hopping, with the Hi Cut Hydro Shoe adding ankle coverage in 1.5mm Flex Lite neoprene and the Hybrid Hydro Shoe splitting the difference. Cross trainers, the Elevate and the X3 Jet Lite, are built to wear off the water as well as on it. Neoprene boots, the Turbo rear-zip and the Blackhawk, handle cold water, rocky entries and race days, and the RX Vault Race Boot and Sock is the full race setup for the start line.

Why the sole is the whole argument

A wet footwell is the slipperiest surface you will stand on all day, and the ramp at low tide is the sharpest. Every style here runs a full rubber sole cut for wet surfaces, not a swim-sock skin: the Turbo's Posi Traction sole with a dual-density upper and arch lock, the Hi Cut's grooved rubber, the Elevate's rubber outsole built for wet and dry. They drain instead of holding water, they keep oysters out of your feet, and they stay on when you get flung. Thongs float. That is the last nice thing anyone says about them on a ski.

Hydro shoes, cross trainers or neo boots

• Summer on the ski or the boat — hydro shoes. Quick-dry, quick-drain, grip, and the Hi Cut's barrel-lock drawstring for the rider who stacks it now and then.
• Ramp to car park to pub — cross trainers. The X3 Jet Lite runs a poly sports mesh upper on an EVA sole with an injection-moulded outsole, light and quick to dry. The Elevate adds a mid-foot cage and a responsive midsole. Neither looks like a water shoe, which is the trick.
• Dawnies and winter riding — neoprene boots. Heavy-duty YKK rear zips so they pull on over wet feet at the ramp, textured neoprene that holds warmth like a steamer does, and on the Blackhawk an ankle strap that seals out the flush.
• Race days — the RX Vault Race Boot and Sock, the same idea taken to race level, from the same program as the Vault vests.

Sizing, and the one that runs small

Mens sizes run 6 to 13 across most of the range. The Turbo boots and the X3 are US mens sizing, and the Elevate runs a full size small: if you are a 9, order a 10. Water shoes fit snug by design; if you wear neoprene socks under a boot, size up. The size guide has the measurements.

Kit for the rest of the ride: an AS 4758 approved jet ski life jacket, mens wetsuits for the cold mornings, jet ski gloves for the bars, and the rest of the ski sorted on jet ski accessories.