text: I purchased these as an alternative to wearing flip-flops or sandals during warm weather. The idea was to keep my feet cool and let them breathe, but with the added benefit of sneaker traction and styling. Also, I wanted a little more stablilty and control that wearing sport slides doesn't provide. I wear a size 12.5 and my feet are a little wider than normal. I ordered these in size 13. The styling and appearance of these shoes was impressive right out of the box. Initially, these shoes were a bit uncomfortable to my feet. I took my time to break them in. A few days around the house, then some short jaunts out of the house. Like other reviewers noted, these shoes fit a bit small and narrow, specifically across the top of the foot and in the toebox. After wearing them for a couple of months, they have broken in and are more comfortable now. I wear them with the laces very loose and the tongues tucked up over the ledge of the upper lace bracket. All I need to do to secure the shoes is pull on the laces to tighten them quickly if the mission requires it ! The entire shoe is very breathable, except for the tounge and toebox, which are made of solid neoprene. Amazon had these priced about $30.00 lower than retail, and I purchased them with an Amazon gift card (thanks Dad)! I would not recommend these to people with large feet, but folks with average or smaller-than-average feet should be fine with these. I don't use these for water sports, so I can't report on that aspect of performance.