text: I bought these for a 10-day annual river trip in California. The river is very rocky, so it's essential to have water shoes. In past years, I have worn Crocs, but they have their issues, so I wanted to try something new. I first saw these on my 2-year old nephew and when I learned they came in adult sizes, I couldn't wait to try them out. First thing to know is that they look fantastic. Very cute shoe. They are also quite comfortable when just walking around. My feet (which are prone to getting too hot) were not too hot in these. However, they turned out not to be that great on the water. They got a ton-- and I mean a TON-- of rocks in them. I'd shake out the shoes after being on the river for a few hours, and dozens of pebbles would fall out, every time. OUCH. In terms of sizing, I'm an 8.5 and these were only available in 8 or 9, so I went with the 9 based on reviews. They are slightly too big, especially in the length (which might explain some of the pebbles), but I'm pretty sure a size 8 would have been much too tight across the top of my foot. So I'm giving them three stars for just being okay. They look good but could fit better and could definitely do a better job of keeping the rocks out. However, if you're just going to use them at the pool or someplace that is not full of rocks or sand, these will probably be excellent. I do agree with other reviewers and suggest that if you're in between sizes, you go up rather than down. It won't be a perfect fit, probably, but nothing is worse than shoes that are too tight (and these do not stretch out when wet-- the opposite, in fact.)