Thursday, August 28, 2008

Swim Shoes? Any recommendations?

Ok, I need a pair of shoes that I can wear on a wet floor surrounding a swimming pool in a motel. Last weekend, I didn't have any, went barefooted in the pool area (and the floor was smooth tile), and ended up slipping in the water and falling flat on my face (well, actually, it was my chest, those boobs are good for something, they kept me from breaking my nose on that damned hard floor). Banged up my bad knee (as usual) pretty good too. So I need something other than thongs (I've worn them on wet tile floors and slipped and slid). Are there swim shoes that are made just for walking on slippery-when-wet tile floors? Would Crocs (or something like that) work?
I wish the motel we stayed at had a floor around the pool like the one in Rogers, MN. That floor had tiles that looked like pebbles had been embedded in cement, and it was rough to the touch, so when it got wet, you didn't slip and slide all over the place. I let the front desk know that they really needed to put a sign on the door, warning people that the floor was slick when wet (they said they had signs in the pool area, but I didn't see any, and I read the signs when we first went in (all about how many people were allowed in the pool [49] and how many could be in the hot tub [10] and that there was no diving in the pool, but nothing about a slippery-when-wet-floor). I know, it's just common sense that smooth tile floors are not the safest surface on which to walk when they're wet, and I was being careful, walking slowly, and trying to hit the dry spots, but I hit a puddle of water and bang, down I went. So I told them they might want to think about finding some way of either roughing up the tile so it's not quite so slick, or getting some of those black, sandpapery strips that you put on steps so they aren't slick when wet (yeah, like they're going to listen to me).
So now, if I'm going to be swimming at the pool here in town (their floor is the smooth tile), I want shoes to wear in there that won't slide on a wet floor. My rubber-soled sandals won't work (I've slid on a wet floor in Wal-Mart while wearing them).
And just in case you're wondering, my knee is fine now (ice on it that night took down the swelling, and ibuprofen killed what little pain I had). I just don't want to fall on it anymore, I've done more than enough of that in the past.

13 comments:

  1. Crocs work GREAT. they're very "sticky"

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  2. Hmm, well I did a search for "no slip swim shoes", and came up with this link: http://www.swimoutlet.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=356&gclid=CJnlrsCjspUCFSAUagodfR5sQQ

    I hope it helps! (I have no experience with swim shoes, so I can't recommend anything specific, sorry. D:

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  3. Are Crocs like surf shoes? I would definitely recommend surf shoes. I used to shower in those (communal shower).

    --
    worthyourweight

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  4. I got some a year or two ago for creek swimming, they're a mesh top and a pretty grippy rubber bottom. Not sure of the brand, but I got them at Sportmart for under ten bucks.

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  5. I have no tips as to what sort of shoes would work - just to let you know that Crocs probabaly won't. I have a pair of those and they have very little grip on wet, smooth surfaces.

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  6. I have no idea on the swim shoes, but where did that picture of the fat mermaid come from?

    She's awesome!

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  7. A lot of places carry aqua shoes, usually in with the novelty swim stuff, so it might be harder to find at this time of year.

    Alternatively, go to a (scuba) dive shop. When you wear flippers, you usually also wear booties or slippers with them. These are exactly like the aqua shoes you can buy at wal mart, only usually all black. They're also a little more expensive, but they're also far better made. If you're luck in the genetic lotter gave you slender akles, you'll have no problem with the booties, but if that's not the case, they should have slipper types as well.

    This type is designed for standing on ship decks, so they grip nicely, and are (obviously) meant to be worn continuously in the water. just hang them, or leave them upside down, in the bathtub to dry.

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  8. Crocs were originally designed as non-slip spa shoes and were first sold to enthusiasts for use on boats. As long as you don't mind wearing butt ugly plastic foam shoes they should work exceedingly well for your purposes.

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  9. Thanks, everyone, for all the tips. I checked out the link you sent, integgy, and I think I'm going to go with something from there.
    miriam - I can't remember where I found the fat mermaid, but she is pretty awesome.

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  10. I have purchased shoes from both Land's End and LL Bean that are sporty but also go in the water (they both had drainage holes in the bottom). They work fine for that, but they smell absolutely horrible after you get them wet! And after that, they smell everytime you wear them, wet or not. So if you don't mind smelly feet...

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  11. They might be more expensive than what you're looking for but neoprene booties for surfing/diving are awesome. Especially if you go to the beach, they keep the sand out and protect your feet and you can wear them in and out of the water. And they grip really well, on boat decks or rocks or whatever.

    If you do get those, I recommend throwing them in the washing machine occasionally because they start to get stinky.

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  12. I had no idea Crocs were originally designed as non-slip spa shoes. I have a hard time saying, they're really ugly anymore, cause they're just so popular now. They even have virtual Crocs you can get on Club Penguin, but they call them something else..cause like they don't want to be sued for using the brand name without permission, or something.

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  13. I didn't know that about Crocs either. I did find a couple of pairs of shoes that I think will work for swimming, and since it's the end of the season for outdoor swimming, I got them for a total of $6 (man, do I ever love a bargain like that!)

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