I have size 13 feet, which is a bit of a problem fitting into kayaks. Feet aside I fit fine in low volume and medium volume sit inside kayaks. Right now two of my kayaks require me to wear surf booties or wetsocks in order to fit. Otherwise I use old running shoes with wet socks, which is super convenient when I step out of the boat onto shells, sand or mud. My principal launch site is an oyster shell beach, which is way too sharp for wet shoes and sketchy for surf booties. You can easily cut yourself on these shells.
My surf booties measure 11.5", whereas the running shoes measure 12.75". That 1.25" difference is the problem.
looking for water shoes that will keep my feet warm in the boat after wading, be durable enough to survive the oyster beach, and be the same length as a surf bootie. I don’t care if they are not good for a long hike, but should be reasonable for a half mile walk on packed sand or roads/paths.
My feet are 13-14. I’ve got Astral size 14’s. Add thin smart wool socks and you should be fine.
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I have a similar problem – relatively small feet but I have strong turn-out, meaning my feet when my knees are up in the thigh braces have my toes pointing to 2 and 10 oclock on the foot braces. So unless I have a low profile sole they hit the hull in my narrow Greenland style kayaks.
I have a bunch of different water shoes but my go-to pair for warmth and protection from rough launch sites are Deep See 5mm hard soled dive boots. The side zip makes them easy to put on and take off. Looks like they discontinued the version I have had for 15 years but there are a couple of pairs your size on Ebay at the moment for around $30 including shipping. I have the thicker soled ones, the thinner ones might be more vulnerable to sharp shells but they are similar to the soles on my Kokatat Nomads which have survived for 13 years without getting any perforations including in crusty tide pools.
If you can compromise on the height, you may check out Xero shoes. They have wide toe boxes, no heel rise and are very lightweight.