Hi, this is Bruce Justinen from SEASOFT SCUBA. I wanted to throw my opinion in on this subject because I have spent a considerable amount of time researching this same subject. I have bad knees due to a lifetime of football, basketball and hockey and maybe a little bit of questionable genetics. I have to have periodical shots in my right knee. OK, did I mention that I am also getting old and I still love to dive. But I digress.
The vast majority of dive boots available today are simply athletic on the outside but not in the inside where it counts. If you do not have an elevated heel (like tennis shoes, sneakers & athletic footwear) then you are forced to lean forward or bend forward when you carry your gear. You have to do this to transfer your center of gravity (your balance) to the toes and the ball of your feet. Flat bottomed booties transfer the center of gravity to the heel and obviously you have no real balance being back on your heels.
Most dive booties are simply flat bottomed bedroom slippers, not athletic footwear. It takes a real athletic, shock absorbing sole with an elevated heel to make REAL athletic footwear. AND with diving booties it also takes a Pressure Support Plate of rigid polycarbonate plastic to support a diver's weight on top of the athletic sole plus a thick cushioning neoprene insole.
In addition, athletic footwear requires an arch support underneath your arch. This does several things - 1. It makes the footwear more comfortable. 2. It provides stability and support for the foot. 3. It keeps the foot from sliding back and forth inside the bootie, especially when you stop quickly or your foot is actively kicking inside the fin pocket.
I have included an illustration of SEASOFT's STEALTH Bootie to give you an idea of what an athletic dive bootie looks like. If anyone has any questions about dive booties please feel free to ask me, I will do my best to give you a timely response.
Bruce Justinen
President
SEASOFT SCUBA