Reddit mentions: The best diving boots

In winter I start from the lower Red Creek trailhead which will be open and accessible year-round. 4WD/AWD is advisable if it's recently snowed, but otherwise the roads leading there are pretty well maintained. The forest road up to blackbird knob may be closed or open, but if open it will often be gnarly. If you have experience driving on that and snow tires by all means try it, but don't count on being able to drive up to blackbird knob trailhead.

From Red Creek trailhead you will need to cross Red Creek to access the Northern section of the Sods. Since it's winter you will definitely want to remove your shoes and socks so they're dry on the far side. Use hiking poles so you stay upright and dry when crossing the creek. Don't take risks like trying to rock-hop, get your feet wet and cross safely with your clothing and upper body dry. Be prepared to bail if you go for a swim and keep in mind that hypothermia is very, very real risk once your clothing is wet. Red creek will not freeze solid and any ice sheets you see should be considered unstable.

If you're not sure you can walk in the cold water get a pair of wetsuit boots like these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YQ7934/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_74?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Remember that winter backpacking has greater Objective and Subjective Hazards than summer backpacking. You can much more easily become incapacitated, injured, or killed. Ensure you have adequate margins of safety in your gear, a plan to bail out if things go wrong, and have left a detailed plan with a trusted point of contact at home.

That said, I love the sods in Winter. It's by far the most beautiful place I've been to in the Mid-Atlantic. The snow, ice, and wind create a harsh, but amazing landscape. Sunrise on a clear morning over the snow up there is fantastic. Just be prepared and don't be afraid to bail.

I'm a fan of owning my own gear, but there are lots of variations so make sure you know what you want to use it for before buying.

• In general, scuba and snorkel fins are different. You can use scuba fins for snorkeling but not the other way around - the scuba fins are longer to give you more power as you're carrying a lot of gear.
  
• If you're not sure you want to do anything like this beyond Hawaii, renting is super cheap when you're there and it means you don't have to stuff the gear into your luggage.
  
• If you think you might want to scuba around SF in the future, make sure to get open-heel fins with boots, otherwise you'll have to get a separate set for here (full-foot fins are warm water only).
  
• As another commenter pointed out, you can get gear at any of the scuba shops in the area. They charge fair prices for cold water scuba gear. I paid about $200 for gloves, boots, fins, mask, and snorkel. As noted above, if you're only going to do warm water you're better off renting or buying a cheapo set when you get there.

As an owner of Flows in Ohio that thought this was the right answer, I can tell you, no they do not. While neoprene, you don't get the wet suit effect of a thin layer of warm water. One slushy spot and your feet are frozen. I went with these. A thicker sole, but still had decent ground feel and my feet were perfectly dry and warm.
*edit: added clarification that I own a pair of flows

https://www.amazon.com/Tilos-Titanium-Booties-Puncture-Resistance/dp/B004EWSFHU/ref=sr_1_39?ie=UTF8&qid=1510175872&sr=8-39&keywords=scuba+booties

Mine are pretty close to those. Also, when I first got my booties, they were pretty tight, but stretched out to comfort after a few dives.

Awesome! Yeah, he said $200 at discount (bullshit) I don't know about scuba but I'm not stupid. I don't have them yet, but thought I could buy any type of booties was thinking of these

But I was confused when he said it couldn't be just any type of mask/snorkel, like Teflon and something with the glass. So I didn't want to buy one that didn't work for diving.

Something like this should do for your feet, thicker the better

Tilos TruFit Dive Boots

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB7XT3X/

I use these when i kayak rivers. They dont let sand in when i portage ashore and have great traction. Extremely durable.

https://www.amazon.com/IST-Deep-scuba-diving-military/dp/B0035LGTF6

Rocket fins are what you want. You'll need booties with them as well

Here you go:

• O'Neal Split Toe Booties

Perhaps it's not the shoes that are the problem. Maybe it's the socks.

Neo Sport SS20N-8 Wetsuits Premium Neoprene 2mm Neoprene Water Sock, Black, Size 8 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00WAEVDHI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_I3MgDbKMWRJ07