Photographer Peter Britton, from Porthcawl, has produced artwork Ghost Ships and Tides, based on Tusker Rock and in tribute to those lost at sea.
He said it was “absolutely fascinating” how these boots had suddenly appeared as “little reminders of history”.
Academic Dr Michael Roberts, from Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences, is in the process of studying shipwrecks around the coast of Wales.
He said that while he was not aware of the particular shipwreck which was the subject of speculation in Ogmore, it was possible that shipwrecks from the Victorian era could now be starting to degrade and fall apart.