Viking surfers

We drove down to Smitingen beach for a walk on the sand. This is something of an exotic happening in late December when the sand is usually frozen or snow-covered. Smitingen is on the outside of the island and there is nothing between the beach and Finland on the other side of the Baltic.
We arrived to find surf roaring in and 7 surfers working the breaks. The Baltic is not known for its surf so apparently when the opportunity arises the surfers gratefully grab it.
One of them assured us it wasn't that cold in the water and having winter surfed around Newcastle and Sunderland in my youth I believed him. Even in high summer the sea here is rarely warmer than 17 C so it probably didn't feel so different, especially in a cosy wet-suit.
Maybe we should forget cross-country skiing and get the kayaks out from their winter quarters...