First paddle in a long time today, since the fall actually. Trying to maximize any swell we had and being out of town a few times had the Bark up in the rafters longer than expected. Had the board on the truck for the past few days but the wind and lower temperatures put me off. Today warmed up to a balmy -4°C with almost no wind, pretty glassy, tiny short period swell rolling in. High tide had the swell bouncing off the cliffs and sending funky waves back out at certain spots, but still way too small to surf at all, even on the prone. Ended up doing a little 7km loop along the cliffs. Saw a few ducks but nothing else. A few little chunks of ice floating around and patches of slush starting to form but the water is mostly clear (for now). I Wore a 6/5 with 7mm mitts and 7mm booties. Toes started to get cold near the end but mitts were too hot, 5mm lobster claws next time, and probably could have been in a 5/4 as well. Felt really good to get back onto the water and paddle! Now just waiting for some swell to kick off the 2023 surf season!