Surfer Zombie

Surfer Zombie is a zombie encountered in Big Wave Beach. He uses a surfboard to surf in water. Once he reaches the land, he will carry his surfboard and use it as a shield, until he encounters a plant to crush with his surfboard. When he does, the surfboard will instantly kill the first plant in where it is placed, then it will behave like a tombstone. After the surfboard is placed, it will behave like a normal zombie. His surfboard can place itself when this zombie dies on land.

Description
Surfer Zombie is a fast zombie in water but once he reaches the shores, he will then carry its surfboard and crush it to any plant he encounters.

His hair is blonde and is combed backwards. He wears an orange swimming trunks with a white line at the left side of it. His surfboard is colored in light yellow and has a crack on the front portion of it and as well has blue lines on both left and right sides and an orange line on the middle portion of the surfboard.

Almanac entry
TOUGHNESS: Protected

SPEED: Hungry

Surfs past plants on the water, then carries board on land.

Damage: can crush a plant with his board

Surfer Zombie took up surfing just last year. At first, he only did it because he thought it would make him look cool. But he was a natural. Now he can hang 10 with the best of them. Now he's headed to the pro circuit. Now he IS cool.

Overview
Surfer Zombie absorbs 16.5 normal damage shots and degrade upon absorbing 8.25 normal damage shots. His surfboard absorbs 35 normal damage shots.

Encounters
Player's House: Piñata Party

Big Wave Beach: Days 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and Tiki Torch-er

Modern Day: Days 2, 18, 19, 21, 23, 33 and Highway to the Danger Room (portal only)

Strategies
Although the Surfer Zombie has health on the lower end of the Protected spectrum, he is very fast when on water. When he reaches land, he will place its surfboard on your plants, which you cannot plant on unless you destroy the surfboard. Make sure you kill the zombie before he reaches land, if he falls into the water before he is defeated, killing him after that will result in it dropping his surfboard on the tile. If combined with multiple Octo Zombies, Fisherman Zombies, and Deep Sea Gargantuars, they will wreak havoc onto your defense.

Magnifying Grass and Winter Melon are among the best plants to defeat Surfers before they reach shore. The Magnifying Grass can quickly kill a Surfer in one shot for 50 sun. It also has a fast recharge time, allowing many to be planted in a hurry, and if a lot of sun stored, the player can shoot through other zombies in the way if waiting for the Surfer to pull ahead is not an option. The Winter Melon's damage power and slowing effect can bring down Surfers and their allies together in the water (such as Snorkel Zombie). It has the advantage over Magnifying Grass in levels with limited sun or planting options, however, zombies near the front lines can possibly distract Winter Melons long enough for Surfers to slip through.

Among the plants introduced in Big Wave Beach, Guacodile, Chomper, and Tangle Kelp are the best choices for defeating Surfers. Chomper can eat both the Surfer and his surfboard whole, even if he reaches shore, as well as destroy a planted surfboard quickly if one is in front of it. When placed out in the water, a Guacodile will be triggered when the Surfer Zombie passes over it, usually dealing enough damage to finish the surfer off. The surfboard also cannot crush this plant, as it will just trigger its biting attack.

If Surfer Zombie does make it to shore, plants that destroy the Surfer Zombie and surfboard together (without letting the surfboard drop during the death animation) are extremely useful, such as Chomper, Lightning Reed, Cherry Bomb, Squash, Jalapeno, and Jack O' Lantern. Cherry Bombs are helpful for destroying a group of Surfer Zombies in the water or on land. However, they require a Lily Pad planted first before they can be detonated above water. It is highly recommended to use instant kill or high damage-rate plants to take out Surfer Zombie as the zombie itself is tough enough to kill, but his surfboard has the same amount of health as a tombstone. Destroy the Surfer Zombie and its surfboard as quick as you can or your lawn will be swarmed with surfboards.

A Split Pea is best used when on water if he passes your defenses, so that it can deal damage to both: the surfboard and the Surfer Zombie. In addition, a Laser Bean (when upgraded with Plant Food) will instantly destroy him when on water in one hit, so plant it next to your lawn mowers. You can also use Plant Food on a Tangle Kelp to keep this zombie from reaching land. Fume-shrooms are best used with Plant Food to push this zombie and prevent him from reaching land. Hurrikale will also push this zombie back and slow him down, preventing him from reaching the land faster.

Do note however, that when a Surfer Zombie manages to reach the shores, be ready as you will lose one of your plants in exchange for killing it unless you succeed in destroying the surfboard (The invulnerability granted by Plant Food will NOT save the targeted plat). Laser Beans and Bowling Bulbs can also assist you in weakening the Surfer Zombie if you are in trouble of handling it, allowing you to save much time. but you can also assist with Lightning Reed because when defeated by a Lightning Reed, it will not leave its surfboard on a plant or tile, so you can plant two columns of Lightning Reeds, if you do not want to lose a plant when you defeat it, remember to choose Winter Melon because they make a perfect combination for defeating tons of Surfer Zombies.

Note: Avoid using Citron against this zombie (unless fed with Plant Food), as this zombie can bypass your Citron fast or even destroy it, and the charging time to shoot a plasma ball takes longer.

Trivia

 * When Surfer Zombie reaches the shore, he will "wipe out" then suddenly appear with his surfboard.
 * Chomper can eat Surfer Zombies even if they fall into the water, despite the fact that the Chomper seems to eat nothing.
 * When Surfer Zombie enters the player's house with the surfboard, it will disappear.
 * If Surfer Zombie is attacked by a lobbed-shot plant on land, the projectiles will damage the surfboard instead.
 * Surfer Zombie is the first zombie that can bypass Tall-nut. However, this is only the case on water.
 * In the Almanac, Surfer Zombie's surfboard has more cracks than in the seed selection screen. Also, after Surfer Zombie places his surfboard, the surfboard appears to have no cracks at all.
 * The death animation of Surfer Zombie when riding on waves makes the zombie fly up into the air and fall straight down into the water.
 * Surfer Zombie speed is actually Speedy while surfing.
 * Surfer Zombie, Snorkel Zombie, Octo Zombie, Deep Sea Gargantuar, and Barrel Zombie are the only zombies without shirts, excluding the animal zombies. However, it can be debated whether the Ancient Egypt zombies' (apart from Explorer Zombie) bandages count as shirts.
 * Surfer Zombie sometimes makes a grunting sound a few seconds after disembodied on land.
 * The surfboard vanishes when Surfer Zombie is zapped by a Lightning Reed or Electric Blueberry, or burned.
 * If a Surfer Zombie tries to slam a Spring Bean that is about to bounce away a zombie with his surfboard, the surfboard breaks but the Spring Bean survives.
 * This also can happen if two surfboards are placed on the same tile (this can only happen if a second Surfer Zombie dies on land and auto-places his board, as they never attempt to place their boards on top of each other while alive). Both will be destroyed, making this a helpful glitch to get rid of surfboards on the lawn.
 * If a lawn mower kills a Surfer Zombie while it is surfing, two zombie heads will briefly appear. The correct head falling off and another head staying on the body, missing hair and a lower jaw.
 * Surfer Zombie can be blocked by Infi-nut's barrier while surfing.
 * When Surfer Zombie gets hit by a lawn mower while surfing, his surfboard will land into the water.
 * Surfer Zombie is one of the few zombies which can damage Ghost Pepper in certain ways.
 * When freezing Surfer Zombie with Iceberg Lettuce while on water, the splash water will not be animated and will be blue.
 * Surfer Zombie can completely kill Infi-nut and its barrier if Infi-nut is in the same column where Surfer Zombie is. Otherwise, the barrier will take no damage.
 * Surfer Zombie can change his direction while surfing under the effects of Sweet Potato fed with Plant Food.
 * In Tiki Torch-er, specifically in higher levels, Surfer Zombies may sometimes come in walking instead of surfing when the huge waves of zombies approach. This is because they spawn so far away from the lawn that the water does not exist.
 * Lava Guava can counter Surfer Zombie even when planted right next to him.
 * In the 3.8 and 3.9 updates, Surfer Zombie's surfboard absorbed normal damage shots before being destroyed.
 * Surfer Zombie's surfboard is almost identical to the Cavalry Zombie's lance, save for their designs.
 * Surfer Zombie makes a cameo in Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 in Moon Base Z, where the player spawns when they need to capture the Lunar Motel, they can see a picture of the Surfer Zombie riding on his surfboard with his hair on fire with a big "SUN" on the front of the picture.