Surfer Zombie

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

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 18 normal damage shots and degrades upon absorption of 9 normal damage shots. Its surfboard absorbs 35 normal damage shots.

Appearances
Big Wave Beach: Days 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16

General
Although the Surfer Zombie has health on the lower end of the Protected spectrum, it is very fast when on water. When it reaches land, it will place its surfboard on your plants, which you cannot plant on unless you destroy the surfboard. Make sure you kill the zombie before it reaches land, if it falls into the water before it's defeated, killing it after that will result in it dropping its surfboard on the tile.

The 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 the Snorkel Zombie). It has the advantage over Magnifying Grass in Days 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, the Guacodile, Chomper, and Tangle Kelp are the best choices for defeating Surfers. The Chomper can eat both the Surfer and its surfboard whole, even if it 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, and the surfboard 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, and Cherry Bomb. 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 its surfboard has similar amount of health as the Conehead Zombie. So destroy the Surfer Zombie and its surf board as fast as you can.

A Split Pea is best used when on water if it 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 it 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 it from reaching land.

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 succeded in destroying the surfboard. 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 won't leave its surfboard on a plant or tile, so you can plant two columns of Lightning Reeds, if you don't want to lose a plant when you defeat it, remember to choose other strong plants because of Lightning Reed's light attacks.

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 it encounters the land, it will "Wipe out" then suddenly appear with its surfboard.
 * A Chomper can eat it even if it falls into the water as Chomper will eat nothing.
 * When it enters the player's house with the surfboard, it will disappear.
 * If the Surfer Zombie is attacked by a Lobbed-shot plant, the projectiles will damage the surfboard instead.
 * It is the first zombie that can bypass the Tall-nut in water.
 * In the Almanac, its surfboard has more cracks than in the seed selection screen. Also, after Surfer Zombie places its surfboard, the surfboard appears to have no cracks at all.
 * The death on this zombie when its riding the wave is when its killed it flies up into the air and falls straight down into the water.
 * Its speed is actually Speedy while it is surfing.
 * This, 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 Mummy Zombies and their variants' bandages count as shirts.
 * The surfboard vanishes when Surfer Zombie is zapped by a Lightning Reed, or burned.
 * If a Surfer Zombie tries to slam a Spring Bean that is about to bounce away a zombie with its surfboard, the surfboard breaks but the Spring Bean survives.
 * It can be blocked by Infi-nut's barrier while surfing.
 * When it gets hit by a lawn mower while surfing, its surfboard will land in water.
 * This is one of the few zombies which can damage Ghost Pepper in certain ways.
 * This, Jetpack Zombie, Disco Jetpack Zombie, Zombie Bull, Imp Cannon, Zombie King, Fisherman Zombie, and Barrel Roller Zombie are the only zombies that aren't attracted to Sweet Potato.