Once the domain of relaxed, long haired social drop outs, the surf board has taken on a new role in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). At a military expo in Hawaii this week, RAN engineers demonstrated their latest offensive tool- armoured surfboards.

"It was a logical step for the Australian defence forces," RAN spokesperson, Sharyn Salonski, said. "Surfing is a big thing in Australia, and with a recent upsurge in our military involvement throughout the world, we have invested money into investigating new methods and techniques. Surfboards can be valuable tools to transport equipment and personnel from ships onto shore."

The surfboards are larger than the average that you would see at your local beach, but their basic premise remains the same. A person stands and steers with their feet, utilising waves to transport them forward.

"It's a pretty straight ride, admittedly," Salonski said. "You won't see too many of these prototypes used by pro surfers, but they're robust and solid, and do the job needed."

Its primary role may be transportation, but the surfboard is not completely toothless. An additional feature is twin machine guns attached to the front of the board, activated by the surfer's toes.

"We understand that there may be times when these surfboards are utilized in hostile situations," Salonski explained. "The guns are waterproof and pretty effective when operated by an experienced surfer. A company of surfers all working together on a beach could be pretty lethal."

Other nations' military have shown definite interest in the new surfboards. US Navy procurement officer told Brainsnap, "They have a lot of potential. I would have loved to have seen these things used on D Day or Iwo Jima. Particularly, I think we could really expand on the designs so that they worked a little like aircraft with small, zippy fighter surfboards combining with the larger transportation versions."

Already, the surfboards are having an impact on the Australian Navy. Regulations on bristly crew cut haircuts, which have been standard for all male personnel until recently, have been relaxed for the newly formed surfboard division.

"We need to attract the good surfers and hair styles are important to that particular demographic," Salonski said. "So, for the surfboarders only, we're allowing long, bleached hair and dreadlocks. Uniforms have also been modified, with a greater emphasis on color and flower motifs, and shoes will no longer be compulsory."

"We shall also be changing a few other key elements within the company," she continued. "Most notably, the language used. For example, officers shall now be addressed as 'dude' rather than 'sir'."

Southern Hemisphere Surfboarding a Hazard to American and European Surfers

The Australian Government has issued a Tourist Advisory to all visitors to Australia reminding potential surfers of the risks of surfing off beaches in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sen. Phil Wilcox told Brainsnap: "Many of them don't realise that in the Southern Hemisphere, the waves go away from the shore."