This week’s issue of The Economist has an article about scientists trying to catch gravitational waves.  They’re not trying to ride the waves (yet) - they’re really just trying to detect the waves and prove that they actually exist. 

The basic idea is to use laser interferometry to detect gravity waves.  If they can pull it off, then they’ll finally be able to do some other cool stuff like put some of the principles of string theory to the test, which could really further our understanding of how the universe works.

If they can use a laser to detect gravity waves, then it oughta be possible to use them to detect ocean waves and provide much more detailed information than we currently gather from buoys.  It could potentially revolutionize the craft of surf forecasting . . . and the art of broceanography would be rendered obselete . . .