A surfboat is an oar-riven boat designed to enter the ocean from the beach in heavy surf or severe waves. It is often used in lifesaving or rescue missions where the most expedient access to victims is directly from the beach. The boat building traditions of several countries produced the same basic design when faced with the same problem, that of passing through turbulent whitewater and breaking waves and returning to shore. A broad stern presented to steep and breaking waves when approaching shore can result in broaching (turning sideways to the swell) and swamping or capsizing of the boat. Therefore, surf boats have a pointed stern and usually a fairly marked sheer.