Brazil's eastern surf zone is predominantly populated by beach breaks and the occasional reef. Easterly tradewinds bring consistent swells during the winter with accompanying onshores and the surf rarely gets over 6ft/2m. The rest of the year is only slightly less consistent with rare groundswells filtering up the Atlantic from the south. Surfing was introduced to the region by an unknown American who in 1928 paddled out at Copacabana Beach and remains extremely popular. Unfortunately after a series of shark attacks surfing was banned on a 37 mile/60km stretch of coastline around Recife and sharks do remain a hazard along this whole stretch of coast. Water temperatures remain a warm 25 to 27ºC or 77 to 81ºF year-round.