# Dique Los Molinos - Los Espinillos — Potrero de Garay, Argentina

Los Espinillos is the kitesurf, wingfoil and windsurf spot of Lago Los Molinos (Dique Los Molinos), on the west coast of the lake, next to Potrero de Garay, about 80 km from the city of Córdoba. You rig up and launch from the grassy bank on the east coast of the peninsula where the CrossKite school is located, with open water to the east and the other shore almost 2 km away.

The main wind is north-northeast, which blows side-on along the coast of the peninsula; it is more frequent in spring, from September to November, and in the afternoon. With cold fronts, the south wind enters, stronger and gustier. The water is choppy and shallow near the shore, with a gentle current towards the south. It is a good place to learn, with a kitesurf, hydrofoil and wingfoil school on the peninsula.

Hazards: the northern tip of the peninsula has rocks at water level; in the cove to the northwest of the peninsula the wind drops and it is dangerous to get stuck without wind there; between mountains the wind is gusty and the change from north to south with a front can be abrupt. The launch area is grass with few stones and changes size with the reservoir level. There is parking next to the launch, about 20 m from the shore, and accommodation in the Los Espinillos neighbourhood (apart hotel and cabins less than 1 km away); the nearest lakeside bar is almost 3 km south.

Photos: "Buen día Potreros de Garay - panoramio" by Matias Codina (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons; "Embalse Los Molinos04" by CordobaTrip (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

- **Sports:** Kitesurf, Wingfoil, Windsurf
- **Difficulty:** Beginner
- **Location:** Potrero de Garay, Argentina (-31.82085, -64.54559)
- **Favourable wind directions (where the wind blows from):** NNE (20°), S (190°)
- **Wind range (knots):** 12–30
- **Best months:** August, September, October, November, December

## Wind by month (% of days per strength)

| Month | <7 kn | 7–13 kn | 13–20 kn | 20–35 kn | >35 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37 | 58 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 31 | 62 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| March | 27 | 59 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| April | 33 | 61 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 41 | 51 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 47 | 49 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| July | 44 | 50 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| August | 23 | 65 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| September | 18 | 66 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| October | 21 | 56 | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 21 | 70 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| December | 36 | 58 | 5 | 1 | 0 |

## Local winds

- **Norte** — NNE (20°), 12–30 kn. The main wind of the spot: from the north-northeast, it enters along the east coast of the peninsula, side-on. It is more frequent and stronger in spring (September to November), in the afternoon.. Between mountains the wind is gusty. In the cove to the northwest of the peninsula the wind drops: do not enter the low wind zone.
- **Sur** — S (190°), 12–35 kn. South wind that enters with cold fronts: it arrives suddenly, stronger and gustier than the north wind.. Check the front forecast before going out: the change from north to south can be abrupt, with strong gusts.

## Zones

- **Parking** — Parking
- **Launch - CrossKite** — Launch zone
- **Lago Los Molinos** — Navigation zone
- **Rocky point** — Restricted zone
- **Low wind - Dangerous** — Low-wind zone

## Points of interest

- **CrossKite**: Kitesurf school on the Los Espinillos peninsula.
- **Water entry**: Grassy bank in front of the school: you enter the water crossing the exposed shore, which widens when the reservoir is low.
- **Parking**: Next to the peninsula road, behind the launch area.
- **Rocky point**: Rocks at water level at the northern tip of the peninsula. Pass it with a wide margin.
- **Low wind zone**: Cove to the northwest of the peninsula: the wind drops. Do not ride inside.
- **Complejo Cuatro Colores Apart Hotel**: Accommodation in Los Espinillos, about 750 m from the spot (OpenStreetMap).
- **Cabañas Sol y Luna**: Cabins in Los Espinillos, 1 km from the spot (OpenStreetMap).
- **El Bar de Puerto**: Lakeside bar, about 2.8 km south along the coast (OpenStreetMap).
- **Paredón del Dique Los Molinos**: Dam wall, at the eastern end of the lake, 4 km away.

## Hazards

- Rocks at the northern tip of the peninsula: do not round it close to the shore
- Low wind zone in the cove to the northwest of the peninsula
- Gusty wind between mountains
- Abrupt wind change with the arrival of southern fronts
- Variable reservoir level: the shoreline and launch area change

## Obstacles

- Northern tip of the peninsula with rocks at water level
- The launch area changes size with the reservoir level

## Facilities

- Parking
- School

[See it on Ventus Surf (3D map, zones and live forecast)](https://ventus.surf/spots/dique-los-molinos-los-espinillos-xum1ZfSf1fug6MpEqPPF?lang=en)