# Granada - Embalse de Rules — Vélez de Benaudalla, Spain

The Rules reservoir, on the Guadalfeo river between Vélez de Benaudalla and Órgiva (Granada), is a lake of about 300 hectares of flat, deep water surrounded by mountains. It is a windsurf and wingfoil spot, with no kitesurf, based on the east shore under the A-44 motorway viaduct, where the Windsurf Wingfoil Granada School is located.

It works with the afternoon thermal that comes up the valley from the coast, from the south-southwest, and enters side-on to the shore. The water is flat, with no waves or current, making it a good place to learn, and the school provides windsurf and wingfoil lessons with all equipment included (for wingfoil, impact vest and helmet). The wind is gusty between the mountains and the thermal does not always arrive: check the forecast before going.

Hazards and rules: the reservoir level changes and with low water the shore becomes gravel and mud, with a soft-bottomed bay south of the school; the dam is at the end of the reservoir and you must not approach its wall; to the north there is a viaduct with pillars in the water. We have not found published navigation rules: ask the school before riding on your own. In spring the water is cold and lessons require a wetsuit until mid-June.

The school base has a grass area and a gravel zone next to the water, and there is a dirt car park next to the school. There are no bars, shops or mapped services in the surroundings: bring water, food and sun protection. Forecasts are checked with ARPEGE, ECMWF and ICON.

Photos: "Pantano de Rules (Orgiva)" by Berrocal1950 (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons; "Presa de Rules - 51576012393" by F Delventhal (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

- **Sports:** Windsurf, Wingfoil
- **Difficulty:** Beginner
- **Location:** Vélez de Benaudalla, Spain (36.87121, -3.48255)
- **Favourable wind directions (where the wind blows from):** S (170°), SW (230°)
- **Wind range (knots):** 10–25
- **Best months:** May, June, July, August, September

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

| Month | <7 kn | 7–13 kn | 13–20 kn | 20–35 kn | >35 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 62 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| March | 56 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| April | 32 | 66 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 19 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 24 | 76 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| July | 24 | 76 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| August | 37 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| September | 49 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| October | 64 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 76 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| December | 73 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 |

## Local winds

- **Térmico del valle (SSW)** — SSW (200°), 10–25 kn. Afternoon breeze that comes up the Guadalfeo valley from the coast, from the south-southwest, and enters almost parallel to the east shore: side-on. This is the wind for the school lessons, which ride in the afternoons from April to September. In July and August it is by far the dominant direction at those times.. Between mountains the wind accelerates in sections and is gusty; with light wind you may not return from a long tack. Check the school forecast (WhatsApp group on Tuesdays) and do not move far from the club with a weak thermal.

## Zones

- **Launch** — Launch zone
- **Parking** — Parking
- **Rules reservoir** — Navigation zone

## Points of interest

- **Windsurf Wingfoil Granada School**: Windsurf lessons (June to August, Friday to Sunday) and wingfoil (April to September, Thursday to Sunday), with all equipment included. Phone 675 20 71 36, Instagram windsurfgranada. Payment upon completion of the activity.
- **Water entry**: Grass and gravel area next to the water in front of the school. With low levels the shore is dry mud and stone: enter with booties.
- **Dirt car park**: Gravel area next to the school, about 200 m away; reached by the dirt track that goes down from the road. It is not mapped as a car park: the outline is approximate.
- **Mud bay to the south**: South of the school the shore is a beach of soft mud and silt that is exposed with low reservoir levels: it is not a place to launch or land.
- **A-44 Viaduct**: The motorway viaduct crosses the reservoir north of the school; its pillars are in the water. Do not ride near or under it.
- **Rules Dam**: Dam wall, 1.5 km south of the school. Do not approach the wall or the dam facilities.
- **Variable reservoir level**: The reservoir has hardly filled in recent years due to drought: the shoreline and access points change from month to month. With low water, a grey strip of exposed bottom is visible between the land and the water.

## Hazards

- Variable reservoir level: the shoreline moves and leaves mud and stone exposed
- Soft mud in the bay south of the school
- Rules dam at the end of the reservoir: do not approach the wall
- Pillars of the A-44 viaduct to the north
- Gusty wind between mountains
- Cold water in spring: wetsuit compulsory for lessons from April to mid-June

## Obstacles

- Gravel and dry mud shore due to low reservoir level
- A-44 motorway viaduct north of the school

## Facilities

- School
- Parking

## Restrictions

- No hemos encontrado normas de navegación publicadas para el embalse: antes de ir por tu cuenta, pregunta a la escuela o a la Confederación Hidrográfica.

[See it on Ventus Surf (3D map, zones and live forecast)](https://ventus.surf/spots/granada-embalse-de-rules-YhG0PHfypA63ElJr23pO?lang=en)