# Sarmiento - Lago Musters — Sarmiento, Argentina

Lago Musters is the kite lake of Sarmiento, in the centre of Chubut: a large, deep lake about 20 minutes from the city via the gravel road that crosses the Senguer river. Sessions take place on the southeast coast, on the long beach that runs between the Camping del Búlgaro and the farm at the southern end, with a gravel road behind where cars are parked. The Sarmiento Kitesurf Association and the Free Spirit school promote kite on the lake, and in March a stage of the Patagonian Kitesurf Tour is held here, with riders from all over Patagonia, Buenos Aires and Córdoba.

The wind is the Patagonian west: it blows all year round, crosses the entire lake and comes in side-on from the left, pushing towards the beach, so it is easy to return to the shore. When it turns northwest it comes in almost head-on and when it turns southwest it stays parallel to the beach. It arrives strong and gusty and kicks up a lot of short chop: experience and small sizes are needed. The best times are from September to March. With an east wind, which is very rare, the wind is offshore and you do not go out.

The lake is deep and the water is cold all year round: use a wetsuit and vest. During storms the lake raises large waves and there have been drownings due to underestimating them. The lake level changes from year to year: to the southwest, in front of the farm, there are sandbanks and shallow waters. There are no services on the beach: bring everything and do not go out alone.

Photos: "Costa del Lago Musters" by Lisandro222 (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons; "Deporte muster" by Gonce (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons; "Muster viento" by Gonce (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

- **Sports:** Kitesurf, Windsurf, Wingfoil
- **Difficulty:** Intermediate
- **Location:** Sarmiento, Argentina (-45.56655, -69.15050)
- **Favourable wind directions (where the wind blows from):** WSW (245°), W (270°), WNW (295°)
- **Wind range (knots):** 14–35
- **Best months:** September, October, November, December, January, February, March

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

| Month | <7 kn | 7–13 kn | 13–20 kn | 20–35 kn | >35 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14 | 49 | 25 | 10 | 2 |
| February | 10 | 43 | 29 | 16 | 2 |
| March | 24 | 31 | 26 | 17 | 2 |
| April | 26 | 40 | 16 | 13 | 5 |
| May | 42 | 33 | 19 | 5 | 1 |
| June | 37 | 28 | 20 | 14 | 1 |
| July | 65 | 19 | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| August | 57 | 30 | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| September | 28 | 38 | 20 | 11 | 3 |
| October | 16 | 46 | 22 | 14 | 2 |
| November | 8 | 42 | 24 | 22 | 4 |
| December | 13 | 35 | 27 | 22 | 3 |

## Local winds

- **Oeste** — W (270°), 14–35 kn. The Sarmiento wind: it blows all year round and is the most common for sessions. It crosses the entire lake and comes in side-on from the left, pushing towards the beach.. It arrives strong and gusty and kicks up a lot of short chop. It takes you towards the northeast, along the beach: return to the launch before you end up far from the car.
- **Oeste-noroeste** — WNW (295°), 14–35 kn. The west when it turns slightly north: it comes in almost head-on to the beach. It is easy to return to the shore, but harder to get out.. With onshore wind the wave breaks on the shore: be careful when entering and exiting, and do not let yourself fall onto the beach.
- **Oeste-sudoeste** — WSW (245°), 14–35 kn. The west when it turns slightly south: it stays side-shore, parallel to the beach.. It takes you quickly along the coast towards the Camping del Búlgaro: stay close to the launch.
- **Este** — E (100°), 10–30 kn. Offshore wind, very infrequent: it blows from the valley towards the lake. Do not go out on this beach.. It takes you away from the shore towards the middle of the lake, which is deep and cold. Do not go out with an east wind.

## Zones

- **Launch** — Launch zone
- **Lago Musters** — Navigation zone
- **Parking** — Parking

## Points of interest

- **Launch**: Where sessions start: beach between the lake and the gravel road.
- **Camping del Búlgaro**: Campsite on the lake shore, about 2.5 km northeast of the launch (OpenStreetMap).
- **Sandbanks**: Shallow waters and sandbanks in front of the farm when the lake is low: do not ride towards here.

## Hazards

- Strong and gusty west wind, with a lot of short chop: the lake is large and the wind crosses it entirely
- Deep lake and cold water all year round: use a wetsuit and vest
- East wind: blows from land and takes you to the middle of the lake
- Sandbanks and shallow waters to the southwest, in front of the farm, when the lake is low
- Far from everything: no services on the beach or rescue nearby, do not go out alone

## Obstacles

- Cars and vans on the gravel road that runs behind the beach
- Fishermen on the shore

## Facilities

- School
- Parking

## Restrictions

- Costa abierta, sin horarios.

[See it on Ventus Surf (3D map, zones and live forecast)](https://ventus.surf/spots/sarmiento-lago-musters-bYRP1Lt0HEx023kLEXwH?lang=en)