Amelia Island water temperature in March
Key facts
The Atlantic off Amelia Island averages 64.7°F in March — brisk. A short swim is fine if you keep moving; a spring suit helps. That is 7.9°F below the island’s annual average of 72.6°F, and 4.4°F up on February.
- Average daily high to low
- Ocean temperature
March in the water
March is when the curve turns. The sea gains a few degrees over the month, but from a low base — a wetsuit is still the difference between a surf and a swim. Spring winds also mean the most chop of the year, so visibility drops even as the temperature rises.
At 64.7°F the sea is 7.9°F below the island’s annual average of 72.6°F. The air reaches 72.2°F in March, a gap of 7.5°F, noticeable for the first thirty seconds and then gone.
What to wear
A 3/2 full suit is the normal choice. A spring suit works for a short surf on a calm, sunny day.
Where this number comes from
64.7°F is the mean of every hourly reading for March across 2023, 2024 and 2025 at NOAA CO-OPS station 8720218, Mayport (Bar Pilots Dock), FL — about 30 km south of the island. The Fernandina Beach station on the island has no water-temperature sensor, so no on-island long record exists to average. We would rather say that plainly than publish an on-island figure we cannot support.
A monthly mean is not a forecast. The real ocean in any given March week moves several degrees around this figure, and a hard south-westerly can pull colder water up onto the shelf in a day. For the reading right now, the offshore waverider buoy 41112 (Offshore Fernandina Beach, FL, 17 km ENE) reports water temperature alongside wave height — that is what feeds our surf report and beach conditions.
March against the months either side
| February | March | April | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature | 60.3°F | 64.7°F | 71.2°F |
| Our reading | Cold | Brisk | Comfortable |
| Air high | 66.6°F | 72.2°F | 77.4°F |
The annual mean is 72.6°F, and the sea lags the air by about two months in both directions — see water temperature by month for why that lag matters more than the raw number.
Next and previous months
Planning a March beach day
Part of Amelia Island water temperature by month.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the water temperature at Amelia Island in March?
- The ocean averages 64.7°F (18.2°C) in March, from three years of hourly NOAA readings at the nearest sensor with a long record — station 8720218, 30 km south of the island. A given week moves several degrees around that.
- Can you swim at Amelia Island in March?
- Brisk at 64.7°F. A short swim is fine if you keep moving; a spring suit helps.
- Do you need a wetsuit at Amelia Island in March?
- A 3/2 full suit is the normal choice. A spring suit works for a short surf on a calm, sunny day.