On a March morning at Arawak Cay in Nassau, a plate of stew lobster in brown gravy arrives at the breakfast table while the light off the harbor is still soft. Out on the cays, boats are heading for the last weeks of crawfish season, and the sea is slowly warming after winter. March in the Bahamas is a month of bright days, easy evenings and island-by-island variety, with Nassau, the Exumas, the Abacos, Grand Bahama and Bimini each offering a different version of late winter.
What is the weather like in the Bahamas in March?
March in Nassau is warm and mostly pleasant, with sunny afternoons, mild evenings and only a few showery days. The sea is still a little cool at the start of the month and keeps warming through spring, with the Exumas and Bimini a touch warmer than Nassau and Grand Bahama.
| Month | Nassau average high (°F) | Nassau average low (°F) | Nassau rain days | Sea at Nassau (°F) | Sea at the Exumas (°F) | Sea at Grand Bahama (°F) | Sea at Bimini (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | 80.0 | 65.0 | 4.3 | 76.0 | 77.2 | 76.7 | 76.2 |
| March | 81.3 | 66.0 | 4.5 | 77.5 | 78.9 | 77.6 | 78.6 |
| April | 83.7 | 69.1 | 5.8 | 78.7 | 80.0 | 78.2 | 79.3 |
In Nassau, the days are warm without being heavy. Afternoons suit a long walk around the old town, a lunch on a terrace or an hour on a beach towel, while the nights cool off enough that you may want a light layer when eating outside. Rain falls on only a handful of days, usually as a passing shower that clears and leaves the harbor glittering. The month brings just over two inches in total.
The sea tells a separate story from the air, and it differs from island to island. Around the Exumas and Bimini the water is warmer in March than around Nassau or Grand Bahama, which sit a little cooler.
Compared with February, the sea is clearly gentler on every coast, and April warms it further. Days stretch to about 12 hours of daylight in Nassau in mid-March, so there is room for a morning on the water and a late-afternoon walk before dark.
Where to go in the Bahamas in March
The Bahamas is an archipelago of about 700 islands and cays in the Atlantic, so the choice of island shapes the whole trip. March suits all of them, and the difference lies in what you want from your days: a lively capital, anchorages and boat bars, quiet cays, or a resort waterfront.
Nassau and Paradise Island
Nassau, the capital and the largest city, sits on the island of New Providence. March weather is ideal for exploring on foot, from the pastel colonial buildings downtown to the Queen’s Staircase, carved out of solid limestone in 1794 as a direct path between Fort Fincastle and central Nassau. The climb up the staircase is a pleasant way to spend a warm morning before the afternoon heat.
At Arawak Cay, the seafood stalls and restaurants serve conch salad and crawfish, and Gone Fishing offers stew lobster on its breakfast menu. Paradise Island, home to large hotels and resorts including Atlantis, appeals to travelers who want a resort stay with pools and beach time. With the sea at its mid-spring warmth, both areas fit a mix of city sightseeing and beach afternoons.
The Exumas
The Exumas have the warmest sea of the four places in our table in March, which makes the month a good moment for time on the water. Near Staniel Cay, Thunderball Grotto is an underwater cave whose entrance is hidden below the surface. Travelers can swim through at low tide to see colorful tropical fish, and the grotto rewards a morning when the light is clear.
Around George Town, Chat ‘N’ Chill on Stocking Island is a beach bar reachable only by boat. It serves cocktails and fresh conch salad, with a Sunday Pig Roast. The Exumas suit travelers who like the idea of days organized around boats, sandbars and a long lunch by the water rather than around sights.
The Abacos
The Abacos are a chain of cays strung along the Atlantic, with Marsh Harbour as the hub. Great Guana Cay has a five-mile white sand beach and surrounding coral reefs that draw day trippers and snorkelers, and March’s gentler sea makes a day around the reefs appealing.
Man-o-War Cay is famous for the boat building that dates back to the 1800s, and it is reached by boat or ferry from Marsh Harbour. It is a place to wander at a slow pace, looking at the boatyards and the tidy little harbor. The Abacos suit travelers who prefer small settlements and water-based days over big resorts.
Grand Bahama and Bimini
Grand Bahama, with Freeport and Lucaya as its main settlements, has a sea in March that is close to Nassau’s in temperature. Port Lucaya’s waterfront, with its harborside restaurants and shops, is a natural place for an evening stroll as the air cools.
Bimini, with Alice Town as its main settlement, has water as warm as the Exumas in March, and it is the island for travelers who want a small-island pace and days built around the sea. Both islands give a different, quieter feel than Nassau.
What to do in the Bahamas in March
The big seasonal event of March is on the plate: crawfish season runs from August 1 to March 31, so these are the final weeks to eat the spiny lobster at its freshest. On many restaurant menus in the Bahamas, crawfish and lobster are used interchangeably, and if another lobster variety is served, the menu names it specifically.
Eating crawfish before the season closes
Bahamian crawfish salad blends onions, sweet peppers, lime juice and diced lobster. It is often served on a bed of greens or all by itself, and it also makes a very good sandwich. Stew lobster, with big chunks of fresh crawfish simmered in a rich brown gravy, is served at breakfast at Gone Fishing on Arawak Cay.
Pair a lobster dish with conch salad, fried fish or a plate of peas and rice, and you have the classic Bahamian table. A seaside lunch in the Exumas or the Abacos works just as well as the stalls of Nassau, with a cold drink and a view of boats at anchor.
Days on and under the water
With the sea warming, March is a natural month for boat trips, snorkeling and beach hopping. Thunderball Grotto near Staniel Cay, the reefs around Great Guana Cay and the beach bars of Stocking Island are the kinds of outings the islands are known for, each with its own character.
On the land side, stroll the old streets of Nassau, climb the Queen’s Staircase and look out over the harbor. In Man-o-War Cay, look in at the boat-building workshops. Between these and an unhurried lunch, a March day fills itself.
Is the Bahamas busy in March?
March sits in the winter-to-spring stretch of the year, when travelers from colder places look for warm sunshine, and the islands feel lively in the places built for visitors. Resort areas such as Paradise Island are the most likely to feel the traffic, since they are built around large hotels and a steady flow of guests.
School spring breaks in the U.S. fall in this month for many families, and Easter lands in March or April depending on the year. Those weeks can bring more energy to beaches, pools and restaurants in the main resort areas, so a trip timed around them has a livelier mood.
The smaller islands have a different rhythm. In the Exumas and the Abacos, the pace comes from boats, anchorages and small settlements, and a day on Man-o-War Cay or a beach on Great Guana Cay feels removed from the resort scene. Bimini and Grand Bahama sit somewhere between the two.
If you want the quieter side of the month, build your days around the cays and the early hours. Take breakfast at a harborside place, spend midday on the water and keep the evening for a simple dinner. The islands reward travelers who choose their island to match the pace they want.
What to pack for the Bahamas in March
Days are warm and nights are mild in Nassau, so packing is mostly about summer clothes with one light layer for the evening. On the boats of the Exumas and the Abacos, the sea and the sun shape what you bring more than the air temperature does.
- Light, breathable clothes for warm afternoons in Nassau and on the cays.
- A light layer for the evenings, when the air cools off after sunset.
- Swimwear, since the sea is warming on every island and boat days are a highlight.
- Sunscreen and a hat for long days on the water.
- Comfortable sandals or shoes for the old streets of Nassau and the Queen’s Staircase.
- A light rain jacket for the occasional passing shower.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates the Bahamas Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, and says most crime occurs in Nassau on New Providence and in Freeport on Grand Bahama.
March falls outside the official Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. For entry, the Bahamas Department of Immigration asks every traveler for a passport valid for at least six months (passport cards are not accepted) and a completed Disembarkation/Embarkation Card.
U.S. citizens do not need a Bahamian visa for a visit of up to eight months, but they must hold a return or onward ticket and may be asked for proof of sufficient funds. Marijuana is illegal in the Bahamas, with strict penalties.
Is March a good time to visit the Bahamas?
March is a very good time to visit, especially for travelers who want warm days, mild evenings and a sea that is on its way up. The Exumas and Bimini have the warmest water of the places in our table, which suits a trip built around boats and snorkeling, while Nassau offers the widest mix of city walks, food and beach time.
Compared with February, March is a little warmer in the air and clearly warmer in the sea, with just a touch more rain. Compared with April, it is slightly cooler and has fewer rainy days, and the sea still has a few degrees of warming to come. March sits in a comfortable middle: spring arrives, but evenings stay gentle.
For travelers who like to plan around food, March has a clear advantage. Crawfish season is in its last weeks, so stew lobster, crawfish salad and lobster sandwiches are on menus at their seasonal peak. It is a good month to eat at Arawak Cay, in the Exumas and across the Abacos with a plate of lobster in front of you.
What is special about March in the Bahamas is that timing: the last weeks of crawfish season, a sea that is warming island by island, and days long enough to fit both a morning boat trip and an evening walk along the harbor.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI, GHCN-Daily station BF000078073 (Nassau Airport), normals 1991-2020 computed from the daily record (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=daily-summaries&stations=BF000078073), checked October 10, 2026
- Open-Meteo Marine API, average 2015-2024, checked October 10, 2026
- sunrise-sunset.org, sunrise and sunset calculated for the 15th of the month, checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, crawfish season (https://www.bahamas.com/blog/its-crawfish-season), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Geography of the Bahamas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikivoyage, The Bahamas (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/The_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Island FAQ (https://www.bahamas.com/plan-your-trip/island-faq), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, The Bahamas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Nassau and Paradise Island (New Providence) (https://www.bahamas.com/islands/nassau-paradise-island), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), The Exumas (https://www.bahamas.com/islands/the-exumas), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), The Abacos (https://www.bahamas.com/islands/abacos), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Department of Immigration, Entry requirements (https://www.immigration.gov.bs/entry-requirements/), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Department of Immigration, Before your arrival (https://www.immigration.gov.bs/entry-requirements/before-your-arrival/), checked October 10, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Information, Entry and exit requirements (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Advisory, Level 2 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 10, 2026
To plan your stay
- Things to Do in the Bahamas: Beaches, Blue Holes, Swimming Pigs and Fish Fry
- Where to Stay in the Bahamas: Best Islands, Resorts, Boutique Stays and How to Choose
- Getting Around the Bahamas: Flights, Ferries, Mailboats and Taxis in Nassau
- Know Before You Go to the Bahamas: Entry Rules, Money, Getting Around and Local Customs