March is the last full month of the north-east monsoon, and on the south coast it is often the pick of the three. The swell is unchanged, the mornings are still offshore, and the season crowd has started to thin as the European winter ends.
The heat is building on land: March into April is the hottest stretch of the Sri Lankan year and the sea follows it up to 29°C. Nothing about that changes what you wear, and it does change how long you last, which on a coast of long, mellow reef waves is the point. Arugam Bay is still asleep and will not stir until May.
