The coming Christmas forecast period is quite dynamic across the country with plenty of surf, hot weather and some standout regions.

All I want for Christmas is a couple of empty barrels, a couple of empty barrels, yes, a couple of empty barrels

Queensland: Small waves are expected for the beachbreaks on Christmas day, with a peaky mid range SE swell providing 2ft+ waves at exposed spots. Conditions should be OK with early light winds and afternoon sea breezes but no major size or strength is expected in the surf. 

Northern NSW: Similar to Queensland but with a touch more energy and size from the south-east swell, although moderate to fresh onshore winds are likely to develop throughout the day which will create bumpy conditions at times. Aim for the morning for the best surf; variable breezes are expected on Boxing Day.

Sydney: The trend of small wind waves continues down the East Coast with fun 2-3ft easterly Christmas swell expected across most beaches. Conditions should be OK early with light winds, ahead of freshening north-east breezes, with Boxing Day playing out similarly with early lighter northerly breezes.

Victoria: Probably the standout across the country with the arrival of a very inconsistent but good west-southwest groundswell under hot, all-day offshore winds. The beaches on the Surf Coast will likely offer the best waves with the northerly aspect of the wind, with strong but inconsistent 3ft to occasionally 4ft sets. The Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island will be larger and best suited to experienced surfers at breaks that will handle the 6ft+ long-period groundswell. The weekend will continue to provide plenty of swell but with onshore winds.

South Australia: Coming in at a close second to Victoria, the Victor Harbor region will see the same strong groundswell under hot morning offshore winds ahead of a cool and blustery afternoon onshore change. The Middleton stretch will probably be the pick, with Waits and Parsons verging on being too big and only for the experienced boardriders. The Mid Coast should offer small 1-2ft sets, but conditions will deteriorate with the northerly breeze and then south-west change. A much stronger swell is due to build on Boxing Day to 2-3ft through the late afternoon, and with winds swinging south-southeast late, both Saturday and Sunday morning will be the pick of the Christmas period.

Tasmania: The same groundswell hitting Victoria and South Australia on Christmas Day will impact the South Arm with much less size, coming in at an infrequent 2ft. Conditions will be clean all day with a hot offshore wind, perfect for a refreshing paddle. The East Coast will see building levels of north-east windswell, becoming quite solid later in the day but along with strong northerly winds. Protected northern corners will be the best option through the afternoon, but with less size. The north-east swell should peak Saturday morning with large 4-6ft sets across north-east facing beaches, and a gusty southerly change is due to move up the coast early-mid morning, creating clean conditions at these breaks. It will only be for experienced surfers though, and a rapid drop in size is due through the day.

Western Australia: It's been a long time between significant swells across Western Australia, but luckily the drought will be broken tomorrow. Following a strong long-period SW groundswell pulse on Wednesday and Thursday, a larger, more consistent SW groundswell is due to fill in through Christmas Day. The Margaret River region should build to an easy 6-8ft+ and fresh to strong S/SE winds will favour protected bays and points. The swell is due to only be in the 1-2ft range around Perth, kicking to 2ft+ through the afternoon but with average conditions thanks to gusty sea breezes. Saturday looks excellent as the swell eases under straight offshore winds (possibly a bit blowy for exposed breaks in the Lower South West early morning).