We're in the final days of the working year and all eyes are on the nationwide forecast, not just for the weather on Christmas Day but also the surf outlook through the festive period.

In short, nowhere is expected to be great next week, though there should be a few workable windows for the keen across most locations, with Western Australia looking to provide the best waves this Sunday.

The average run of swell and onshore winds for the south of the country is linked to a persistent, positive Southerly Annular Mode (SAM) event. That being a retraction of the Southern Ocean storm track towards Antarctica, and higher pressure across the mid-latitudes.

We're currently in a strengthened positive mode which is bringing persistent, cool south-easterly winds across South Australia and Victoria.

On the western flank of the high pressure, Western Australia is seeing persistent offshore winds which are drawing inland heat to the coast but without any major swell (apart from the Monday just gone).

Looking at the Christmas/New Year period, a strong + SAM event will continue and this will see the status quo continuing.

West Oz dreaming (Mick Gullan)

Poor levels of stormy southeast windswell are due on the Surf Coast for Christmas Day, while Boxing Day looks tricky thanks to an inland low moving west across Bass Strait. This should see winds tend more variable and then possibly southwest into the afternoon, with a random mix of easing southeast windswell and background southwest swell.

There's still room for movement with such a tricky system this far out so keep an eye on the Forecaster Notes tomorrow and Monday for a clearer idea on the chance for a morning offshore breeze.

The rest of the week looks dicey with smaller surf and persistent southwest winds through Bass Strait.

South Australia will remain cold and onshore through the weekend and early next week, with an improvement in conditions possible Wednesday, but more likely next Thursday morning before the next strong and southerly change pushes through.

A peaky mix of 2-3ft waves should be seen across Middleton with tiny surf inside the gulf.

Looking at Western Australia and this Sunday looks the pick of the holiday period thanks to the arrival of a good mix of southwest swells under morning offshore winds. The Margaret River region will be the pick with surf to 5-6ft while Perth and Mandurah look small to tiny.

Early Christmas morning should offer fun waves as the swell starts to ease with the rest of the week looking smaller (wind affected Tuesday/Wednesday). There's better surf due the following weekend leading up to New Year's Eve though focussed to the South West magnets again.

On the East Coast, there's not much to work with following the trade-swell due tomorrow afternoon, through the weekend. Smaller, background levels of east swell with morning offshores should provide fun options each day through next week, biggest in Queensland and northern NSW, grading smaller towards the far South Coast.

In Tasmania, the east coast will be see fun levels of easterly swell through the weekend, followed by increasingly stormy weather and surf through Christmas/Boxing Day. As the low repsonsible drifts further south mid-week, conditions should improve rapidly along with good amounts of easing east swell through Wednesday, smaller Thursday. Meanwhile the South Arm will have fun, persistent levels of southwest swell with winds largely from the east, followed by a southwest change later in the week. Surfers will need to think outside the square to find clean runners.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Swellnet team.