Rescuers have lost hope of finding alive a teenage boy who was swept off rocks at a popular beach.
The 15-year-old went missing around 3pm AEDT on Christmas Eve off North Avoca Beach on the NSW Central Coast.
Search efforts on Christmas Day involving police, NSW Ambulance, Surf Life Saving NSW, Central Coast Council Lifeguards and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter failed to find the young man.
NSW police say following expert advice from 6am on Thursday "the operation will move into a recovery phase with resources being scaled back".
The teen was one of three 15-year-olds swept from the rocks and into the sea when the boys were hit by a wave.
Two of the boys scrambled back onto the rocks, before raising the alarm.