Large swells and gale force winds are expected off the Santa Barbara County coast through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

The agency said gusty northwest winds will last through early Friday morning, with gusts up to 35 knots expected. High surf also is expected to continue, with waves peaking through Friday afternoon, according to the forecast.

The National Weather Service said surf breakers will be 12 to 15 feet, with higher sets across the Central Coast. Surf of 6 to 12 feet is likely to affect beaches in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with a high risk for rip currents.

The forecast calls for surf to diminish by Saturday morning, with increasing offshore winds by Saturday night into Sunday morning.

The Central Coast was hit with the first breakers from a pair of swells barreling toward Southern California on Tuesday. High surf reached 10 to 14 feet and posed the potential danger of rip currents to surfers and beach-goers.

The National Weather Service also warned of hazardous conditions at west- and northwest-facing harbor entrances because of the wave action.

“Operators of small craft should consider remaining in port later this week … especially those along the Central Coast,” the agency said.

A swimmer died in Huntington Beach on Monday after being overcome by a riptide produced by the same storm system affecting the Central Coast.

» Click here for the complete National Weather Service forecast.

— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper and intern Daniel Langhorne can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com and dlanghorne@noozhawk.com, respectively. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.