'It'll be bigger than 35 feet': Mavericks set to break this week

John Mel, right, and another surfer, vie for the same wave at Mavericks on Friday December 13, 2019 in Half Moon Bay, California. John Mel, right, and another surfer, vie for the same wave at Mavericks on Friday December 13, 2019 in Half Moon Bay, California. Photo: Frank Quirarte Photo: Frank Quirarte Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close 'It'll be bigger than 35 feet': Mavericks set to break this week 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

It's the first monster swell of the season, and famed big-wave surf spot Mavericks is forecast to break.

Waves over 35 feet are expected to break a half-mile offshore from Half Moon Bay, beginning Wednesday night.

"I'm on my way there now," Ben Schutzer, a surf photographer who shoots big waves, said on Monday morning. "This is the first significant swell of the year. Tuesday isn’t the day. It’s more Wednesday night into Thursday. Thursday has really clean winds. The swell stalled a little bit and truncated in size. It’s still going to be massive. I think it'll be bigger than 35 feet."

Schutzer said when he arrives in the Bay Area, he'll be making a lot of runs to the airport to pick up surfers who will be pouring in to catch epic rides on big waves.

"Hawaii gets the swell a day before we do," he said. "A lot of them jump to Hawaii and and then fly back here."

ALSO: Record-setting 75-foot-tall wave recorded off California coast

A fierce Pacific Ocean storm off the Aleutian Islands is sending the giant swell to Bay Area beaches this week.

The National Weather Service issued a beach hazards statement for 1 p.m. Tuesday through 9 p.m. Wednesday. This may be changed as the swell approaches.

West- and northwest-facing beaches from northern Sonoma County through Monterey County will be hit hardest, with breakers in excess of 25 feet possible at many beaches including San Francisco's Ocean Beach, Montara State Beach, Half Moon Bay State Beach, Carmel's Monastery Beach and Marina State Beach. With dry weather in the forecast this week, people may be heading out for beach walks and should be wary.

Off-shore breaks such as Mavericks will see even bigger waves.

Rip currents and sneaker waves are also a risk. "Sneaker waves aren't necessarily taller waves, but they can run farther up the beach and grab you," said Anna Schneider, a forecaster with the National Weather Service's Monterey office.

The NWS is warning people to stay off coastal jetties and to keep your eyes on kids and pets at beaches.

Amy Graff is a digital editor at SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.