Beginning late tomorrow, wave faces will begin to rise to about 8 feet and reach 15 or 16 feet by Saturday, according to the National Weather Service and one veteran surf forecaster.

Meteorologist Pat Caldwell said he may even increase his wave-height forecast for this weekend to "10-foot Hawaiian," which under current National Weather Service standards translates to a 20-foot wave face.

"We definitely have above par for our typical big south swell," Caldwell said today. "It's something in line with a 5- to 10-year episode. It's a biggie coming."

An exceptionally strong storm southeast of New Zealand last week, which peaked Friday and Saturday, is sending the waves.

The early May waves are not always a forecast of what may come during the summer months, when the south shore comes alive with waves.

But April saw the best surf in 30 years, Caldwell said, with several days of waves with 8-foot faces ­ that's 4 foot Hawaiian style.