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The advisory initially said tsunami waves of less than 30 centimetres were expected to hit Tofino, B.C., around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, after the quake that had a preliminary magnitude of 8.8.

Overnight, the U.S. ´ºÉ«Ö±²¥ Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the waves were highest in B.C. at Langara Island, on the northern end of Haida Gwaii, at 27 centimetres.

They were 21 centimetres in Tofino.

The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness issued a bulletin saying the province was standing down its operations centre.

"No zones of coastal British Columbia are at risk. Repeat, no zones of coastal British Columbia are at risk," the 6:25 a.m. bulletin said.

John Cassidy, an earthquake seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said in an interview Wednesday that there are valuable lessons to be learned from the emergency, related to both the response and the science.

"We have the same type of earthquakes off the coast of Vancouver Island, Washington, Oregon, and off of Haida Gwaii as well. So we'll be looking at data from this earthquake that will tell us something about how the sea floor moved and how that related to tsunami generation," he said.

"Others will be looking at this, whether you're a tsunami modeler or involved in emergency management (looking at) the best way to get the information out to individuals along the coast. So lots to learn."

Cassidy said instruments around the region, including Canada, would have given experts a sense of the magnitude and location of the earthquake within minutes as well as an early indication of whether there was a tsunami potential.

He said tsunami waves in the open ocean travel at about the same speed as a commercial airliner.

Cassidy said buoys in the ocean detect how much of a wave is passing overheard, which allows NOAA to pass information on to provinces and local governments.

While the advisory was in place, British Columbians were urged to stay away from the coast.

The District of Tofino had closed beaches and the province's emergency information agency warned of strong waves and currents.

The quake struck just before 4:25 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, about 119 kilometres east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of about 180,000 residents in Russia's Kamchatka region.

The preliminary magnitude of 8.8 would make it the world's strongest quake since 2011, and one of the 10 most powerful recorded since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Signs alerting people about the now-cancelled tsunami advisory had been posted at Wickaninnish Beach in Pacific Rim ´ºÉ«Ö±²¥ Park, southeast of Tofino, but people continued to take in Tuesday's sunset, although the parking lot was mostly empty.

Campers at the JX Surf Shop campground between Tofino and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island were glued to their phones Tuesday night searching for the news about the tsunami, but most campers appeared to be staying put.

Beyond B.C., the quake sent tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast.

Several people were injured, but none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far. 

Authorities warned the risk from the quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground. 

The worst appeared to have passed for many areas, including the U.S., Japan and the affected parts of Russia. But Chile raised its tsunami warning to the highest level for most of its lengthy Pacific coast and said it was evacuating hundreds of people.

In the immediate aftermath of the quake off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula, residents fled inland as ports flooded, and several were injured while rushing to leave buildings.

— With files by Dirk Meissner in Wickaninnish Beach, and The Associated Press

This report by ´ºÉ«Ö±²¥was first published July 30, 2025.