Wednesday evening in Waikiki ended in classic Hawaiian style, with a stunning red, orange and gold sunset, children laughing and splashing in waves lapping the shore – and parents sipping cocktails from plastic cups.

A small California coastal city near the border with Oregon that has recorded dozens of tsunamis, including one that killed 11 people more than 60 years ago, saw little damage Wednesday as locals returned to their routines amid sunny skies in the town known as a tsunami magnet.

Watch: Tsunami waves hit Hawaii and head for US west coast after massive pacific earthquake -

Officials from Japan to California issued warnings after an 8.8-magnitude quake off Russia’s coast. Hours later, there were no immediate reports of major damage, although some areas remained on alert.

A powerful earthquake off Russia’s coast triggered tsunami waves that reached across the Pacific, prompting evacuations as far as Chile and Peru. Experts explain how sudden shifts in the ocean can send waves traveling more than 500 mph thousands of miles away.