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WICKANINISH BEACH, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — British Columbians are being urged to stay away from coastal areas that remain under a tsunami advisory, after one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded triggered warnings and alerts around the Pacific.
The District of Tofino says beaches are closed, while the province’s emergency information agency says people in areas covered by the advisory should stay away from shorelines, with strong waves and currents possible.
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Emergency Info BC had said tsunami waves of less than 30 centimetres were expected to hit Tofino, B.C., around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, but there was no immediate confirmation of their arrival that coincided with a low tide.
However, at 1:20 a.m. Pacific daylight time, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated its tsunami bulletin to include regional observations. For British Columbia, that included an “observed maximum tsunami height” of six centimetres at Langara Island, 27 centimetres at Winter Harbour, 21 centimetres at Tofino and nine centimetres at Bamfield.
The quake that hit off the coast of southeastern Russia on Tuesday had a preliminary magnitude of 8.8, which would make it the world’s strongest quake since 2011.
The tsunami advisory in B.C. covers the North Coast and Haida Gwaii, the Central Coast and northeastern Vancouver Island, the island’s west coast and the Juan de Fuca Strait from the Jordan River area to Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula.
Signs alerting people about the tsunami advisory were posted at Wickaninish Beach in Pacific Rim National 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 overnight searching for the news about the tsunami. However, most appeared to be staying put for the night.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami as high as 40 centimetres was detected in 16 locations as the waves moved south along the Pacific coast.
But officials urged caution, saying bigger waves could come later, with the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Centre saying waves higher than three metres were possible in parts of Hawaii, Ecuador and Russia.
Damage and evacuations were reported in the Russian regions nearest the quake’s epicentre on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
— With files by The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025.
Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press
