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 powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami waves of up to 16 feet nearby, and sparked evacuation orders in Japan, Hawaii and across the Pacific on Wednesday (July 30).

A magnitude 8.2 earthquake caused a tsunami that killed more than 5,200 people on Dec. 30, 1703, according to NOAA data. The event occurred off the southwest Boso Peninsula, which is just south of Tokyo, Japan.

An 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s eastern coast on late Wednesday morning, local time. The quake triggered tsunami waves across the Pacific that hit Russia, Japan, Canada and parts of the US coast.

Past strong earthquakes have caused massive and damaging waves far away, but scientists say these tsunami waves were tame by comparison across the Pacific basin.

Alerts were issued across the Pacific following the 8.8 magnitude quake in Russia's Far East, but no deaths were reported.

Tsunami warnings were lifted across the Pacific rim Wednesday, allowing millions of temporary evacuees to return home.

One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia, triggering tsunami warnings from Russia to Japan, Hawaii and the West Coast.

Hawaii officials say the timing of the tsunami warning and evacuation orders following this week's massive earthquake off Russia helped make for severe traffic congestion in some areas