A tsunami warning issued for Hawaii after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded, an 8.8 magnitude in Russia's Far East, was downgraded to an advisory after small waves peaked.

The worst predictions did not come to pass after a major earthquake off the coast of Russia sent a surge of water across the Pacific.

The 8.8 magnitude temblor struck off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, an isolated strip along the Pacific Ocean, overnight. Residents of the peninsula fled inland as 16-foot waves caused flooding.