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ASSOCIATED PRESS / BRUCE CHAMBERS
The Seal Beach Pier is closed Friday in Seal Beach, Calif. An 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern coast of Japan, causing tsunami advisories as far away as the United States' west coast.
ASSOCIATED PRESS / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER / BRUCE CHAMBERS
The Seal Beach Pier is closed Friday in Seal Beach, Calif. A 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern coast of Japan, causing tsunami advisories as far away as the United States' west coast.
ASSOCIATED PRESS / JEFF BARNARD
A Coast Guard helicopter flies above Pebble Beach in Crescent City, Calif. on Friday where onlookers watch for the predicted surges of a tsunami. The first small surge was spotted at 7:38 a.m. and continued.
CRESCENT CITY, Calif. >> Waves surged along California’s coast from a tsunami triggered by the massive earthquake in Japan.
The tide began rising shortly after 7:30 a.m. along beaches in Crescent City, where the tsunami was expected to hit the hardest in California. Officials predicted that waves could reach as high as 7 feet.
Local officials activated tsunami warning sirens along the coast and have urged residents in low-lying areas to seek higher ground.
At Santa Cruz, some surfers ventured out on the water to take advantage of decent waves ahead of the tidal wave — and stayed in the water until the level plunged when the tsunami hit and caused several surges.
Elsewhere, emergency officials closed some beaches and advised people to stay away from the shoreline.
