OC Beaches Reopen In Wake Of Tsunami Advisory

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A tsunami advisory was canceled Thursday for the coastal areas of California following a powerful earthquake that rattled in Chile.

The advisory was issued at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, for coastal areas from San Onofre State Beach to San Luis Obispo County, according to the National Weather Service.

Authorities say no further tsunami danger exists, though some areas may continue to experience small sea level change and unusual currents.

According to the Seal Beach Police Department, no property or large changes have been seen in sea level, however, strong currents are expected throughout the day.

The Orange County Emergency Operations Center recommended that residents stay off beaches and away from harbors as a precaution.

All Orange County beaches, harbors, piers and marinas reopened at 6 a.m., according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Meanwhile, officials have also gathered to advise swimmers to stay out of the water in Marina Del Rey where waves have risen about six inches.

"Even though you're not seeing much movement, you have to remember this is a huge volume of energy," said David Summers of the Los Angeles County Emergency Response. "There's the potential for rip currents and there's a lot happening under water that could knock people off boards or docks. Be extra cautious today even though it looks like nothing is going on."

The strongest currents were located in Ventura, with surges rising to just over a foot.

Waves reached 8.5 inches in Santa Barbara, 8 inches in Santa Monica and 7.5 inches in Port San Luis.

CBS2's Evelyn Taft explained a tsunami is a series of waves that can be dangerous hours after the initial arrival time. Taft added the waves seen early this morning may not be the largest, and strong currents could be present within the ocean.

No land evacuations have been ordered.

The magnitude-8.3 earthquake shook 144 miles northwest of Santiago, Chile's capital, just before 4 p.m. Pacific time.

In total, there were five aftershocks, which were all over a magnitude-6.0.

Chileans reported the rattling lasted almost a minute with waves of up to 15-feet.

Three people were killed, which spurred evacuation orders of an entire coastline due to a tsunami threat.