Parts of the USA are under a tsunami warning after a volcanic eruption in the South Pacific.
The impacts of the tsunami have begun hitting the West Coast as officials warned of unpredictable currents, waves and tides, which could endanger swimmers and boats at sea.
The eruption occurred over 8,000 kilometres away from the majority of locations on the West Coast near Tonga.
The tsunami caused people to rush to higher ground and caused communication with the nation to be disrupted.
A tsunami advisory is in effect for Hawaii, Alaska and the U.S. Pacific coast as officials urge people to avoid beaches and marinas.
In Southern California, beaches and piers were closed as a precaution due to possible strong rip currents.
However, the National Weather Service said there were "no significant concerns about inundation."
The first waves arrived before 9 a.m. on the southern Oregon coast and measured over one foot tall, while California's central coast saw waves of up to 2.5 feet. Higher waves are expected to arrive later in the day.
The National Weather Service warned people to stay away from harbours and not go to the coastal destinations to watch the tsunami.
San Diego County, Oregon's public safety office tweeted: "Please move off the beach and out of the harbors and marinas. Avoid the coastline. Do not go to the coast to watch the tsunami."
Despite this, however, crowds still gathered at the Santa Cruz harbour on Saturday morning to watch.
Flooding was reported in beach parking lots at Port San Luis, where the NWS observed a wave of almost three feet.
Seismologist Lucy Jones warned people in affected areas to stay away from beaches, adding that moving water has "huge momentum" that can damage port areas.
She said: "Tsunamis are not one wave. It's more like sloshing and that sloshing can continue for a day. Just because the first wave has passed, it is not time to go see the beach."
Videos on social media videos showed large waves crashing ashore in Tonga.
The Tonga Meteorological Services said waves of 2.7 feet had been recorded and issued a tsunami warning for all of the archipelago.
Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of injuries.
