Passengers of the Pride of America from Norwegian Cruise Line docked in Hilo were expected to return to the harbor for a departure time of 6 p.m. Once the state of Hawaii declared a state of emergency due to the tsunami at approximately 2:45 p.m., the cruise liner had to abruptly set sail at 4 p.m.

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 entire U.S. West Coast was facing a tsunami threat after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake erupted off Russia's eastern coast on Tuesday. A tsunami warning was issued in Hawaii, Northern California and in Alaska,

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).