Waves set off by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake off the west coast of Canada hit Hawaii Saturday night, but authrorities said the highest waves were about 5 feet and reported no damage.

The first waves hit around 10:30 p.m. local time (4:30 a.m. EDT). The tsunami warning for Hawaii was downgraded to an advisory around 1 a.m. local time, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, and evacuation orders were lifted for coastal areas, a Hawaii civil defense official told Reuters.

But Gov. Neil Abercrombie said beaches and harbors will remain closed, Fox News reported.

Gerard Fryer of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the largest wave in the first 45 minutes of the tsunami was measured at 5 feet in Maui. He cautioned the first waves are usually not the biggest for tsunamis in Hawaii and that it could be as long as seven hours before the warning is canceled if waves get bigger.

"It's beginning to look like the evacuation may not have been necessary," Fryer said.

The National Weather Service said there are reports of water quickly receding in bays, including Hilo Bay on the Big Island.

The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said parts of coastal Oregon and northern California also were placed under a tsunami advisory.

The alerts came after the U.S. Geological Survey said the 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit British Columbia, centered 123 miles south-southwest of Prince Rupert at a depth of 6.2 miles, Reuters reported.

Earthquakes Canada said the quake in the Haida Gwaii region has been followed by numerous aftershocks as large as 4.6 and said a small tsunami has been recorded by a deep ocean pressure sensor.

"It was felt across much of north-central B.C., including Haida Gwaii, Prince Rupert, Quesnel, and Houston. There have been no reports of damage at this time," the agency said in a statement on its website.

Officials with Emergency Management B.C. said in a conference call that while power supply had been hit in some areas, there was no major damage reported.

Earthquake Tsunami Canada