UPDATED: Tsunami Advisory Issued for Area Beaches

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a tsunami advisory Friday morning for the coastal areas of Southern California, including Marina del Rey and Playa del Rey, and called for people to stay out of the water, off the beach and out of marinas.

According to NOAA's website, "Significant, widespread inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory."

An 8.9-magnitude earthquake occurred off Japan's coast at approximately 9:46 Thursday night, creating a tsunami that hit Japan's coast minutes later.

NOAA estimates that waves from the earthquake would hit Los Angeles at approximately 8:30 a.m. with wave amplitudes peaking two to three hours after the first surge.

"In Southern California there haven't been any reports of any widespread damage," said Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Matt Levesque about an hour after the first tsunami-generated waves were expected to arrive.

The NOAA has been collecting tsunami-generated wave information and reported a 1-foot surge at 8:44 a.m. in Santa Monica.

A more severe tsunami warning was issued for parts of northern California and morning reports showed an 8-foot amplitude wave in Crescent City at 8:44 a.m. and a 6-foot swell in Port San Luis, west of San Luis Obispo.

Although Santa Monica Beach and the Santa Monica Pier were closed, Venice Beach remained open, and a surfer was spotted in the water around 7:15 a.m.

Police in helicopters later buzzed Venice Beach and issued a broadcast to beachgoers urging them to get out of the water.

The impact of the expected surge could last up to 12 hours, officials said. Levesque said no evacuations were expected along the Southern California coastline.

"We're not anticipating too many issues," said Battalion Commander Dean Ulrich of the Los Angeles City Fire Department. Ulrich said the county's Department Operational Center was on alert, but "they aren't looking at any evacuations."

"They are looking at a 3-foot surge at low tide," Ulrich said. "We get that on a nice-going storm."

Santa Monica Fire Chief Carl Bjerke told Santa Monica Patch that the potential surge would have different effects along the coastline, depending on whether the area in question has a harbor or a bay.

Redondo Beach and Marina del Rey, for example, "might have some issues" because they have a harbor. He said boats that are moored or tied to docks could be impacted by the expected 3-foot surge.

This story was updated at 10:15 a.m.