“Have to be vigilant, and people just follow protocol.”
Vanuatu authorities called on residents to evacuate coastal areas less than 12 meters above sea level and within 300 meters of the shoreline.
Ana Erik, who runs a beach hotel on Tanna Island in Vanuatu ahead of the quake, told AFP she decided to move with her children to higher ground after higher-than-usual waves pounded a nearby beach.
He said the waves were knee high.
While he decided to evacuate as a precaution, others were still watching the waves, Eric said.
In New Caledonia, police evacuated the coast and activated tsunami sirens.
Civil protection chief Frederic Marchi-Lecchia said waves that hit the New Caledonia islands of Mare and Ile des Pins “did not exceed 50 centimeters”.
“Sirens were sounded across the region as security forces and firefighters evacuated coastal areas,” he said.