Buildings swayed and a swimming pool shipped water - Richmond sure felt the effect of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Vancouver Island.
The quake, centred about 80 kilometres south of Port Alice at 12: 42 p.m. on Friday, was felt across the Lower Mainland, including Richmond.
Les Carlos was working at his computer on the 12th floor of the Paloma 1 building, just south of the Westminster Highway and No. 3 Road intersection when he suddenly felt dizzy.
Little did he know that his building was swaying to the beat of the Vancouver Island earthquake - the most severe since 2004.
"I felt kind of weird and then I looked up and noticed the Venetian blinds and the plants were swaying," Carlos said.
"Then I heard cracking inside the walls and realized it must be an earthquake."
Carlos said he was too shocked to do much else, but said he didn't want to venture from his apartment in case he'd be in more danger on the stairwell.
"I was more stunned than scared, I really wasn't sure what to do," he added.
"I think it went on for about a minute, it was very weird. My sister lives close by, but she didn't feel a thing."
Other reports indicated that a family swimming pool in Richmond had shipped up to four inches of water due to the swaying caused by the quake.
Many people in Richmond, however, felt nothing and were oblivious to the fact there had even been a quake.
A tsunami warning wasn't issued and there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.
The West Coast Tsunami Warning Centre said that some coastal areas from Alaska to California may experience "nondamaging sea level changes" but in areas that experienced "strong ground-shaking, local tsunamis are possible due to underwater landslides."
