Reviews

Our pilot Dave was fantastic. Navy Coast Guard trained provided an excellent safe trip. He was very attentive to everyone's needs. He showed us great sights ...lava , waterfalls, and awesome scenery. Great background music selections were added to our ride. Ask for Dave and have a great trip . It is worth the price.

Blue Hawaiian was recommended by the concierge at the Royal Hawaiian hotel. We took a 50 minute “Circle of Fire” tour from Hilo airport to see the volcano on the big island of Hawaii. We flew from Honolulu to Hilo just for the tour, and this worked out very well. The tour was great value: we saw steam coming up from the Pu’u O’o vent and from where the magma was flowing from the vent down to the ocean. We saw magma flowing through one of the holes, and the magma flowing into the ocean exploding in a hydromagmatic explosion was very impressive. Our pilot James was great, providing well-informed commentary on what we were seeing. We chose the eco-star helicopter, and even from a middle seat in the back the view was excellent. We bought the DVD of our flight, which was available about 20 minutes after we landed, and are very happy with the quality of it.

This is the best way to see the volcano activity on the Big Island. Our pilot/guide Julie was very good. We really enjoyed this activity. We will remember this experience for a long time.

I was worried that my fear of heights would ruin this event for me, I have never been able to do "virtual" helicopter tours. I shouldn't have been concerned, the sights were so amazing that I never had a chance to worry about heights. Our pilot was very knowledgeable of the entire area and history. I would recommend this to everyone.

Blue Hawaiian has a nice trip flying out of Hilo airport and taking over some of the waterfalls on the way to flying over Kilauea volcano. The flight was smooth and very stimulating. Flying over the active volcano, seeing flowing lava as well as lave meeting the sea was something we will remember for the rest of our lives!

My husband and I took the Circle of Fire tour of the volcano out of Hilo on the eco-star helicopter and had a great time. We had hiked in the Kilauea crater back in 1991, but had never seen it from above. The views of the volcano itself and the area where it empties into the ocean were fantastic and our pilot Julie got us in close for many photo opportunities. The staff was very professional and gave a thorough safety program for the flight before we left, and they made sure we were properly strapped in before we left. I'd repeat what others have said: Wear darker colors. Everyone on our flight did, except the person sitting in front of me. I had to constantly make sure his shirt wasn't reflected in my photos. The tour was a great opportunity to see some of the areas from the air that we'd planned to hike during the next week of our trip. We were really glad we splurged on taking the tour and would highly recommend it to visitors to the Big Island!!

What a fantastic tour!! I would highly recommend this tour. Our pilot, Cullen, was very entertaining. Please understand that they can not do anything about the amount of lava available to be seen. They will fly you to where the hot spots are so there should be some to see. Check the lava flow before you go. It was very interesting to fly over the only surviving home at the lava flow. We watched a documentary about the man that still lives there several months ago.

I was contacted at the hotel because of a cancellation by another person. When I arrived the flight was full and I proceeded to embark on what I perceived later as an overpriced tour. I had been to the volcanoes on foot several times before, so when flying over the same, I was not overly impressed. It was bad day for lava flow. I have had more scenic choppero rides in Vietnam, courtesy of Uncle Sam. I think the thing that really ticked me off about the tour was the CD that was provided was pretty much blank when I proceeded to play it for friends and family after returning home from my vacation.

Our flight was also canceled when we got there. Seems this must happen a lot especially in the rainy season. I'm glad however that they take safety so seriously. And since the lava is no longer flowing into the ocean, it wasn't as big a disappointment.

Timing is everything in this. On the cloudy, rainy scheduled date of our helo tour, the flight was cancelled at the last minute due to weather. We rescheduled for the next day. By that time, a new eruption had begun at Kilauea, which stopped four days later. Couldn't have worked out better. Our pilot was James. His commentary was very informative and he flew over the eruption twice - going to the coast and returning. Smooth, quiet flight. Seating in the back is cozy, but not too uncomfortable for a 50-minute flight. Only a couple things were less than perfect. They offer a DVD of your flight for sale. The helo has four cameras. One of ours had something dangling in the corner of the lens. That's something they should check on preflight. And, although they recommend dark clothing to limit reflection in photos, I wish they would stress that even more. A good time to do so would be during the reminder phone call the day before.

We decided to see the volcanic landscapes by air after reading many disappointed reviews of ground tours. We also knew not to expect much spectacle as the volcano had been relatively quiet up to our visit. (Have continued watching webcams and USGS website and wow - spectacular displays in early March). We were warmly welcomed at Waikaloa heliport for our two hour Circle of Fire and Waterfall flight and after a short wait, form filling and safety-briefing it was time to climb aboard. We chose an eco-copter and were not disappointed. My son and I were very lucky to score front seats and my husband had a rear window seat. He said he couldn't see that well but judging from his photos the side view was still pretty awesome. Our pilot (sorry - can't remember his name) was highly informative and far from boring - many interesting stories involving geological, natural and human history of island. He made sure that each side of the helicopter had plenty of time to view sites. We firstly skirted northern side of Mauna Kea (could see snow-capped summit and observatories) and then swung down to volcanic landscape. Could see lots of steam and smoke venting from cracks. Then flew around Pu'U'O'o vent - spectacular - could see a fumerole and a small lava trail perhaps indicating an active lava tube. (Note that the floor of this vent collapsed spectacularly a week or so ago - check out video on USGS website).We also saw parts of a subdivision still in existance that was evacuated years ago due to lava flows. As we had two empty seats we did not need to refuel at Hilo and so flew along east coast of island. Spectacular scenery and wow-Kohala waterfalls. Waimanu Valley was jaw-droppingly awesome (it is a mile deep). We flew right through it and because conditions favoured it, flew over back of valley, entered another amazing valley and circled upwards at end of valley till we burst out over plateau that led back to heliport (Waikoloa). We purchased the DVD of our flight and have enjoyed sharing it with friends and family. Be prepared to leave most belongings in your car or locked away in Blue Hawaiian's Office (for safety). Also good to wear dark clothing to minimize cabin reflection. The staff were all welcoming and friendly and gave good advice for our driving tour later that day.

First off: Blue Hawaiian seems a very professional outfit, our 50-minute "Circle of Fire" tour went smoothly and our pilot, Pam, was delightful--calm, collected, funny and informative. The aerial views of Pu'u O'o crater were impressive even though the volcano's been quiet for a while. I think I had a better view in the front than those seated behind me. I wasn't that comfortable in the A-Star (a bit bumpy, headphones uncomfortable for me) so I was glad we took a short tour. One of our party experienced some motion sickness, so take your dramamine beforehand if that's an issue for you. It's very pricey--for people who have mobility issues or don't like hiking, this is a great way to see the landscape, but next time I'll just spend more time on the ground exploring Volcanoes National Park.

I took the Big Island Spectacular tour that left at 12:15. I am an airline captain for a major airline based in Chicago. The ground support staff was friendly and attentive. Safety seemed to be a very high priority. The helicopter pilot was very friendly and informative. The aircraft was clean and well kept with the latest radio and safety equipment. The our itself was very exciting and professionally conducted. It was by far one of the highlights of my vacation here on the big island! Thanks for the great hospitality!! Nice Job!!

We took the Big Island Spectacular Helicopter Tour out of Waikoloa. This is a tour not to be missed if your on the Big Island! Shane was the pilot. He was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable and personable. The entire tour was breathtaking. I have taken other helicopter tours...this one was unquestionably the best ever. Don't miss the volcanoes!! Worth every penny!! Thank you, Shane!

Did the two hour Big Island Spectacular. Volcanes are not very active right now so mostly smoke and small amounts of "leaking lava" seen, but quite interesting. Pilots are very knowledgeable and answer questions. The whole thing is filmed and you can buy a video of it for $25 once you land. After going over the lava fields stop in Hilo for gas and a short break then up the coast and into valleys to see waterfalls and back around to the other side.