Reviews

My wife and I have never been in a helicopter before. So this was a first time experience. They picked us up at the hotel, had us at the location in minutes and reviewed a few safety items with us. We went along the north coast to see amazing views, then up the valley to see waterfall after waterfall. BEAUTIFUL! We would have never see some of the things we saw, if not for Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. The pilot was very knowledgeable about the island and did a great job interacting with us. My wife can get a bit claustrophobic and the pilot noticed she was getting uncomfortable. He turned up the air conditioning, redirected his vents and talked to her a bit. She did great and it was a great adventure.

Best way to get a comprehensive view of the Big Island Easy check-in process. Easy safety video and question/answer BIS took us all over -- volcano, jungle, rainforest, etc Captain was John T and he was terrific I even ordered the DVD which for $25 is a great keepsake Must do!!

The pilot was Mark and we both agree that he made this flight the best part of our vacation. He brought us up and over the active volcanos and spent about 45 miniutes over them showing us the damage the lava has done and getting us close enough to actually see the lava flow. We can't say enough good things about this tour and feel that Mark made it and the way he flew. We can't thank him or Blue Hawaiian Helicopters enough

Our family of four (2 adults, 2 teens) spent 3 days in the Volcano area to tour the Hawaii Volcanos National Park. For a volcano enthusiast like myself, it was not enough time to hike all the trails in the park. To see lava when we were there, it was necessary to take a guide aross private land to the ocean entry which was outside the park boundary. We opted to pay just a little bit more and see it by helicopter instead. No regrets. Not only did we see lava at the ocean entry, but we got a good overview of the park and saw lava at the Pu'u O'o vent. We also saw where a fresh flow was burning forest. Our pilot Colleen was great and competently answered all my questions. Highly recommended.

Ron answered all of our questions and he did a great job as our pilot and tour guide. He provided us with lots of info about volcanoes and the Hawaiian culture.

Our helicopter guide was very knowledgeable about the area and history. He answered all of our questions and made sure we all had good views of the lava and waterfalls, even going so far as to make several passes so we could all see and take photos. It was a very enjoyable tour and recommend this if you want to see the lava flow. None of our party had ever flown in a helicopter and we all enjoyed this experience. It was awesome to see the island from the air.

My family and I had a wonderful experience touring the island. Our pilot was very good. We were so disappointed that the audio did not wok so we were unable to purchase a copy of our flight. It was a great way to see the active volcano.

My wife and our two best friends went on the Blue Hawaiin Helicopter excursion ride over the active volcano "Circle of Fire". Yes it is expensive but it is worth every dime because not only did we see the whole area of the volcano but the pilot was excellent, explaining so much information about this and other volcanos. We were so impressed we purchased the video of our tour. Don't be cheap, do this ride and you will remember it for the rest of your life.

The helicopter flies right over the lava. We could see several little streams of lava dripping into the sea. That was awesome. We got to fly over the main vent. Mostly the lava pool was crusted over, but there was one place where the "scabs" were open and you could see red glowing lava. After the lava, we got a nice tour of Akaka falls and some others. Overall the ride was smooth and enjoyable.

We had a great time on our helicopter tour. It was an incredible was to learn so much about the island's history and see much more than we could have by foot or by car. Our pilot Kimo/James was the best! He was warm and friendly, very knowledgeable and made sure every passenger felt included. He flew over the lava flow and waterfalls so that passengers on both side of the helicopter could see and take pictures. It was definitely worth every penny!

We were staying over in Kona,,we left around 8a.m. It took approx 2.1/4hrs. From Kona we took the 190, then the 200, newly surfaced roads, great roads to travel on..(day before we travelled south, roads not quite as straight lots of twists n bends). Fill up with petrol before leaving Kona there are no petrol stations along the way. We had a great helicopter trip, pilot spent lots of time around the volcanoes, circled several times so that both sides of helicopter passengers could enjoy the views. We did see lava ,but not a great deal.. We were unable to book 5 days in advance for online discount ...we called direct, and was still given a substantial discount. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and would recommend it.

We went on the EcoStar on Aug 9th at 10:30am. We went on the 50 minute tour from Hilo. EcoStar is a great helicopter and even folks in the middle get excellent views. The sound system in the helicopter was awesome. I was able to hear everything our guide, Jeremy explained. Helicopter technology has come a long way since our last helicopter tour of the Big Island in 1997. Jeremy was very friendly and informative. He made it a point to address each of us by our first names and willing to respond to any questions we had. He made sure to fly over the areas in both directions, so that all the passenger can get good views. We flew to where the volcano was active. This is the Pu'u 'O'o crater. The area was scabbed over and we saw very little lava action - just a little red glow. We saw some red flow into the ocean. Back in 1997, we did a helicopter tour over the Big Island and Madame Pele was really active at that time and we saw a lot of lave flow even into the ocean. After our helicopter tour, we went to the Volcanos Nat'l Park. At night time from the Jagger Museum, you can see the red glow from Halema'uma'u. If you want to get an idea of what is going on with Madame Pele, goto the USGS website. They have info and webcams about the volcanos. It was a letdown that the volcanos were not as active as they use to be, but Blue Hawaiian did a great job.

To really understand the inevitable power of the volcanoes that created the Hawaiian Islands this is the best way to get the big picture. The 1 hour flight takes you from Hilo airport out over and around the active lava sites of the volcano. You get an excellent view of all the various elements that interact to create the island. There are many aspects to the full experience and the pilots, we had Jeremy, do an excellent job providing a very smooth flight and still explaining the various phenomena. He had a very pleasant manner that was calming for those making their first helicopter ride and at the same time interesting for the other passengers. They are very sensitive to the need to give good views to all passengers, even those in the middle seats. This is a must do. You will never forget it.

We have done the volcano/waterfalls tour with this company many times and have never been disappointed. Great way to see the massive destruction of the lava flows and all the waterfalls that you cannot drive to.

I would just like to say, the thought of going up in a helicopter scares the hell out of me, but, our trip on Blue-Hawaiian Helicopters was a great experience. Our check-in was easy, we stayed 1 mile from the helio-pad. However, we were last to get there. We weren't rushed though and I have to say, the workers there have a system. Very efficient! We were lead out to the helicopter site and then led in couples to the copter. You are seated in and safety belted, your headphones put on. When set, the pilot has a little conversation with us. Very calm and very handsome. I'm liking this a little more than I thought I would! Off we go, it's very cool, I never asked how high up we were but we were pretty damn high, we flew between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on our way to Kiluea. We saw lava breakouts and the changes in climate and atmosphere. There is a huge difference between the east and west side of the island. We then flew to Hilo where we landed and re-fueled and had a potty break. Then off again to tour the coast or Waipo Valley and Waimia Valley. So lush, saw spinner dolphins playing in the water below. Saw the waterfalls. Really beautiful! Then on back to Waikloa, the dry side of the island, Kona. Yes, this was expensive, over $1000 for 2 of us, but it was a once in a lifetime ride for 2 hours and our pilot, Jason, couldn't have made it any better! Thanks to Jason and everyone at Blue-Hawaiian!