クチコミ

My wife and I decided if there was one thing to do on the Big Island it was to take the helicopter tour to the volcano and waterfalls - despite the cost being nearly as much as one of our airline tickets from NJ. We were not disappointed. The flight across the island from the Kona side to the volcano is long and not very interesting, but better than the three hours it would take to drive. Our pilot Jason did the best he could to make it interesting. Once reaching the volcano, we were treated to an active crater AND an active lava flow that had just broken through to the surface from the tube below earlier that morning. Jason turned the helicopter round and round, ever closer, banking so that passengers on both sides got an awesome view. The brief landing at Hilo was a welcome break for my wife was was a little nauseated. Jason did all he could to keep the trip pleasant for her. The trip up the canyon, past the waterfalls and into the back canyon was just beautiful. Again Jason turned us round and round so everyone got an incredible view of the area. We were lucky again as the weather was clear, enabling us to fly all the way up the canyon and out over the top of the mountain. We did purchase the video and upon reviewing it realized that our pilot Jason had banked the helicopter and adjusted the music tracks to result in video that was outstanding to watch later. He had adjusted the copter just right for the cameras to capture as much of the view as possible. Like others mentioned, we did have trouble with the first copy of the DVD as it stuck and would not play through. However, when I called Blue Hawaiian they delivered a replacement to our condo later that afternoon. Expensive trip, but the service and once in a lifetime experience made it worth it.

We opted for the short volcano tour which took 45 minutes. We flew over a portion of the active volcano Kilauea which had covered a large neighborhood in 1983. (A car was still visable from the air.) We also saw a few waterfalls. Our pilot Jeremy was very knowledgable and able to answer all of our questions. We had one person on board that got a bit nausiated and he gave her a stick to smell that took care of that problem while we were flying. He would turn the helicopter around and circle so everyone could see out of both sides. Really liked the microphones to communicate with the pilot and the music that played. Our shuttle driver from the airport told us that its cheaper to drive to the Hilo side to catch a flight than from the Kona side. We weren't able to do that because we had a flat on our car in route and chose not to be late for our appointment since the $220 per person was non refundable.

My husband and I opted for the 50 minute tour of the lava and waterfalls. We were not disappointed. The pilot made sure that he approached the sights both ways so that everyone in the helicopter got a good view. The pilot also presented some interesting information about the island, lave flow, agriculture, and people who live there. He was also willing to answer all questions.

After travelling through roads lined with black lava rocks, our flight from the Kona helicopter base was amazing to say the least, when we flew around the active volcano and experienced the glowing lava and lava flows it was incredible. Then to follow the coastline of magic blue waters and fly up an incredibly beautiful green valley of cascading waterfalls an amazing trip - coupled with a really knowledgeable pilot - thank you Justin. The only true way to see "The Big Island". Option to purchase a DVD of your trip.

We did the ECO Star helicopter, apparently better windows. Reserve online for a better price. Actually they did it over the phone for me at the online price. We did the one hour ride of the Kohala coast. Really the only way to see the dramatic canyons and waterfalls of the north coast. Gorgeous. Having the headsets with the music and being able to talk and ask questions is the only way to go! We lucked out with four of us in a six passenger helicopter, two up front with the pilot and two in back next to the windows. I asked about the amount of vibration in the helicopter as I have ridden in helicopters that were completely smooth. Pilot dissed my question.

My wife and I took the two hour tour from the Waikoloa area and were not disappointed. The pilot did a great job with taking his time around the major sights that we saw at both the volcano park and looking at the cliffs and waterfalls. He did not try to make the trip a thrill ride and was very knowledgable about everything that we saw. The price was high, but it was for an experience that is a once in a lifetime type experience.

My partner and I took the Ring of Fire tour in October 2012 to view the volcano and lava fields. My partner is a pilot so is obviously VERY particular about who we fly with. This was a truly fantastic experience. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters is a very professional company. From the booking, to the checking in, to the safety briefing and especially to our pilot Ethan it was smooth flying all the way. Thanks to you all for making this so much fun. And a very big thank you to the volcano for performing on cue!!

Everything from sign up, pre-ride, and the ride itself went smoothly. Our Pilot Toshi was great. He was great in interacting with our party of 6 and he sensed that one was not the most comfortable flying, so he constantly was talking to her. The view was amazing, no way you could see that in anyother way. This was by far, the BEST thing I did on the Big Island. It was worth the money. We even bought the DVD of our flight. It wasn't the best quality, but better than not havin it at all.

while i was island hopping i really wanted to take a helicopter tour on the big island. when i landed in hilo i stopped and talked to the great folks at the blue Hawaiian desk at the hilo airport. i strongly think the price is well worth the experience.they do have different options but the flight was 250.00 for an hour flight around the volcano and coast line and waterfalls. they even offer a dvd of the exact flight u went on. they edit the film so u dont get sum crappy out of focus film. (this was an eatra 40.00 but u also get a great blu ray movie of all the islands. WELL WORTH IT) our pilot JAMES was awesome,extremely Hawaiian friendly. he made us all feel safe as it was a first for most of us on the helicopter. he answered all of our questions and took the time to point out many things along our route and took extra time to ensure we got all the pictures we wanted. THANK YOU JAMES and BLUE HAWAIIAN HELICOPTERS. Next time im bringing my son with me.

Drove over from Northern Kona area (approx 2 hours via Waimea) to Hilo. Had lunch in downtown Hilo prior to flight with dinner in Waimea on way back. Our pilot was Ethan who was very friendly and knowledgeable. I felt flight was just the right amount of time- not too short and not too long. We flew on their cheaper helicopter (not the Eurostar) and was very comfortable. However, could see how things could be tight for larger passengers.

Just want to confirm what so many others have said. Blue Hawaiian was great, we also had Ethan as our pilot and he did a wonderful job of flying, pointing out interesting sites, good history and answered all questions. We had outstanding views of the active crater and current lava flows, and nice views of the falls. Ethan circled the best sites a number of times so each person got a great view. Sure, we would have loved more time but it wasn't rushed and we felt like we got everything as advertised, and service was great. No hard sell at all about video or other souveniers. We did go on the larger Echostar craft and it was plenty comfortable and easy to see everything even from the middle rear seats. Here are two other reasons to choose Blue Hawaiian: one of the best guide books for the islands (Wizard Publications, "The Big Island Revealed" which is highly rated and copies were in all the private places we rented) continues to rate Blue Hawaiian as the #1 helicopter service; 2) one of the folks we rented a house from (on Oahu) knows the BH owner and applauded our choice when I told him that's what we flew the previous week. I did a lot of web surfing on this topic before choosing Blue Hawaiian and I know it can be confusing with all the options. While I can't comment on the other vendors, I can say that BH was a great experience all the way around and can't imagine anyone would be dissappointed by the experience. We made a day of sight seeing from Kona and flew out of Hilo and it was a wonderful day. The Big Island is a very magical place and Blue Hawaiian is a great way to see it from the air!

We booked the Eco-Star 50 Circle of Fire tour which took us over the Kilauea Volcano and then up to some waterfalls. It is a 50 tour although I hit the stopwatch on my cell phone and our tour was actually 60 minutes. We were staying in Waikoloa, but we booked out of Hilo which is on the other side of the Big Island. It took us about 2 hours to drive to Hilo, but it was a beautiful drive. We booked the tour the day before without any problems. We booked the Eco-Star as I am a bit claustrophobic and my husband thought I would do better in a larger helicopter. The tour leaves from the Hilo airport. We parked and went to the Blue Hawaiian desk. They discreetly weigh you to determine how you will be placed on the helicopter. They encourage you to make a pit stop. Then, you go back to a room where they play a safety video for you. If you have bags, they place them in lockers for you and give you the key. They give you pilot assignments. We were assigned Ethan. You are given lifevest that you wear around your stomach (they resemble fannie packs). You are guided out on to the tarmac where you are given numbers which designate where you sit on the helicopter and the order in which you will be put into the helicopter. The employees then lead you to your helicopter and call your number at which time you go to the helicopter and they put you in your seat and make sure that your seatbelt is fasten. My 10 year old daughter sat next to the pilot. My husband and I sat in the back. I am not a good flier, but it actually was not scary. We went south to go over the Volcano first – Ethan did his best to find some hot spots for us. We were in the air for about 30 minutes when one of the other passengers felt sick to her stomach. Ethan gave her a “comfort” bag and gave her a stick to smell which settled her stomach and she did not get sick. Ethan talks to you through your headset and you have a microphone to ask questions. Ethan was interesting and made us feel at ease. At the end of the flight you come back towards Hilo and go by some waterfalls. I was very impressed with how professional everyone was, and if we go to Maui, I will go another tour (even though I am fearful of flying).    

Our pilot Jeremy made this adventure AAA+++. He was professional, fun, informative and a great pilot! The scenery was breathtaking. We all had a great time!!

After much research, I decided on Blue hawaiian helicopters, mainly for their impressive safety record and also for their lovely looking Eco-star helicopter. The company was great to deal with, gave a good safety talk and had a very nice comfortable helicopter with great viewing opportunities. My 4 star rating is more to do with the trip itself. One of my specific reasons to come to Hawaii from Australia was to see the volcano and bubbling red lava that I had seen on TV documentaries. Firstly, no aircraft is permitted to fly over the crater of the active volcano (and hasn't been since 1987 when a chopper fell into it). The flight takes you over the active lava flow which is coming from a 'vent', miles away from the crater. This depends on timing as some years there is no active flow at all. Currently, there has been active flow for about 18 months, but as yet it hasn't reached the ocean so it is coming down the east side of the island on a hill. The lava cools as soon as it reaches the air, and then it turns silver. So what is seen is large areas of silver/grey lava. Occasionally there are 'breaks' in the surface and the bright orange lava can be seen beneath. We saw two very small areas of this. The pilot said that the flight before us (at 10am), there were more red areas visible as by our flight (11am) the sun was brighter and they weren't visible. The photos of red bubbling lava are obviously taken at rare times in the history of the volcanic activity. Also, no helicopters fly at night for safety reasons but that would be the best time to fly over the lava fields! We also took a boat tour which is at night and gives a better view. Having said that, riding in a helicopter is always fun (albeit expensive- especially with children) and it gives a great overview of the island and where you are going. The tour is meant to include waterfalls but our pilot only took us to Rainbow falls (near the airport) but missed the impressive Akaka falls (claiming too much cloud but I think just ran out of time). Overall, would do it again but have realistic expectations of what you are going to see (or not see!)

We went with the more expensive helicopter which holds 6 people. We were very pleased with our tour. The pilot pointed out lots of things and tried very hard to locate "hot spots". The various helicopter pilots were in communication and giving each other tips on where they saw hot spots. When he found a couple, he circled the hot spots so people on both sides of the helicopter could get pictures. The only negative is if other people in the helicopter ignore Blue Hawaiian's advice to wear dark colors, you may get pictures of their reflections. We thought we were going to get lots of pictures of their reflections. Fortunately, we did get "reflection pictures" not but the possibility existed. You can't help it if other people just don't listen to the advice of the tour company. If I were to take another helicopter Tour, I would definitely use Blue Hawaiian Helicopters.