My first time ride in a helicopter.I felt very safe. The helicopter held 8: the pilot and 7 passengers. We all wore headphones & mics so we can speak to each other. The helicopter has on-board cameras which can record the interior of the helicopter, as well as the outside aerial views (a usb stick of the recording can be purchased after the tour). Our pilot/tour guide was very knowledgble and professional.
This was a great tour, my favorite so far. It's a bit more expensive than your standard tour but well worth it. We were able to fly over active lava flows and see the awesome power of nature up close. Cruised by the several water falls and did a fly by of the cruise ship to boot. Great tour!!
Took the circle of fire tour from the pride of America ship through NCL. I use the term AWESOME and I mean it. Got to see lava tube and lava free running. Waterfalls, etc. Ethan was our pilot and was very knowledgeable.
We did the 50 min tour of volcano and waterfalls. We got to see lava in the Pu'u 'O'o vent as well as some flowing further out. Saw some pretty waterfalls too. I did get a little ill about halfway through from going back and forth to see the lava.
This volcano and waterfall tour was just that. Maybe I was expecting more. The pilot took us out and we saw lava and some nice waterfalls. He was very informative and answered questions. I just was expecting better views and pictures. If you have never done this, don't let this review turn you off. It is the only way to see some of the sights.
Our family thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Blue Hawaiian. We saw amazing sights you can't get to any other way. Our pilot, Coleen, was terrific -- not only in flying the aircraft but also as a tour guide and host. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to see the beauty of the island and power of volcanoes from another perspective. If you can, try to get the Eco-Star aircraft -- a wonderful and very comfortable ride. You can even buy a video of your experience. Great tour and well worth it.
When I booked over the phone they did not tell me we would be riding with other people. I have never been on a helicopter tour in the past so i had no idea. a couple was able to sit in the front next to the pilot and the man told me "they said they would take care of us because its my birthday" which of course made me feel like we were not being taken care of. for $250+ I would like to know Im being taken care of, but other than that Noah our pilot was friendly and informative. I got air sickness the last few minutes as he kept making sharp turns. also you have to wear black.grey. colored tops.
Had a great time flying with Blue Hawaiian and my family touring the Big Island out of Hilo, Hawaii. We were able to fit all six of our party in the same helicopter which personalized our experience. The scenery was breathtaking and worth the effort to schedule. Bring your cameras! The two way communication over the aircraft system made the tour interactive and fun for our whole family. The support team at the airport ensured we understood all the safety aspects of the tour and made our transition to the helicopter easy. Our pilot Scott, aka "Captain Readbeard" was extremely knowledgeable, and entertaining for both the adults and kids. Scott was exceptionally professional and effortlessly managed flying the helicopter while ensuring we didn't miss any of the sites. Thanks again Blue Hawaiian for a wonderful vacation experience.
We were scheduled for a morning flight but it was cancelled by weather, rebooked on last flight of day at 4 PM , saw other tour helos taking off. they told us they won't go if clouds will be blocking view other operators will go in less than good conditions just for the money. pm flight was great there had been a recent major lava breakout and flow we spent lot of time viewing, pilot Coleen was super. best experience of trip so far
We had never flown in a helicopter before and I must say one of our party of 6 was a bit nervous. Scott, our pilot, immediately put everyone at ease. He asked a few questions of everyone to obtain enough information to make our tour customized and perfect for us. He was a wealth of information regarding the volcano, waterfalls, the island and the helicoptor. We absolutely LOVED his choice in music. It enhanced the experience as we flew over the active volcano and lava flows. Everyone in our group agrees that this was the best part of our entire week in Hawaii! A huge thank you and shout out to Scott. He is the best pilot and tour guide ever!
So worth it First time in a helicopter and all was great .....went over the active lava flow and saw a fairly large amount of active flow ......with fire in the tree line .......amazing power.Then over some waterfalls .....such a contrast , then over the coast and lucky enough to see a large pod of dolphins ....our pilot Coleen was knowledgeable
My wife and I went on their tour to see the lava and waterfalls. Unfortunately Pele is not showing much at the moment but the pilot squeezed every inch of lava he could get close to. Well done, pity about the no show lava stream. Also note that they don't fly over the kiloaeu caldera which we thought they did. There's a fly restriction.
We had a nice tour of the volcano even though the flow slowed down to just a few spots. Our tour guide was awesome and made it very enjoyable. We were disappointed to learn that the video of our tour did not record properly and we could not purchase it. They offered us a free video of all of their tours which is a nice conciliation, but having our own tour on video is what we wanted. We would have liked to have been able to see this once in a lifetime trip from our own eyes (and chopper) for years to come.
We really enjoyed our quick trip to the lava flows. We were lucky to see one pretty large flow which made the whole trip worth it. I loved seeing the entire area from a different perspective. Our pilot was very professional and had a lot of helpful information. If you are interested in seeing the volcano from up above I would definitely recommend!
When we planned our trip to Hawaii with our daughter we suggested a helicopter ride to the volcanoes. She didn't seem too thrilled and opted for other activities. Once we arrived at the island she saw the mountains and lava trails and started to change her mind. Then she heard people talk about it and decided to do it. We were on the Kona side and they only offered the Big Island tour that included the volcano, waterfalls and the Kohala coast, or the Northern coastline tour. The volcano tour is only offered from Hilo. Our only available day was our last day so driving to Hilo was not an option. We opted for the Big Island tour since the volcano was what we wanted to see. It turned out to be the best option. M arco was our pilot. He did a great job explaining about the island's geology and pointing out great features along the way. We had great weather so we had great views of the mountains and valleys. We were also lucky in that the lava was visible that day and we saw lava flows that surfaced as it hit the tree line of the forrest. It was impressive. Marco moved the helicopter around so we could all see the sights. I was in a center seat and still had great views. After s hurt stop in Hilo for fuel and bathroom break, we went along the northeast coast and saw so many waterfalls along the way. Marco flew us into one of the canyons between the mountain walls that drop to the sea where we could see what seemed as hundreds of waterfalls along the cliffs. Again, he expertly maneuvered so we could all get a great view. The return went over the cattle ranges on the Kohala mountain where days before we had been horseback riding and finally landed smoothly back at the place. It was a complete Hawaii tour that showcased the diversity and beauty if this island. My daughter was thrilled and so happy she did the trip. It was the highlight of the vacation. If you are afraid of flying, it will say that while at times you feel some shaking of the helicopter overall is a smooth ride and you are so occupied with the views you forget you are flying. I suggest going in the morning before the haze and rain start in the afternoon. I had a middle seat and it wasn't an issue. We also took the cheaper helicopter type and still had great views. I think Marco our pilot had a lot to do with that since he placed the chopper in perfect viewing angle. I highly recommend the ride and Blue Hawaii company. They did a great job from booking, to instruction, to the helicopters pilots and overall experience. A must do while in Hawaii!