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Blue Hawaiian is the best Helicopter service, on the Island. It is especially good for viewing the Volcano, and also Water Falls. There safety record is good too.

Okay, after reading through dozens of reviews, both excellent and poor, here's the real deal. Our experience today was a convergence of everything that is right about flightseeing. I know it, and now you know it. There are many factors that go into a day like we had today. First the constants: Terrific, competent pilots. Hey, they are handling a multi-million dollar machine full of lives. They are going into terrain that would take days or even weeks to see otherwise. Second Constant: High-performance machines that are limited in their weight-carrying capacity plus fuel. Now, here's the variables: 1. Weather. The Big Island has every ecosystem on the planet. Weather is always a factor. Today, we just happened to hit the jackpot with light headwinds here and there and broken cloud cover over the volcano. There was only a very little chop, and absolutely clear visibility from Hilo clear back to Waikoloa. There is no way to really predict the weather, but we asked a lot of questions of a lot of people, and the consensus was- take the early AM flights if you can because the island weather hasn't had a chance to develop. 2. Volcano conditions. Hey, you know, this isn't Disneyland with lava-on-command. Our pilot (Shane) did a dozen or more figure 8s with his aircraft to get the views through the clouds. When he could get below the ceiling to show us the Rift Zone, he did. What a show! He must have flown around Pu'u O 6 or 8 times. He zig-zagged across the lava flows pointing out the fresh glowing lava that had broken through the lava tubes. Then he went to forest's edge to show the edge of the flowing lava and it's destructive power to the forest. I mean, it was a hunt-down solely dependent on the pilot's assessment of passenger safety. Oh and he had been in radio contact with other tour pilots to get the best information about the views. Variable 3: North Coast conditions. On this day, the view from Hilo out along the coast was crystal clear. Shane pointed out historical sites, waterfalls, and sacred no-fly areas (Waipio Valley). But toward the end, the Spectacular became Fabulous and Heart Stopping. He flew the aircraft into, up, down around, and over the rims and crags of the canyons in Pu'u 'O Umi Natural Area . How about so close to a waterfall it seemed you could sip from it? So, yes, the ad pictures may paint a different picture, but it seems if the pilot judges the weather to be favorable, he's going to take you in. Variable 4: Passenger grouping. Yeah, it's tight. I'm fairly big, and I was in one of the back middle seats along side another big guy. If you think you can't see, bring your selfie stick for your camera like I did. You'll be fine. Or, buy the video. $40 well spent. But don't expect Business Class on a chopper. There was so much about this trip that could be said, but my final deal it this: For the best rates, either go online to their website OR..... if you have the stomach to listen to a Hilton Vacation Timeshare presentation and are able to say NO to the offer, you'll get $100 in vouchers for various restaurants and shops in Waikoloa AND a HoloHolo card good for $144.00 discount (at this writing) on the fare for the Big Island Spectacular (BIS). I'm serious. Didn't give a hoot about the timeshare, but for 90 minutes and get what we got? You betcha. DO NOT go through Expedia or the Hotel Concierge desk unless you just want to spend the money. There is a Hilton Vacations kiosk in the Queen's Shopping area just across from the ABC store, and that's how we found out about the discounts. There are discounts on zipline, Mauna Kea tours, whale/dolphin trips, and a bunch of other stuff. I'm not associated with the tourism bureau or anyone else. Just a 60-something guy that had the trip of a lifetime today with his bride of 42 years. We'll be back. Oh, and did I say: Ask a lot of questions? Do it.

This was PART of a full day tour - certainly did not disappoint - do not miss the helicopter tour over the volcanoes when you visit the Big Island - I am still buzzing 24 hours later.. From check in through, everything was handled with ease - even a couple of problems with the chopper were handled well and we were only too happy to step off whilst they were rectified.

We had a wonderful trip in the skies over Kaua'i with Mark -- appreciated his commentary and the information he shared the island. We flew over places on the island not accessible by foot or car. This is a wonderful experience, if funds permit (but not essential to appreciate the island).

Although the lava wasn't flowing like we'd hoped (no control over that), the ride, view and pilot interaction was very nice. Great perspective of the island and area. Great to see the flows and history. Wish it was longer, went very quickly. Might pay extra for more sites to visit like the other falls, etc. Wear cool clothes! Would suggest it on each island it's available.

Great flight from Hilo to the volcano. It was really scary to see how close the lave flows got to the local properties. The pilot was great, and made sure everyone gets to see everything. Well organized, pickup from ship included. They record the flight from 3 external and 1 internal cameras with pilot and passenger comments and conversations.

Wow these guys know what they are doing. Very courteous, very helpful and a very stable flight. Our pilot was an ex-marine with over a decade of experience and you could tell, he went out of his way to ensure each side of the helicopter was able to get a great view of the lava and the skylights. Highly recommend using them, would gladly fly again. Try to book an early am flight to beat the clouds.

I and my husband had booked a 9 am Lava Helicopter tour. The check-in and briefing was very professional. We took off in a clear weather but within 10 minutes the weather got worse in the volcano area. Our pilot took us over the falls but had to turn back as the weather didn't improve. So we missed the volcanic activity. The company asked us if we would like to reschedule our tour but as we had a flight to catch, we didn't. The full price was refunded without any questions asked. Very professional. Our Pilot, Timothy, was good to talk to but didn't come across as very knowledgeable about the area.

What an amazing tour. Our pilot Glenda was very knowledgeable and gave us a wonderful commentary on the island

You are making a big investment in your helicopter tour so don't slouch. Blue Hawaiian offers the very best in all things involving helicopter tours. I have toured a few times over the last 15 years with this company and others, and would no longer consider using any other company.

We flied this helicopter tour to witness the once in a lifetime experience of the volcanic lava view. It turned out to be one of our truly once in a lifetime experience. The overall service feom the start to check in to the vdo tour guide and to take the helicopter with an experience guide all were superb and most importantly the company emphasizes on the highest safety standard compare to other companies that we took the helicopter tour. So this tour is highly recommended for the helicopter tour in Maui.

Great experience .....got to see Volcanos Waterfalls ....ride was smooth and pilot.was.great. Would do again.

My husband and I did as our first tour of the island the helicopter tour around Hilo and Kilauea. We loved it! Neither of us had ever been in a helicopter before, and the safety briefing made us feel comfortable. Our pilot was very professional and knowledgeable, so she told us all about what we were looking at. We got a good view of the Hilo coast, then went to a small caldera on Kilauea that had running lava (the big one is a no fly zone). She circled both directions around the caldera around several spots with visible lava and around the caldera itself so we could all get pictures, then we went to look at Akaka Falls before heading back to Hilo. The flight lasted about 50 minutes and they took video of the whole thing, along with audio from the interior, so now we have a record of all the history she gave us. We'd do it again in a minute!

The secret to this tour out of Hilo at least is you can save some money by booking passage on their older helicopters, which are not quite as luxurious but still totally comfortable. Pilot was very knowledgeable and easygoing. We saw plenty of lava flows, waterfalls and other attractions, though the weather can be iffy.

We decided to try a helicopter tour during our Hawaiian vacation. No one in my family had ever been on a helicopter, so we thought it would be a great "family memory" to share. We chose Blue Hawaiian from the online website. I am so happy that we did!! We went on the "Ring of Fire/Waterfalls" tour around the Hilo area, and it was breathtaking. Our pilot, Coleen, was the best. She is quite knowledgable, and put us all at ease from takeoff through the entire tour. Admittedly a bit pricey, but overall well worth the money for such vacation highlight. If you are ever in Hawaii, and thinking about a helicopter tour, trust me, try Blue Hawaiian. You will absolutely not be disappointed.