The pilot was a comedian in a past life and kept us entertained the entire time. The Heli was a Eurocopter and was smooth and extremely comfortable. Don't fret about where you will be sitting, no matter where or which side sees something the pilot will make sure you see it - window seats aren't any better than middle ones. These guys have the best flying record of any company and was a major deciding point for us. Ladies, you will get weighed and guys -- maybe, it seems women are somewhat less truthful about their weight and yes it is critical when flying in a helicopter so don't be offended! The trip up the Waipo Valley was breath taking, no other words for it - stunnnnnning, but the flight around the active spewing volcano was jaw dropping - it was a dream come true - on our bucket list! We are average wage earners and have never regretted spending the $$$ to take this 2 hour tour!
We arrived in Honolulu on a Friday... took a rest on Saturday and headed out to our helicopter ride of the island on Sunday. I sat in the back on the right side of the helicopter and my husband sat on the left. There was only 4 (plus the pilot) and the other couple sat in front. I thought we'd been disadvantaged at first but soon realized as we embarked on our amazing ride that our pilot was a master at giving all his passengers fantastic views of the island. My husband and I passed the camera back and forth the whole ride.... depending upon who had the best view and we got amazing photos of Oahu. By the time the ride was over we knew exactly what we'd be doing next and took a ride up to the North Shore that same day to see some of the beaches close up that we'd seen on our helicopter ride. The staff (including the shuttle driver) were all cheerful, friendly and informative. This attraction is something I will repeat on future visits to the other islands Blue Hawaiian Helicopters services. "Mahalo" to Blue Hawaiian Helicopters for helping us make the most of our time on Oahu!
After our first few days on Oahu we were not that taken by the place but once we were in the air with these guys we fell in love with the island. Great way to see the island and allow you to work out where u want to visit. Pick up worked great and the DVD of your trip is good value. For anyone it is a must to do this trip.
Very cool trip with excellent equipment and Pilot Dale did excellent job. Got to fly over lava flow but don't expect big explosions shooting up in the air, different type of volcano. Like I said, cool trip but $800.00+ cool for 2 people? Not sure. But with 85% of island only viewable by air not too many other choices.
Our 1 hour tour of the North Kohala Coastline was scenic and entertaining. Our Pilot, Shane, gave us lots of tidbits of information about the shaping of the cliffs, the many waterfalls that are nearly inaccessible and the various resorts and developments that we flew over. Our EcoStar helo had great visibility and felt very safe.
We were collected at our hotel and taken out to the airport. Formalities were completed quickly and flight briefing was quick & efficient. Once away the views just kept coming. Flying over Honolulu Harbour and our ship, Waikiki Beach then on to the rest of the Island. Peter our pilot was full of interesting information and he ensured both sides of the chopper saw everything. A good investment, but the DVD was a little disappointing. It didn't show the Arizona Memorial as we passed by it and it cut off before showing us leaving the chopper as we were specifically advised by our pilot to turn around once clear of the aircraft and wave as he would have the camera still rolling.
My husband and I have just arrived home to Australia from Hawaii and flew with Blue Hawaiian over Kauai. Before leaving home we researched and actually booked a doors off flight with another company. Unfortunately when we were on Kauai the weather was quite rainy and our flight was cancelled three days in a row. The thing to remember when booking a tour is that the smaller doors off copters have more flying restrictions than the larger ones therefore your flight is likely to get cancelled more often. As we were flying out the next day back to Honolulu and my husband knew how much I wanted to do the flight we went to all the other companies to try to get on a flight early the next day before we left. The last place we visited was Blue Hawaiian and they told us we could get on a flight at 8 the next day. We awoke to bright blue skies and and couldn't get to the heliport quick enough. The experience with Blue Hawaiian was absolutely awesome from check in to the end of our flight. Very professional and our pilot Geoffrey was fantastic. His soothing voice would put anyone at ease. I was worried about vision if not seated at the window but didn't find it an issue as the helicopters have so much glass.I know that you get some reflections even when wearing dark clothes, but if you spend the whole time taking photos you miss half the experience. we purchased the video of our tour which was reasonable at $25. Photos don't do the place justice. We were awestruck by the beauty of this island and how wonderful and safe we felt with our pilot. Thank you to everyone at Blue Hawaiian. It was the most memorable experience.
Just off the helicopter with pilot Michael. Not to be missed. What an excellent way to see Kauai. Beauty everywhere! Blue Hawaiian are true professionals. Carl & Ellen from Maryland
I've always dreamed of flying a helicopter over Hawaii and with Blue Hawaiian helicopters, I was not disappointed! Our pilot, Shane led us over the volcanos, looping a few times to zero in on molten lava, cruised over Hilo, ventured alongside the beautiful coastline and hovered over 1,000 foot waterfalls in the valley...all with a myriad of soundtrack tunes to set the mood. It was like being in an Imax/omni theater experience! Breathtaking views are guaranteed! One highlight was flying through some clouds, a feeling as being as close to heaven as possible. The employees were professional, helpful and courteous. Yes, it was pricey, but worth every penny to have a dream come true.
We did the Island Spectacular 2 hour tour in the larger copter and it was worth it. Our pilot was awesome and we got some great views of an active lava flow as well as a spectacular view of the valley and waterfalls. If you bring an SLR don't forget a polarizer. It does not always completely remove glare but it helps quite a bit.
My husband and I did the Big Island Spectacular and it's just that! If you're on the fence about spending the money for this, do it! You won't be disappointed. The sights that you are able to see will stick with you forever. And, it's just so different seeing them from an aerial perspective. Toshi our pilot was awesome and we had the best time! Loved it and would most certainly do it again!
We choose the Blue Hawaian Helicopter Company because of the good reviews and previous trip to M'aui. Our pilot Gale was great! The Eco-Star helicopter is worth more money. We had the Spectacular flight and could see A Volcanic National Park, craters with the smoke plum and lava! Right now it is the only way to see the lava. Then you can see a beautiful waterfalls so close...you think you can touch it! Don't forget to buy the DVD from your flight- the memories for life.
What a wonderful way to see the diversity of the Big Island! The rugged coastline, the breathtaking waterfalls, and the volcanoes. The helicopters had large windows and were very quiet. The best part was our informative and entertaining pilot, Toshi!!! Would recommend this company to everyone.
It's hard to emphasise just how good this product is! Each and every member of the staff we encountered was genuinely friendly and helpful and the bus transfer from our hotel to the airport and back was gratefully accepted and immensely welcome. We did the 'Blue Skies of O'ahu' trip with Julie and a delay caused by refuelling problems was handled thoroughly professionally as was the pre-flight briefing. Once airborne Julie gave us a tremendous tour which literally left me speechless (a first!) and we were thrilled to spot some turtles swimming. Julie manoevred the EcoStar into some marvelloussly remote locations and the views we enjoyed were nothing less than spectacular. This is the best £120 I have ever spent. Take my word for it: If you don't do this trip, you are truly missing out on one of the best experiences in Hawaii.
Overall a great trip! I really was the best way to see the island, and you will see many things you can't see otherwise. Pilot Julie was fantastic and the staff was very courteous and friendly. It was my first time on a helicopter and overall a pretty good experience, the only thing i could say and I saw this in another review is that I was in the back right seat which doesn't get the great views they did go around back for me a few times, my mom and sister rode in the front seats and pad a great views, I will say I think they weigh less than me so maybe the moral of the story is the light ones get the better seats ;). Again very good experience and nothing but good things to say about the service and guide and the video of your tour is $25 which isn't bad and was pretty good quality, great experience next time i will lose some weight and make get a front seat! Or you can pay for better seats on certain flights as well.