Blue Hawaiian Helicopters — Attraction in Hawaii

Let me begin by saying that our pilot was fantastic and this is well worth every penny. I highly recommend taking a helicopter ride to see parts of the island you cannot view from the ground. We did the “ring of fire” volcano helicopter trip and it was very good. Our pilot even took us to a few waterfalls which were not part of our paid package after we saw the active volcano sites. He was so friendly and full of good information even remembering the names of each passenger and talking to each one of us by name. On the plus side, safety protocols were visible and every person on the staff was pleasant and professional. I chose to take away one star because we had the first flight of the morning and were advised to arrive at 7:15 am for the 8 am flight, but when we arrived nobody from Blue Hawaiian was there at the desk for at least another 20 minutes and the other people booked on this helicopter tour were wandering around looking for someone from the staff and then we had to wait for about a half hour again after the safety video for the helicopter to arrive so the one hour flight time with a 50 minute flight time we expected was good but the flight started much later than expected which threw off a the scheduled planning for the day by about an hour so keep that in mind with your planning. Hawaiian time is a real thing and schedules are not tightly adhered to. The suggestion to wear dark clothing is a good one since there really was a lot of glare on the glass and though the pilot made the effort to swing around so people on both sides could see the sites, there were a few things that I was unable to see due to being seated right behind the pilot when views were to the front or the right of the helicopter. We had previously experienced a doors off smaller private helicopter experience on another island that was much better for viewing everything even though this pilot was probably better. There are just some limitations because seating is based on weight distribution in the helicopter so you may have difficulty getting certain photos or seeing certain things in this type of arrangement va the doors off. Doors off was not an option for us with this booking so consider what you matters to you. I did my research and blue hawaiian was recommended and had the best pricing for...

I am beyond happy that we took the plunge to do this. We booked through our hotel and lemme say... it ain't cheap!!! But if you save up to do anything here... it's this! Beyond worth every penny!! We booked the volcano and waterfall tour. From the beautiful drive, arriving at Hilo airport, parking and check-in... couldn't have been less stress free. The staff is super friendly!! They do weigh you, so no point fudging. If you've eaten too many cookies lately, be honest! They will find out, ha! There is an extra charge for over a certain weight. No bags allowed, they will lock them up for free. Our pilot was pat, and he was awesome!! Very fun, made sure to tell us what we were seeing, where and what to look for. Seemed to thoroughly enjoy this! Now, to the flight. My goodness...i just can't put into words what it's like to be flying over a volcano, seeing lava flow, the pure majesty of it is overwhelming. Pat made sure to take his time, communicate with us what we wanted to see and make it memorable! The waterfalls are spectacular as well. You are not going to see any of these things unless you're in the air. We will definitely do this again!! A top notch company that assures moments you'll never forget!! They offer several different copters and sites. Ours offered a USB flash drive for us to keep of the whole flight, $40, totally worth it!! We can show all our family and friends what we saw. The gift shop has cool souvenirs and priced great! Be sure to bring cash to tip your pilot! Can't...

Blue Hawaiian was fantastic! We took the “Rings of Fire” tour starting out of Hilo on the Big Island.

Our pilot was Wesley, and he was just the best: so personable and very knowledgeable. By happenstance, we were the only people on the aircraft - a private tour if you will. I think it was because of that lucky circumstance, that my 12-year-old son felt comfortable to ask a lot of questions. Wesley answered them all very patiently and kid-friendly.

We couldn’t have had a better pilot. Wesley flew this top-of-the-line helicopter very smoothly. Often he took a second turn, with the object on the other side, so that all of us could have a good view. Of course, our kids, sitting in the two co-pilot seats with full glass windows in front of them, had the very best view. On the way back Wesley had a little surprise for us.

Our kids found the helicopter tour the most impressive thing we did on Hawaii.

I suggest , you buy the movie they offer. Wesley prepared the perfect playlist selection for the movie, always fitting to the landscape we were seeing. It’s a great memento.

After the return, Julianna at the check-in counter gave us great dining recommendations in Hilo on my request. We went to Pineapple’s and the food was great. Thanks Julianna, it was a great way to end the day before we returned to Kona (our home base).

If we do a helicopter tour again, we’ll definitely look for Blue Hawaiian again and will...