Anyone taken Helicopter ride on Big Island?

We too will be on the Big Island in a few weeks. Since we are diving the first evening that we get there, I was wondering if anyone has done a helicopter ride to see the volcano. Of course we are concerned about the elevation after we dive and this would be one way we could see the volcano, but want to know if it's worth it.

Regards,
Caymaniac

My flight took place on my day of departure, 24 hours after my last dive.

A small plane tour will cost 1/3 of a helicopter tour. They leave directly from the Kona airport. It was definitely worth the money I spent.

There were 4 of us in the plane - 3 passengers and the captain. I sat in the co pilot seat. We flew around the entire circumference of the island and got quite close to the volcano. Whether or not you see lava really depends on what the volcano is doing at the time when you fly over it. The lava flows tend to crust over so they are actually flowing below the visible surface of the ground.

Taking the tour is a really good way to understand the diversity of the Big Island's climate and topography. It's also a big thrill.

My wife and I stayed on the Big Island for a couple of weeks. We took a day off from diving to see the sights.

We had a good time on the helicopter ride and also had a tape made of the tour. We thought it was worth the time. :boom:

We did the helicopter tour of the island. It was ok but hardly worth the price (somewhere around $300 per person). I'd rather spend the money staying an extra day and touring the volcano. The most spectacular experience is viewing the lava on the ground at night. Assuming there are accessible surface flows, you can get very close. Check out www. bluehawaiian.com for further helicopter info. If you decide to go that route there's a substantial discount for reserving in advance. Also, check the links at wizardpub.com, Big Island Revealed's publishers. They have links to current eruption info. It looks like there are currently surface flows about a mile from the end of Chain of Craters road.

...one just crashed last week while making a volcano tour, with no survivors (pilot and 3 pax). Pilot was experienced but had only been flying in the area for a few months.

luvdiving once bubbled...
My wife and I stayed on the Big Island for a couple of weeks.

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We're thinking of going next year to the Big Island. Any suggestions on where to stay. It's just the two of us and we're both long time divers, from the '70s.

Hope we finally get some dry weather here in MD!
TedJ

If so, there are cabins available near the volcano.

If not, we stayed at the King Kamahamaha (sp?). Good rooms, great food, and great location. You can walk from the hotel to just about everywhere downtown.

For diving, we made the mistake of booking, and paying in advance, the dive shop in the hotel. BIG MISTAKE. They promised every type of diving available and all from a large diesel boat. After we checked in and touched bases with the dive shop, we found out that the diesel boat had been wrecked and was out of commision. We dove from a pontoon boat.

That was in 1996. The shop is probably out of business by now.

Check the search engine for current info about dive shops.:boom: