Blue Hawaiian Helicopter

Hubby loves to fly.  We were coming to Hawaii.  I KNEW we were going to end up in a helicopter.  The lava flow is very minimal right now, so the longer tours were nixed.  Then, we discovered that Blue Hawaiian had a 1 hour waterfall tour.  Hawaii had a very wet winter, so we opted for that waterfall tour.  For safety reasons, you provide your weight when you book and, when you arrive, you stand on a scale and allow the computer to assign your seat (that means hubby couldn't call shotgun).  Don't let the weight deter you - you have a fantastic view no matter where you sit.  And, if you are in the middle and with someone you know, you can lean over them for pictures.  Speaking of picture, hubby had a light colored shirt on.  Blue Hawaiian also loaned him a darker shirt so his shirt didn't reflect in the windows.

After being fit with a PFD, we watched a safety video then were assigned I number.  I was last, so I could take a picture of hubby grinning from ear to ear, waiting to get into the helicopter.

We started by flying over the resort we stayed at.

Parker Ranch was next as we looked for a place to cross to the coast.  During this time, we learned that the volcano we were crossing is considered extinct and shouldn't erupt any more.  Just then, we passed this area - the clouds made it look like the crater was steaming.

The first valley we came to was one of two that we saw that was accessible by methods other than a helicopter (a third was accessible, but it required a hike over a mountain, this one only required a 6 mile hike round trip).  We could see the beautiful black sand beach.  Shane, our pilot, said that he sometimes sees whales, and we were lucky enough to see them.

We also drove to this point.  This is the view from the end of the road.  We could have hiked to the beach, but at a muddy three miles one way, we opted not to.

The remainder of the flight was an awesome view of many valleys and waterfalls that can only be seen by air and which my camera did not do justice.  It was a fantastic tour and I highly recommend Blue Hawaiian to anyone who ventures to the Big Island.