Helicopter Ride Over The Big Island

The Big Island is one of the coolest places I’ve seen. And as if it couldn’t get any cooler, I got to see it from a helicopter! We took the most amazing helicopter ride over the island and were able to capture some of the most amazing views. We saw active volcanoes that erupted in 2018, and before that, in 1983. We also got the opportunity to go inside the crater of another volcano, which is dormant. We ended the flight by seeing a bunch of waterfalls, which were as tall as 2600 feet high. 

The views were so beautiful. Our captain took us all around the island, so we were able to see everything. The volcanos were probably the coolest part because you can see so much more detail from an aerial view. Although, I have to say that the views of the greenery and turquoise water on the island were hard to beat, and it’s even more beautiful when seeing it from the sky. 

The Island 

The Big Island is also known as the Island of Hawaiʻi. It earned that name because it’s the largest island in the United States, covering 4,029 square miles. It also has a larger surface area than all of the other Hawaiian islands combined. The land area of the county accounts for 62.7% of the total land area of the state. It’s the greatest percentage of any county in the country! The entire island is full of luscious greenery, volcanoes, and amazing waterfalls that cascade into the water. 

The Volcanos

The island of Hawaiʻi is built from five separate shield volcanoes that erupted on the island. These are from oldest to youngest:

Kohala – extinct

Mauna Kea – dormant

Hualālai – dormant

Mauna Loa – active, partly within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Kīlauea – active, part of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Between January 1983 and September 2002, 543 acres were added to the island because of the lava flow. Unfortunately, lava flowing from Kīlauea destroyed several towns, including Kapoho in 1960 and again in 2018, and Kalapana and Kaimū in 1990. When the Kilauea Volcano is active, vog (volcanic fog) can cover the island of Hawai’i. The vog has largely vanished on the west side of the island since the end of volcanic activity in September 2018. But it’s still cool to see. 

Our Experience 

We booked with Paradise Helicopters, and they were amazing. We were so blown away by the experience. Not only was our captain super nice, but he also was very knowledgeable about the island. We were able to learn so much throughout our time in the sky. I highly recommend their company if you choose to do this excursion. 
For those of you who don’t like heights, don’t worry, seeing the island on the ground is also amazing. However, if heights don’t bother you, I encourage you to book this helicopter ride. It was such an adventure! In other words, if you have any questions, or would just like to connect, you can message me here. I love getting to know the Big Guy Big World family! Stay tuned for more adventures to come.