I own the most recent copy of The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook (which I love btw) and it doesn't mention Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tours. Does anyone have any experience with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters on Kauai?

search "helicopter tours" under Hawaii on this site and you will never go on a helicopter tour. It is very scary.

Here is the thread jal716 is referring to: http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34682192

That thread contains lots of posts with pros and cons based on helicopter accidents in Hawaii. If you read it, read them all. Seems those that have have good experiences are nearer to the bottom of the thread.

There are also other threads about people who have done it and enjoyed it. I haven't done a helicopter tour in Hawaii, but I have in other places, and loved it. Good luck with your travel decisions!

My whole family did the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour on the Big Island earlier this year. It was fantastic, went right over top the volcano. We had to split up into two helicopters as our group was too large for one. Everyone loved it, from my 82-year-old parents to my 13-year-old nephew. We even got a DVD of our experience (they have a camera attached to the helicopter and it films exactly what you see).

I used Blue Hawaiian on the big island and had a great experience. We were first reluctant due to the $$ but it ended up being worth it for us to fly over the lava flows and volcano and many waterfalls. Sorry I can't give info about Kauai.

We used Inter-Island for our flight out of Port Allen. They were very good. We did the waterfall landing which was higher priced. The lunch was just sandwiches and stuff. The waterfall itself was nice but I am not sure if it was worth the extra money vs. the flight only option. After our flight we went to Waimea Canyon as it was on that side of the island. After the canyon we stopped by Glass BEach which is a beach that is made of glass from a nearby recycling facilty. While it is indeed beautiful it is also sad. I would whole definately use Interisland again.

FYI -- waterfall landings by all heli-tour companies on Kaua`i, have been halted (no one had FAA permission).

And our "glass beach" is on the site of a long-ago dump...no intentional glass recyling, really!

We did the Blue Hawaii tour on Maui and, as an aviation professional, I was impressed with their operation. Reading accident stories/statistics would be less scary if one would consider the thousands of trouble-free flight hours that never make it into any statistics.

I've had someone, more than one person chide me on the risks involved in every aspect of Hawaii adventure/fun from kayaking, to snorkeling to hiking and scuba diving....it's not for everyone. Some just like to sit on the beach or just drive by the sites.

I can appreciate that, but I like alittle adventure, taking in all safety aspects as best you can.
Here's hoping I'll have the courage to get on the chopper when the time comes!