Maui Helicopter Tours
 

Planning a helicopter tour in May with Blue Hawaiian on Maui of West Maui mountains and Molokini. Any recommendations on morning or afternoon tours being preferable?

Its a hour from Kapalua to Kahului, so I like the late afternoon followed by dinner at places I normally don't visit because of distance.

Its the wind pattern, not the time of day that is key. Try to book on a trade wind day to avoid the VOG(Volcanic Fog)

The weather is usually much steadier in the a.m., less windy; I'd recommend the morning all the time.

I've only taken a helicopter ride on Kauai, where a morning tour was recommended. Besides it being calmer and less windy, IME skies are clearer then too. I think I'm recalling correctly in that most of the day-time rain we've experienced in Hawaii has been after noon.

Kauai is a little different, they don't get VOG. Trade winds blow away the VOG on Maui. But even in Kauai I like afternoons, so I don't have to deal with the heavy morning shadows messing up my pictures/filming

"Kauai is a little different, they don't get VOG."

Maybe not on Kauai's north shore, but friends who live in Koloa would disagree with that. When conditions are such that Maui is getting VOG, it's not unusual that it extends on up the island chain.

If you go early, it will probably be calmer and the weather won't have moved in. Photos from the helicopter will be iffy anyway, depending on where you sit; I gave up after a few minutes and decided to just enjoy the ride (and get the dvd of the trip).