Flying over the island of Hawaii to witness an active volcano was an adventure that Josh and I could not pass up. The visibility was not ideal but it’s not every day you get to see an island being built.
On March 7, 2008, two days before our flight, there was a great deal of excitement on the island of Hawaii. The lava had completed its journey down the slopes of the Kilauea volcano and started to flow into the ocean.
We were fortunate enough to get a reservation with Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours. We flew in the Eco-Star, (which is supposed to be the “cadillac” of the helicopters). The seating arrangements were based upon weight. I got to sit in the “co-pilot” seat so I had a fantastic view. Our pilot, Brandon, gave us an overview of the various sites as we flew over them.
The highlight of the tour was flying over Volcano National Park. Though we flew over an “active” volcano we did not see a lot of lava, (it was mostly hidden from view in tubes underneath the ground). We were able to catch glimpses of it through small round openings that are called “skylights”. At the coastline there was also a stream of lava that was visible.
It was amazing to see how random the path of the lava was. Brandon pointed out one house that was just at the edge of where the lava had scorched the grass and trees. As of that date the stubborn man who lived in that house had not evacuated.
The north coast of the Big Island is comprised of many cliffs and waterfalls. Near the end of the tour we actually flew through valleys and hovered next to a few waterfalls. I felt as if I were in the movie “Jurassic Park”.
When we flew over the water we were fortunate enough to see a few Humpack Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). This species of whale migrates to Hawaii every year to breed. (The “whale-watching season” for Humpback Whales in Hawaii is from November through April). We didn’t fly close enough to get any good pictures.
After the flight, one of the passengers expressed dissapointment that we did not see a lot of lava. The flight over the volcano was not exactly what he had expected. I suppose he would not have been happy unless the volcano was shooting fireballs at us as we flew over it. Admittedly, I would have liked to have seen a little more fireworks but I didn’t expect a violent eruption.
Overall it was an exhilarating experience and I hope to have the opportunity to explore other landscapes by helicopter in the future.